Skyhaus

Designed by the late architect Joseph Esherick, this mid-century home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco was in need of a remodel to suit the client's modern-day family needs. In keeping with the original designer's ethic of designing regional, sustainably minded homes, the team at Aidlin Darling Design reworked the interior to include a three-story garden atrium to bring the outdoors in and to connect the center of the house to natural daylight and light patterns through a generous skylight.

The main hallmark of the atrium is a sculptural wall made of carved wood slats that filters and directs light through the adjoining spaces. A glass-lined transverse bridge connects the bedroom suites on either side of the atrium on the top floor. At the base of the open space, a planter grows vines that will continue to climb the sculptural wall over time.

The material palette throughout the home includes concrete, wood, glass, and steel, all selected to help further the reach of the incoming daylight. A new lower level reconnects the main space to its rear yard, further linking the residents to the landscape. — Edward Keegan