Tour a Stunning Modern Home and Outdoor Space

Peek inside one of Fifties real estate developer Joseph Eichler's California-cool homes and its stunning before and after outdoor design.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

May 26, 2015

By: Jeff Stafford

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Klopf Architecture, www.klopfarchitecture.com

©Klopf Architecture, www.klopfarchitecture.com

A Contemporary Update of the Indoor-Outdoor Home

Joseph Eichler was a California real estate developer who created a prototype with architects for residential homes in the early Fifties that incorporated modernist architecture with a “bring the outside inside” concept. The Eichler home favored wall-to-ceiling windows with glass transoms in all the major rooms with direct access to private garden patios and courtyards. This remodeled single-family home by Klopf Architecture takes an original Eichler home and updates it with a truly “open” design. Architect: Arterra; Builder: Flegels; photo by Mariko Reed.

[Before] The Original Design

This is the front of the Eichler home before the renovation. As you can see, the challenge for the architects is to preserve the classic elements of the original design while giving it a modern twist and integrating a more organic indoor-outdoor convergence.

[Before] The Mid-Century Kitchen

A typical kitchen layout in the modernist mid-century design of an Eichler home. This space will be incorporated into the living room and a new kitchen will be created in the far left corner of the home with open access to the courtyard and living room.

[Before] Ready for a New Configuration

Situated at the front of the house in the left corner (if you are viewing the house from the street) is this room which will become the new kitchen. Open access to the courtyard will replace the wall on the right.

[Before] Rethinking the Living Room

The former living room featured the fireplace in the center of the wall and prevented the residents from enjoying an open, unobstructed view of the outside patio/garden area.

[Before] Courtyard Blues

What was once considered modern and stylish now looks a bit drab and uninspiring but you can see the potential. The courtyard area and entire exterior of the house are going to get a major revamp that will completely energize this space.

[Before] Out with the Old, In with the New

On the left is the sliding glass door entrance to a bedroom with a partial view of the living room area on the right. The latticework will be removed and the entire exterior wall of the living room will be replaced with a truly open design.

[Before] Starting from Scratch

The living room is in the first phase of renovation. In the background you can glimpse the beginnings of the new kitchen which is in the right corner at the front of the house with open access to a patio grill area (still under construction).

[Before] Kitchen Reboot

Previously a bonus room in the original Eichler design, this space is now being renovated as the new kitchen.

[Before] Imagine the Possibilities

The former patio has been removed and the ground is ready for a new courtyard area that will feature a design that incorporates the bedroom (on the left), the living room and the kitchen (off-camera to the right) into a natural open air environment.

[Before] Ready for the Makeover

[Before] A New Face

The front of the Eichler home is undergoing a transformation that will feature a two car garage on the far right, a main entrance in the middle and a new kitchen and courtyard to the left of the residence.

[After] Chef Wanted

The new kitchen retains the most desirable qualities of the original Eichler design while bringing something new and modern to the layout (note the grill area just outside on the right). Photo by Mariko Reed.

Multifaceted

In this redesigned courtyard/patio, a fire pit, outdoor furniture, bench seating, a grill and dining area and garden space provide a variety of options for entertaining company. Photo by Mariko Reed.

Truly Open

From inside the new living room you get a spectacular open view of the adjoining patio/courtyard. Notice the folding door system by Nanawall on the far right which allows the homeowners to close the open living room when weather in unfavorable. Photo by Mariko Reed.

Opposites Attract

The previous photo revealed a patio view from the left side of the living room and this reveals an equally stunning patio accessible from the right side of the living room. Photo by Mariko Reed.

Details, Details, Details

A close-up view of one of the renovated patios off of the living room reveals a blue tile-studded fountain with contemporary outdoor furnishings and a beautiful redwood fence as the background border. Photo by Mariko Reed.

Neutral Tones and Bright Colors

Brightly colored throw pillows and modernist orange cubes for seating make an inviting visual impression against the earth tones of wooden benches and a stucco coated concrete backdrop in this renovation detail. Photo by Mariko Reed.

Side Effects

The stylish side entrance to the renovated Eichler home features a paver footpath with drought tolerant ground cover between them and border plantings of ornamental grasses and other attractive low maintenance vegetation. Photo by Mariko Reed.

Outside Looking In

An exterior view of the renovated bathroom reveals a floor to ceiling window that lets natural light fill the room but also provides complete privacy as the bathroom faces a walled-in section of the yard. Photo by Mariko Reed

Nighttime Glow

A designer fire pit and subtle interior lighting creates a warm, inviting atmosphere in this interior courtyard view at night. Photo by Mariko Reed.

A Brand New Me

From the street you can see that all of the classic elements of a Eichler home have been preserved but also modernized in ways that make the style more relevant than ever. Photo by Mariko Reed.