Before & After: A Vintage Eichler Home Opens Up

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This is an especially interesting project because it shows how an older home can be adapted for the needs of a modern family without sacrificing the things that made the home charming to begin with. The owners of this Eichler home home in Mountain View, California were in love with the home’s midcentury detailing… but not with the midcentury floor plan. The kitchen was separated by a wall from the rest of the living area, and the living area itself was awkwardly broken into a living room and a darkish, enclosed atrium. Just a few floorplan changes were all it took to make this awkward, chopped up space into the centerpiece of a beautiful, bright family home.

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(Image credit: Mariko Reed)

The architect for the remodel was Klopf Architecture, a firm that has overseen quite a few other Eichler remodels and additions. The changes that they made in the remodel were quite simple — they took down the walls between the kitchen and living room, and between the old atrium and the living room, creating one large, continuous space. Painting the walls and ceiling white helps to enhance the bright, airy feel.

Here you can see the changes that were made to the floor plan. The space that was once the atrium is now the dining room, and the kitchen is completely open to the living room.

(Image credit: Mariko Reed)

This is the new dining room, looking towards the front of the house. The transom windows connecting the front bedroom with the living room mean that that room gets light from both sides.

(Image credit: Klopf Architecture)

(Image credit: Mariko Reed)

Here you can witness the transformation of the kitchen, which before was dark and cut off from the rest of the house. The new cabinets give the kitchen a more contemporary look, but one that’s a perfect match for the rest of the home’s simple, modern detailing.

(Image credit: Mariko Reed)

The new living/dining/kitchen space is enviably bright, and provides plenty of play space (and running around space) for the little ones. And the home’s midcentury design is still beautifully in evidence. It’s a win for beauty and for function.

You can see more of Klopf’s projects on their website.