Lewis Remodel & Addition

Oakland, California

• 2022 Partners In Preservation Award, Oakland Heritage Alliance

art + architecture

Home of noted architectural Glass Artist John Lewis, this 86-year-old Monterey ranch was a fixer that needed a maker. Luckily, John was the perfect owner. He skillfully integrated his beautiful art into the home by using cast glass to make light fixtures, windows, countertops, doors, furniture, and even a glowing hearth. The breathtaking 42" wide front door and its sidelights have one and one-half-inch-thick sculpted glass insets. During the day, the house sparkles with reflections, textures, and light and at night, it glows warmly in the dark, highlighting John’s extensive, colorful art collection.

The Architect’s goal was to celebrate the iconic California ranch style - in other words, to modernize the home while maintaining the integrity of its early, rambling ranch silhouette. The hillside house was opened up by removing walls, redesigning the roof, and adding lots of floor-to-ceiling windows typical of modern ranch homes. The dining room was relocated and the kitchen expanded, while bathrooms were added and remodeled. The basement became an ADU with its own balcony. The grand new staircase sports metal handrails and integrates circulation. Configured to take advantage of both bay and backyard views, all the newly remodeled rooms have direct outside access. Indoor/outdoor connections are now the focal point of this completely transformed hillside home. Yet the spirit of the style remains, a testimony to the enduring qualities of ranch homes.

Interior photographs by Russell Abraham