Houzz TV: Love Letter to a Small Mid-Century Find
A 59-square-metre 1956 home captures its owner’s heart. See it when it was new and now
Margot Hartford
4 April 2017
Houzz Contributor. Interiors photographer in the Bay Area for over 15 years. Publications include Veranda, California Home & Design, Sunset Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens.
Houzz Contributor. Interiors photographer in the Bay Area for over 15 years. Publications... More
Gerard Garbutt looked at this house for about two minutes before thinking, “I should put in an offer.” He says, “I was impressed with its economy of scale, and I wanted to live there. So I wrote a letter to the owner telling her that I loved the house and that I would respect its integrity.” The letter worked, and in 1999 he bought the house from the original owner, Shirley Todd. The story of how the home came to be adds to its charm.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gerard Garbutt
Location: Kensington, California
Size: 59 square metres); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Year built: 1956
Photographs from a 1959 Sunset magazine article about the home show how it looked soon after it was built. Click the image to enlarge it.
Magazine article copyright 1959 Sunset
Who lives here: Gerard Garbutt
Location: Kensington, California
Size: 59 square metres); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Year built: 1956
Photographs from a 1959 Sunset magazine article about the home show how it looked soon after it was built. Click the image to enlarge it.
Magazine article copyright 1959 Sunset
In the 1950s, original owner Shirley Todd asked architect Henry Hill if he could build her a house for US$11,000. Hill was up for the challenge, and all together, the house, the lot and the landscaping came in at just under US$11,000 when it was built in 1956. The original drawings and some photos of the house, which appeared in a Sunset magazine story in 1959, plus photos of how it looks today, create a timeline showing the architectural inspiration, the original home and its modern-day style.
The timeless design and landscaping feel just as fresh today as they did in 1956. The previous owner did not have a car, so there was no need for a driveway or garage. Instead, the front landscaping consists of varieties of manzanitas, inspired by the environment on the upper slopes of Mount Tamalpais and the High Sierra.
Watch now: See more of this hillside home on Houzz TV
The timeless design and landscaping feel just as fresh today as they did in 1956. The previous owner did not have a car, so there was no need for a driveway or garage. Instead, the front landscaping consists of varieties of manzanitas, inspired by the environment on the upper slopes of Mount Tamalpais and the High Sierra.
Watch now: See more of this hillside home on Houzz TV
One of the original conceptual drawings of the house from 1955 clearly shows the inspiration that Frank Lloyd Wright’s aesthetic played in architect Hill’s design.
“I took out the 3.6-metre-long bookshelf shown,” the new homeowner says of the low bookshelf seen under the windows in the magazine article photographs. “Luckily, there was a stash of original cork tiles to fill in this new space.”
A table now sits where the bookshelves were located, providing the perfect spot to enjoy the spectacular view of the neighbourhood, the San Francisco Bay and Berkeley. “It was foggy when I first walked into the house, so I couldn’t see the view,” he says, “but I could imagine what it looked like.”
Watch now: Step inside this home on Houzz TV
A table now sits where the bookshelves were located, providing the perfect spot to enjoy the spectacular view of the neighbourhood, the San Francisco Bay and Berkeley. “It was foggy when I first walked into the house, so I couldn’t see the view,” he says, “but I could imagine what it looked like.”
Watch now: Step inside this home on Houzz TV
The Roman tile fireplace was the centrepiece of the house when it was built and remains a focal point today. The home’s new owner also kept the colour of the beams in the house, which are stained violet. “At first I thought this was a bit gaudy but quickly grew to love it,” he says. When the stain needed to be updated, he used a coat of Benjamin Moore’s Aura acrylic paint matched to the original. “The original oil stains are banned now,” he says, “but the paint did an amazing job.”
Stressless Diplomat chair and ottoman: Ekornes
Stressless Diplomat chair and ottoman: Ekornes
The gold leaf on the wall above the fireplace is original.
The compact kitchen has not changed much from how it looked in 1959. Even the cork floors, which were one of the architect’s signature touches, are intact, though the homeowner did replace some of the appliances. He says, “I sold the original stainless Art Deco electric oven to a judge in Los Angeles. It looked almost new.”
A chair sits in front of a second door to the outside. “The design of the house is so sculptural, I didn’t think any additional art was needed,” he says. The walls are finished with American Clay earth plaster.
The bedroom is five steps above the living room. The Golden Gate Bridge is visible from the bed.
Watch now: Step inside this home on Houzz TV
Watch now: Step inside this home on Houzz TV
The house underwent a seismic retrofit in 2009. That’s when these small windows were added above the desk. To keep with the style of the house when contemplating the change, the owner asked himself, “What would Henry [Hill] do?”
The bathroom window opens up to a Japanese-inspired tsubo (small, enclosed) garden. Sheets of antique metallic wallpaper line the front of the cabinet under the mirror.
Hill was an avid gardener, and gardens were integral to his designs. The original landscape plan, which can also be seen in the Sunset article, was designed by Garret Eckbo. Today the look is similar, and the space is filled with native and drought-resistant plants. “The gravel patio and walkways were easy to build, and they are self-leveling,” the homeowner says.
A collection of plants sits on a small bench by the side of the house.
Gerard Garbutt and his friend Mindy Mull enjoy breakfast together with a view of Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay.
Watch now: See the full tour of this mid-century gem on Houzz TV
Watch now: See the full tour of this mid-century gem on Houzz TV
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I absolutely love this house! I know this is an older article, so I am not sure if you will answer. Do you happen to have any more of the original drawings that show the elevations and roof pitch? Thanks.
Sorry for late reply Cindy. The renderings in the article are all I've got. BTW, I like your ideas section, the pergolas article is inspiring