Nestled in the city of Burlingame, California, about a half hour south of San Francisco, lived an Eichler that needed an MCM makeover. Looking for the place to spend the rest of their lives, the owners wanted to turn the Eichler from a house to a home.
Their vision needed to match their architect’s vision—clean lines, contemporary chic décor and open spaces. John Klopf, principal architect of San Francisco-based firm Klopf Architecture, knew exactly what this MCM makeover needed and had the same vision for the home as the homeowners. Klopf and his firm are no strangers to Joseph Eichler’s designs, having renovated and redesigned several Eichler homes and focusing their firm on modern and midcentury modern residential projects.
Klopf designed several areas within the house, including the kitchen and bathrooms, family room and laundry areas and closets. For all of the hard work performed by both the firm and homeowners, John was surprised by how quickly the renovations went by. “This was a really fast project! It’s not likely any project of this type would be possible to build that quickly again,” John says. “It only took about seven months, from the beginning of the project to the end of construction. I can hardly believe it!”
John’s first piece of advice for those looking to renovate their homes to embody the midcentury modern style, regardless if they live in an Eichler, is to keep things systematic: “Make the spaces uniform to achieve a flowing feeling,” John says. “Keep a unified look throughout the house and make the spaces within bright and open.”
With the inside finished, it was time to get this Eichler furnished! Check back for part 2 of this house tour to find out how Klopf filled up the rooms of this MCM makeover.
