Maryland Drive #1

Like so many of her clients, architect Janet Metson Urman found that her 1925 traditional Spanish home no longer functioned well for her growing family. A kitchen/eating area/laundry addition embraces an existing sixty-year-old avocado tree located on the site, creating a new outdoor courtyard. Floor-to-ceiling windows open the view to the backyard, and three new French doors encourage indoor/outdoor activity. In another area of the home, the original kitchen, breakfast room, and laundry were combined to create a new family room. The updated design relates to the style of the original home by referencing the existing Spanish arches in the form of the new kitchen’s vaulted ceiling, and by repeating the brown “homeowner’s varnish” from the 1920s in the new color palate. Other finishes in the kitchen such as the concrete floors and maple cabinets introduce a modern sensibility. The timeless design was constructed in 1997.