Palo Alto Weekly — Home + Garden Design

Winter, 2011

Contemporary Yet Cozy

Menlo Oaks remodel focuses on the modern family

Few surprises awaited Harbinder and Surinder Kang when they decided to remodel and expand their Menlo Oaks home -- after all, they had already done this four times before. Trained as a radiation therapist, Surinder Kang ended up turning her penchant for design into a business, sdk design, after her three children were born. She and her husband, an engineer, spotted the little Spanish house that was just around the corner from their last project, a teardown. Noting that the house had been a rental for years, "we saw the potential and that it didn't have to be torn down. ... I thought it would be nice to have a challenge and work with constraints," she says. Those constraints ranged from a majestic oak in front of the house to a large courtyard in the middle. The home was pushed out on one side to create a cloak room, with plenty of hooks for family and guests, as well as storage; a full bathroom; and a study/guest room that overlooks that oak. The entry way was extended forward a few feet, and the old exterior, load-bearing wall became an art niche. Today distinctive remnants of the original 1920s home remain: Coved corners and recessed ceilings were carefully saved, as were the old fireplaces, only now refaced with limestone. READ MORE

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