BetterSpace Goes Luxury

Our client bought a two-storey, 230 m2 (2500 ft2) property in San Diego, CA. Set on a hill with rear views of the canyon and overlooking a golf course, the had amazing potential but it was old and the dated floor plan was unappealing.

Understandably, the owner wanted to showcase the surrounding as much as possible using glass and a more open, but functional floor plan that capitalises on the views.

The client originally attempted to re-design the space himself but he was struggling with finding a suitable way to use the space, especially on the first floor.

Being a big project, the client was seeking professional help to nail-down the layout before the work begins.

The main asks were a big kitchen with an island or peninsula and some seating at the counter. He also asked for a shower on the first floor that can be used when coming out of the pool.

Being a luxury home – the client wanted a nice master suite with a walk-in closet and luxurious bath. For the granny flat – the small was earmarked to become a nice apartment with that made good use of the space available.

As well as the interior layout, we also proposed improvements to the exterior of the house. Using a neutral colour palette of white, black and charcoal to give this property a contemporary feel and somewhat of a Scandinavian style. A charcoal painted timber pergola was designed at the rear for shade.

For the second floor,  the master bedroom toilets were made spacious and luxurious with a stand-alone tub as the focus.

The granny flat was upgraded by adding a tv area to the bedroom to create a larger, more spacious area with an en-suite toilet.

The kitchen was enlarged, with more counter space and a large island and a breakfast bar at the end. The kitchen was enhanced with a lot of storage space: more under counter storage as well as tall storage cabinets.

A special pot rack was added over some parts of the island to further increase storage for pots and pans and other utensils

This new layout gave the openness so desired by the client while keeping the kitchen large. A set of sliding glazed bi-fold doors was added to allow for even wider openings to the outdoors.

The layout created expansive views from the dining area as well as the kitchen.

Planting area and pergolas were incorporated to frame views of the hills beyond the garden and pool.

The living area, the kitchen and dining area were partially separated by a walled services compartment composed of the toilet and staircase. Yet there is enough room in between the two for the views to be visible from throughout the ground floor.

To ensure easy access to the pool from the toilets, and not having to walk through the house with wet feet, the designer located the toilet near a glazed door to the pool. There is a step-down, rough tiled area where one can shower and head out to the pool. There is also a shower on the outer wall of the toilet in the stepped down tile area. Splashing is prevented by a minimal glazed panel between the step-down tile area and the living area.