upper lucas valley eichler
upper lucas valley Eichler
location | san rafael
scope | kitchen, dining, living
design | building Lab
year | 2026
The renovation begins at the curb. A dull brown exterior gives way to a warm grey with a whisper of green — contemporary, yet grounded. The sequence into the house is itself part of the design: the carport compresses visitors into a low, shadowed passage, a held breath before the release at the outdoor atrium. New clear aluminum window frames replace the bronze introduced in a previous renovation. After the carport's dimness, the atrium delivers dappled light and genuine spatial generosity — an experience that becomes the organizing idea for the entire interior.
The gable end facing the outdoor atrium reads as pure original Eichler, though it's actually a faithful reconstruction from the prior renovation, when the wall was pushed out — close enough to carry the same authority. Where the indoor atrium once had no ceiling fixtures at all, only table lamps, two long light bars now hang symmetrically, aligned with the roof beams, washing light upward while aiming spotlights down onto artwork — a layered glow the original house never had.
The kitchen repeats the rhythm at a domestic scale. A low hallway leads to an oversized skylight, rotated 90º from its original orientation so it now pulls visitors forward. It aligns with the sink and a new custom bay window, extended to the ceiling so the ceiling plane appears to continue into the yard. A second skylit zone repeats the cadence nearby, its edges held exactly to the corridor openings below.
The reworked plan respects what was already correctly placed. The original hallway opening stays exactly where it was. The post once beside the old refrigerator now stands beside the new wall oven, same location. A dark corner is now a walk-in pantry; the redundant breakfast nook is bar seating; the old L-shaped leg is gone, opening circulation. Nothing has been added — only reorganized, so light, structure, and movement finally agree throughout the house.
