Twin Gable House in Sunnyvale by Ryan Leidner Architecture

Twin Gable House by Ryan Leidner Architecture (RLA) sees a comprehensive renovation of the original Eichler Home, designed by A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons in 1962. Known as Plan OJ-1605, the original design for this Eichler model is an inward-looking courtyard scheme where the living spaces wrap around a central, open-air atrium – the first space one experiences when entering from the carport.

Created for a growing family, the existing post-and-beam construction, open floor plan, and open-air atrium have all been wholeheartedly embraced within the renovation. The resulting energy-efficient 4-bedroom 2-bathroom house blurs the boundary between interior and exterior living, the garden becoming an essential companion throughout the home.

Located in Sunnyvale, a quiet residential community in Silicon Valley, Twin Gable House contains a series of soft, refined living areas. Rooms seemingly blend into one another, harsh junctions or dramatic distinctions between spaces nowhere to be found. Large-format porcelain tiles in the interior spill out onto the exterior courtyard. The material consistency creates a light floor that continuously ushers occupants throughout the home. A large set of pocketing sliding doors allow conversations from the kitchen to flow seamlessly into the living room, before melding with the playful laughter escaping from the pool. It is evident this home is built for family living, the expansive open ground floor plan encouraging time to be shared.

The key focus of the renovation was to strip back the many layers of previous renovations that clouded the original logic of the building. Walls were strategically removed to bring further openness to the layout. In the process, RLA unveiled the existing post-and-beam structural system essential to the voice of the original structure. Shag carpet, mirrored walls, and old cabinetry were removed and replaced with a more sophisticated palette of white oak and Carrara marble. The existing timber tongue and groove ceilings and beams were repainted in white, hosting dancing shadows cast by neighbouring rustling leaves.

The homeowners’, Isabelle Olsen and Matthaeus Khenn’s, love for gardening doesn’t go unnoticed. Almost every room in the house opens onto the outdoors. Landscape design by Stephens Design Studio brings colour and organic shapes into the otherwise crisp lines of the interior. Gardens unfold in lush pockets of greenery, lining the exterior boundary before growing directly out of the centre courtyard of the home.