High in the hills of urban San Francisco, the handsome irregular volumes of the Dolores Heights Residence by jones | haydu create striking curb appeal. Volumes protrude from the front façade, stretching out to garner the greatest views over the sweeping vistas below, which take in large swathes of the city as well as nearby Sutro Tower. The project entailed a remodelling of the existing earthquake cottage that stood on the lot, with the new intention to foster a greater appreciation for the location from the house itself. This meant opening up the space along the single axis that runs front to back, while adding new forms into the space. The forms are clearly most noticeable at the front of the home, where they spill out from the main exterior border to create a playful, striking profile that nods to the city’s famous vernacular architecture.
Interior spaces flow freely, with an office, living room, and kitchen filtered into the long floorplan that only gently defines each section. In one place, a high vaulted ceiling peaks above a wall of French doors, with a leafy outer deck running alongside. Where the ceilings retain the volumes of the former cottage, an array of floor to ceiling windows and doors bring through the light. Finally, while the boxy add-ons steal the attention, it is the grand inverted window on the upper deck that might just be the most irresistible part of the residence, its horizontal cedar slat surround drawing the gaze towards the interior as if in competition with the amazing views in the other direction. Follow jones | haydu on Instagram.
Photography © Matthew Millman