P
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C
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BEYOND
THE DOORS
ARCHITECT CHARLES DEBBAS AND
DESIGNER LANE McNAB TRANSFORM
AN ARCHITECTURAL ODDITY IN
BERKELEY INTO A VISUAL HAVEN.
BY EVA HAGBERG FISHER PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOE FLETCHER
MICHELLE MUNSON, SERBAN SIMU, CHARLES DEBBAS
AND YOURS TRULY ARE STANDING ON A LANDING.
There’s a white oak floor underneath our feet and a door leading to a
tiny outdoor area furnished with two Adirondack chairs and spiderwebs
and branches that overhang from an enormous tree in the backyard. A
more intrepid person, like, say, the couple’s 7-year-old son, might be
inclined to try and climb on the roof from here. It’s right above the
landing, after all. We’ve been standing on the landing for 20 minutes
because the three of them, Munson and Simu the owners and Debbas
the architect, want me to understand just how incredible this space is.
And, once I get the story of how the house used to be, I believe them.
