Berkeley Open Plan Living

Berkeley, CA

Open kitchen with a farmhouse sink and wide island that flows into the dining area. Large windows frame Bay views, creating an easy layout for entertaining on Berkeley game day weekends.
Modernized Berkeley kitchen with white shaker cabinets, gray subway tile, stainless steel range and hood, and a large island with seating. The layout boosts storage and counter space for cooking.
Open plan living, dining, and kitchen remodel with a broad cased opening, gray and white finishes, and a long dining table beside bright windows. Spaces connect easily for relaxed entertaining.
Remodeled living room with a painted brick fireplace, built in media storage, and a sectional sofa with blue and gold accents. Neutral finishes keep the space cohesive with the open plan layout.
Living room seating arranged to enjoy expansive Bay views through a large picture window. Soft gray walls and clean trim keep the open plan feel light, airy, and connected to the outdoors.
Stair hall with refinished wood steps, white craftsman trim, and a simple wood handrail. Fresh gray walls and bright lighting create a clean transition between floors in this Berkeley home.
Remodeled bathroom with a frameless glass shower and gray tile walls, plus a floating dark wood vanity and ceiling vent. Cool tones keep the space bright and efficient.
Updated guest bedroom with two upholstered twin beds, gray walls, and warm wood floors. A large window and simple finishes echo the calm palette used throughout this Berkeley remodel.

Berkeley Open Plan Living

Berkeley, CA

  • Year Built: 2016

    The Owners, UC Berkeley alumni who live out of the area, purchased the home as a weekend getaway for Cal games. They wanted to remodel the home to suit their needs and tastes, by opening the floor plan for entertaining and taking advantage of Bay views.

    • Levitch enlarged and remodeled the Kitchen including relocating an awkwardly placed refrigerator and opening the Kitchen, Dining, and Living Rooms to each other.

    • A gray and white palette is the perfect foil to commemorate Cal’s team colors.

    • The remodels of the two Bathrooms complement the home’s cool and refreshing tones.

    • By adding a new washer/dryer, the home’s floor plan became more open.

    • Replacing some of the vinyl windows with ones that are more appropriate to the style of the home creates a cohesive flow throughout the space.

    • We collaborate with the tenant in the lower unit to be conscious of his needs while doing construction on this upper unit the Owners use.

    • The Bedroom was finished with complementary tones to match the rest of the home’s upgrades.

     

    Photography by Treve Johnson

  • See how things looked before we started, below.

  • First and foremost, Maurice, Jeff, and everyone at Levitch are just nice people. It was a pleasure to work with them from the beginning of design, down to the end of construction when all the little details had to be taken care of. We hired Levitch hoping the design to construction transition would be seamless, and it truly was. Maurice is a talented architect who also knows everything about construction, which can be a rarity! He transformed our living/kitchen/dining areas into one open space, maximized our kitchen counter/cabinet space in creative ways, and reconfigured our bathrooms to be more spacious and efficient. I’m very detail-oriented, and my endless questions were never too much for anyone on the Levitch team!

    Our primary residence is actually in another state, and … we trusted them to take care of our house when we were not there, and they treated the space like it was their own.

    Our project took a little longer than expected, but that was partially because I took my time on some decisions, and we did not pressure them at all given that this was not our primary residence… Levitch does…things the right way and doesn’t cut corners, and they do it with a smile on their faces. Everyone we worked with at Levitch, including their subcontractors, were genuinely nice people who did great work too. We definitely recommend Levitch, and would happily use them again if we ever needed to.

    -M. H.

Process

Open plan kitchen and living area mid remodel, with a new island base and tools, looking toward large windows catching sunset light over Berkeley and the Bay.
Ceiling opened to expose framing for updated lighting in the open plan living space, with a carpenter at work and wide windows framing Bay views in the distance.
Interior stripped to studs during the Berkeley open plan remodel, with new window openings framed and a ladder on site, preparing for insulation, wiring, and finishes.
New walk in shower under construction with large format gray tile, a built in niche, and a bright window, part of the Berkeley bathroom renovation before fixtures and glass.
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