Architecture & Light Design a Private SF Residence

We all know San Francisco’s appeal: the history and culture, the beautiful layout of the city and the rich mix of old and new. Standing among all of this intrigue is a healthy sampling of West coast contemporary homes. Whether it is in private residences or commercial buildings, San Francisco demonstrates why it is one of the world’s most widely visited cities.

Below you will find a modern day marvel, designed as a private residence by Architecture & Light.

About the Project:

Two corner units were combined into a single condominium for a couple to use as a weekly pied a terre. Located in Millennium Towers, the unit has panoramic views of downtown San Francisco which in turn form a backdrop for the client’s art and furniture.

About the Firm:

Architecture & Light is a collaborative firm of architects and lighting designers founded in 1993 by Darrell Hawthorne and Mark Stevens. The principals and staff have extensive experience in the design, management and construction of a wide range of projects in architecture, interiors and lighting.

The Bay area is attractive for many reasons. Its rich history, vibrant culture and temperate weather make it a destination for many people. It is also celebrated for its city landscapes and modern architecture. The following images demonstrate how nicely a well-designed home can settle into the environment, bringing San Francisco modern homes to the forefront of innovative design.

The Meadow House by Malcolm Davis Architecture

About Malcolm Davis Architecture:

Malcolm Davis Architecture, founded in 1996, is committed to excellence in architecture and design.
Based in San Francisco, our firm has projects throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area, The Sea Ranch, Oregon, and New York City. Projects range from furniture, stair, and cabinetry design to boutique retail, residential renovations, additions, and new construction.

Long known as an ambassador of style, sophistication and design, San Francisco maintains its vibrant outpouring of architecture and urban planning by working closely with hundreds of local and talented architects. Whether it is in Berkeley, Oakland, or downtown, San Francisco’s contemporary architecture is a widely considered some of the best in the country.

200 Second Street in Oakland by David Baker + Partners Architects

About 200 Second Street:

Innovative planning and artisan touches define 200 Second Street, a high-density urban mixed-use building in Oakland’s Jack London Square neighborhood. Seventy condominiums and four lofty live+work spaces elegantly interlace throughout this six-story building, which is filled with imaginative details.

A custom-crafted steel gate and glass rain awning flank the feng shui-inspired entry court, whose colored exterior pavement carries into the lobby in a terrazzo-style design. The towering lobby is paneled with articulated bamboo and illuminated by colored energy-efficient LED lighting.

Berkeley, CA is a robust city, rich with culture, intellect and ambition. But architecturally speaking, it’s a bit of an anomaly, being at once traditionally conservative and boldly modern.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on this phenomena recently, delving into one of Berkeley’s most contested debates. That of the “Berkeley Brown Shingle.”

From the article:

Berkeley architect David Trachtenberg is much more precise in describing how his use of brown shingles reflects the design philosophy of the First Bay Tradition, which has inspired his buildings throughout the Bay Area: “When you sheath a building in shingles,” he says, “it gives that building’s smallest gestures unique expression.”

Now he has applied this idea to three townhouses at 1350, 1352 and 1354 Neilson St. in North Berkeley, two of which have just come on the market.

Read more about architect David Trachtenberg.

Trachtenberg Architects was formed in 1991, six years after Trachtenberg graduated from Harvard with a master’s degree in architecture. His firm has designed homes and commercial buildings from Sonoma County to San Jose that have been praised for their aesthetic qualities by critics (including the late Allan Temko) and city planners. Among them: Berkeley landmarks Rose Grocery, Saul’s Delicatessen, Cody’s Bookstore on Fourth Street, Berkeley Bowl Market and the La Farine Building on Solano Avenue.

And, of course, if you’d like to view more of San Francisco’s modern homes, check out Sell Modern’s listings.

Sell Modern is not alone when it lists San Francisco as one of its favorite architectural cities; the culture, urban development and progressive mindset keep us coming back, despite the stratospheric cost of visiting.

Indulge us then as we take a look at a modern Pacific Heights home that has made news, spread rumors and enamored passerby since it was built, way back in 1938.

Designed by John Ekin Dinwiddie in the 1930’s, this home steps away from SF’s traditional and ubiquitous Victorian style, and captures instead a sharp, modern aesthetic that stands apart from its Pacific Heights neighbors.

Do you see a metaphor here? While the street angles downward (current real estate market) the Dinwiddie home keeps its balance and stays afloat (reflects the appeal of modern homes despite the economy).

Hey, what can we say? We’re optimists here at Sell Modern.