Cabinets

Sean and My turned one bay of their three-car garage into a recording studio; the pine shiplap nods to Swedish saunas.

Their two-bedroom unit is upstairs, and an art and music studio occupies part of the lower level. In warmer months, the family spends most of their time outside, often around a firepit Sean built from stones he found in the backyard.

The kitchen features custom-lacquered cabinets with white oak handles and, in lieu of upper cabinets, a wall niche to display dishes.

Savings were made by selecting an IKEA kitchen with simple appliances and a Caesarstone countertop.

Deep drawers add extra storage underneath the built-in sofa.

Marbrisa sits on the yellow sofa when wants to curl up with a book for a few quiet moments.

The project was designed all at once, but construction took place over two phases in order to accommodate the birth of the couple’s son, Leo.

Hanging bookshelves in the writing nook add another element of warmth to Julie's special place.

The updated doors are beautiful and functional, and are inspired by Japanese shoji screens.

Amy worked with Josh Tomlinson of Tomlinson Woodworks to craft the island, which is as much of a showpiece as it is for storage. He also did the cabinetry.

"Around the time we were thinking of moving back [to San Francisco], I took a trip to Marfa, Texas, and fell in love with the agelessness of Donald Judd’s work," says Amy. "I liked the idea of having a classic American reference to the space, since we are influenced as much from America as we are by Asian culture."

Ash veneer covers the custom-made cabinets, which are juxtaposed with open shelves made from black metal.

For the built-in bar, the white oak cabinetry frames the same quartzite slab that’s used at the island.

“Darrell loves listening to records, so he custom-designed a record console, and had that built,” says Hong.

The new cabinet fronts are from Reform CPH and painted a custom blue-green color. The counters are solid white quartz with a thin profile, paired with black hardware from CB2. The ceiling light is by Cedar & Moss, and Hong added a skylight. “The kitchen doesn't get the best light,” says Hong. “It has one window facing the street, but there's a plant right in front of it. So, we popped that skylight in there to bring in more natural light.”