- Project: Truly Open Eichler Remodel
- Architect: Klopf Architecture
- Location: United States, Palo Alto, California
- Year: 2014
- Area: 159 m2
- Photography: Mariko Reed
In the heart of Silicon Valley, Klopf Architecture has reinvented a 1960s Eichler home as a light-filled, fully integrated indoor-outdoor residence. Aptly named the Truly Open Eichler, this 1,712-square-foot remodel opens the home’s core living spaces to its lush surroundings through expansive folding glass walls, creating an uninterrupted flow between interior and exterior.
Clarifying Concept Through Spatial Expression
The design restructures the home into two warm wooden volumes—one front, one rear—containing the garage, kitchen, powder room, and private bedroom wing. Between them, Klopf introduced a conceptual “void”—a transparent great room with full-height glazing on both sides.
When open, the glass walls dissolve the boundaries between the living-dining room and the landscaped side yards, transforming the interior into an open-air pavilion. The central living area flows directly into a water-feature courtyard, firepit lounge, and outdoor dining terrace, enhancing both spatial depth and versatility.
Material Continuity and Landscape Integration
Drawing from the Japanese concept of borrowed landscape, Klopf integrated natural elements—a concrete bench, cedar cladding, and minimalist plantings—to frame the architecture and create harmony between built and organic environments.
Cedar siding wraps the wooden volumes, contrasting with a smooth white stucco band that cuts through the house, extending from exterior to interior and back again. This continuous surface defines the central void and enhances the architectural clarity.
The roof overhangs stretch beyond the glass walls, visually reinforcing the indoor-outdoor blend while also providing protection from rain and sun.
Private Wing and Open-Air Bathing
At the rear, the bedroom and bathroom wing retains privacy while maximizing openness. The master bath features a full glass wall in the shower, offering views of the landscaped backyard and delivering the experience of showering outdoors, all within the safety and comfort of home.
The use of large openings and courtyard buffers maintains intimacy without compromising the home’s relationship with nature.
Functional Enhancements for Flow and Use
To improve flow and spatial logic:
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The kitchen was relocated away from the entry, creating a more welcoming sequence.
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The massive brick fireplace was removed, freeing up volume and light.
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The living-dining-kitchen area now serves as the heart of the home, with visibility and access to all outdoor zones.
This clear spatial hierarchy—two wooden “boxes” bridged by a transparent “void”—makes the home feel both structured and liberated, elegant and grounded.
The Truly Open Eichler Remodel by Klopf Architecture is a masterclass in modern spatial continuity, redefining a classic mid-century home for today’s lifestyle. By removing physical and visual barriers, Klopf has delivered a serene and open modernist retreat—a place where boundaries dissolve, and the indoors and outdoors become one.
