Architect pours affection into Muir Beach mid-century
“Game recognizes game” describes a professional’s ability to instantly identify greatness within their field. Architect Julie Dowling merely needed a glimpse at 285 Sunset Way in Muir Beach to appreciate its brilliance.
“I’ve always had a special love for mid-century architecture, and this A-frame offered something between a tree house and a beach house,” Dowling said. “It offers a pretty grand view of the ocean, and I love its size and scale.”
Dowling rebuilt the midcentury from the ground up, improving the views and updating the layout along the way. Expanding the existing basement increased the total square footage and resulted in a welcoming lower level that leads to a bamboo garden and covered patio. A remodeled rear deck overlooks crashing waves and includes a fire pit and a jetted hot tub.
One of the most dramatic changes came by removing some windows and expanding others. She eschewed windows facing neighboring homes while installing floor-to-ceiling glass along the 25-foot rear wall of the great room.
“The placement of the windows not only focused the view toward the ocean, it afforded more privacy from neighbors,” Dowling said.
Dowling kept original details intact, like the exposed redwood beams and trusses supporting the main level’s towering ceiling. Ripping up the carpet in favor of wideplank walnut creates a floor more compatible with the ceiling’s rustic elegance.
A spiral staircase proved a mainstay of the original design and Dowling embraced its presence.
“It’s central and it’s sculptural. It’s functional and it uses the space well,” she said.
The spirit of the original spiral stairway remains, though a modernized, sleeker version stands in its place.
Steel steps are now topped with dark-colored wool and no joinery is visible beneath the treads of the 36-foot-tall design.
Most importantly, the column supporting the staircase continues to stabilize the Aframe’s roof, which pitches in several directions.
The kitchen was one place Dowling was eager to depart from the original design.
“It was filled with inexpensive treatments and was a very Home Depot-looking kitchen,” she said.
Flamed granite counters, Bosch appliances and a chilled tap for filtered water highlight the upgrades to the open kitchen.
The top floor of the trilevel view home has a sleeping loft with a full bathroom. Bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms occupy the main and lower levels as well. Providing sleeping areas to all three levels influenced design plans significantly, said Dowling, the principal of a San Francisco architecture firm bearing her name.
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