“It was the most horrible place in the house,” Debbas
says of the second floor. “This was a small hallway with six
doors.” It’s hard to imagine where six doors could have fit
in this second-story private area that’s now accessed by an
almost-floating stair that starts on the open and airy main
floor. But this is Berkeley, where arcane and incomprehensible architectural traits are almost the norm for some of the
houses here, particularly ones like this, which the owners
bought for its location and its exterior and potential.
“We wanted the house. It has a great outside, the perimeter
structure is very interesting, but the inside was disastrous,”
Munson says. OK, six doors on a small hallway sounds dicey,
but what else? They list the original flaws: a dark and creepy
fishpond, a closed-off kitchen, terrible landscaping, barely
any relationship between inside and out.
And then, they show off the successes, painstakingly
introduced over a multiyear remodel: a fish and turtle pond
that extends under the deck so that scared turtles can have
a place to retreat; a completely redone pool house and
nicely colored Jacuzzi; a completely opened-up inside that
includes a synchronicity of spacious volumes conceived by
Debbas with interiors by local designer Lane McNab; and
landscaping in the front that cohesively draws the visitor
from the bucolic street up some steps to see just the barest
inflections of modern style, notably in the limestone of the
massive panels outside echoed by smaller details inside. Why
limestone? Because Michelle is from Kansas, where that stone
is a major presence, so major that these particular materials
were specially flown in.
“WE’VE BEEN
STANDING ON THE
LANDING FOR 20
MINUTES BECAUSE
THE THREE OF
THEM WANT ME TO
UNDERSTAND JUST
HOW INCREDIBLE
THIS SPACE IS.”
Opposite: A restored pond is home to
floating lily pads and a very shy turtle;
multiple textures and articulations of wood
and surface add architectural interest to this
calm backyard. This page from top: An outdoor balcony features sleek wood paneling
and another outdoor Restoration Hardware
chair; the front door opens into a vestibule
detailed with a sliding coat closet and richly
upholstered window seat.
