Updating an Eichler with an Indian flavor
by Carol Blitzer / photos by Dasja Dolan
A second-story wing was added to this Eichler without radically changing the footprint or character of the home.
Dealing with an infestation of roof rats led Revati Shreeniwas and her husband, Nagesh, to rethink their small Eichler home in Midtown. Since they had to remove a previous slap-dash extension, why not take care of a few things that weren't working for the family of four?
"We didn't want to change the footprint or character" of the home, Revati says, pointing to the original three palm trees that attracted her husband in 1997.
First they added a stacked two-bedroom, second-story wing, with a large room upstairs for their son and a smaller room -- but with a bathroom -- downstairs for their daughter. They maximized space by building in desks with granite tops, and adding window seats, and more storage in the closets.
Indian touches prevail, from the choice of artwork and furnishings to the painted beams on the ceiling of the enlarged living room
Then they tackled the kitchen, which had already been remodeled by a previous owner. Shreeniwas conferred with Fremont-based architect Seema Mittal, over a design to open up the kitchen/dining area. Acres of maple cabinets frame the walls, topped with Golden Juparna granite from India.
Shreeniwas carefully chose the granite in warm reds and golds because she needed it to stand up to Indian cooking.
The center of the large kitchen is an asymmetrical island, made of matching maple and topped by Golden Juparna granite from India.
"Indian cooking has a lot of things that can stain marble. It's messy," she laughs, adding "a little sprinkle of turmeric only adds to it over time."
She also chose a restaurant-strength ventilating hood (VentaHood) that's powerful enough to dissipate strong cooking odors. Because the kitchen is a true cooking center, she opted for a five-burner Thermidor cook top, Bosch oven, Sub-Zero refrigerator and a double-decker Fisher Paykel dishwasher.
Mittal designed an asymmetrical island -- not a square or a circle, but incorporating both -- and cabinets were built to support the shape. A built-in desk for their computer sits across from the large granite-topped dining table.
Shreeniwas was inspired by the book, "The Not So Big House" by Sarah Susanka.
"I've never felt you need an ultra-huge place," she says, noting that she'd rather create more common areas where the family can spend time together. "Outdoor rooms and bringing the outside in is very Asian. Windows are always open. There are relatively small sleeping spaces, larger common areas. You're almost channeled by your environment to be together," she adds.
Next to the kitchen, they turned the garage into a family/media room, complete with lightweight lounge chairs that can easily be pushed aside when they want to play pool. Again, storage and bookshelves line the walls. They retained the cement floor, but acid-etched it, then added a skylight and an unusual fluorescent light fixture.
Throughout the house, the walls are faux painted in subtle, but rich colors, with the Eichler beams painted to contrast -- purple in the kitchen, brick in the living room, green in the master bedroom. In the family room, the painter used a feather to create an unusual finish in white, over a red base, with mustard yellow trim.
Outside, a series of granite benches form conversation areas around a firepit. An arbor shades another 'garden room.'
"We like a lot of color in the house," Shreeniwas says. "It's a small space. With a rich-looking interior, it doesn't feel Spartan."
They removed the half-wall between the living and dining rooms, creating an open living room with limestone floors, also used in the kitchen. For furnishings they opted to "get something symbolizing our roots," which translated into antique and reproductions from India.
"Everything has a little bit of past to it," she says, pointing to a cradle converted to a small sofa, and an old palanquin (an enclosed litter) with its poles removed and mattress added. She obtained many of the art and furniture items through her mother, Kanaka, who works through a Massachusetts-based importer.
The owners liked their 300-year-old rosewood chair that they had it copied.
One chair is 300 years old -- Shreeniwas liked it so much she had it copied in rosewood. The décor is inspired by Indian traditional crafts -- from paintings with gold inlays to bronzes. She even has a collection of old oil lamps in a variety of shapes, from a cobra to a peacock.
"We mix and match. The colors are from different parts of India," she says.
Her one regret? That she didn't have a master plan when she began, to give more continuity. Her one mistake, she says, was in putting in Pergo laminate floors in the bedrooms, which she doesn't think holds up as well as hardwood.
They've completed their remodel -- including creating garden rooms outdoors with an eating area under an arbor and granite benches surrounding a fire pit - but she can't stop thinking about improvements. Maybe glass blocks would enhance the third bathroom?
Goal of project: Improve livability of house by adding a children's wing of bedrooms, expanding the kitchen and living room
Unexpected problems: Pergo floors haven't held up well.
Year house built: 1955
Size of home: 1,700 square feet expanded to 2,800 square feet
Time to complete: Done in stages over three years, 2000-2002
Budget: Between $350,000 and $400,000
Resources:
Architect: Seema Mittal, Perspectives, Architecture and Design, Fremont; (510) 796-1252
Cabinets: Juan Funes, Segale Brothers, 1705 Sabre St., Hayward; (510) 652-8113
Contractor: Ruben Carlos, Redwood City; (650) 474-0668
Granite: GMS, 2480 Verna Court, San Leandro; (510) 352-8112
Lighting: Delight, 2323 Birch St., Palo Alto; (650) 323-7779
Furniture: Design Within Reach, 151 University Ave., Palo Alto; (650) 433-3000; Kanaka Shreeniwas, nilambam@yahoo.com.in