Before & After: From Pegboards to Terrazzo, This Swervy Oakland Bungalow Has It All

"It’s so fun to work with people who are excited by being weird, but want to do it right," says architect Sky Lanigan.

The countertop is a custom Concrete Collaborative terrazzo, and the colored flecks nod to the wall tiles.
The countertop is a custom Concrete Collaborative terrazzo, and the colored flecks nod to the wall tiles.

Homeowners Rory and Ryan didn’t necessarily set out to incorporate a laundry list of hot home trends into their renovation. But you could chalk up a round of design-detail bingo in their perfectly playful Oakland bungalow. There’s the poppy Concrete Collaborative terrazzo island in the kitchen, the pegboard storage space in the entryway, the surprising Sandberg Elin wallpaper in the powder room. (Built-in cat cubby? Check. Strike-through shelving? You know it.)

All that being said: This thoroughly updated Craftsman home is anything but cookie cutter.

Architect Sky Lanigan took the fusty 1,360-square-foot stucco house with bland, closed-off rooms and turned it into something funky and fresh. He started by taking out as many walls as possible between the entryway, living room, dining room, and kitchen. "We wanted to connect all the public spaces and bring light in," he explains.

Before: Kitchen

BEFORE: The kitchen featured vintage cabinets and black and white tile.
BEFORE: The kitchen featured vintage cabinets and black and white tile.

After: Kitchen and Living Room

The countertop is a custom Concrete Collaborative terrazzo, and the colored flecks nod to the wall tiles.
The countertop is a custom Concrete Collaborative terrazzo, and the colored flecks nod to the wall tiles.

To make the most of the budget, Lanigan encouraged Rory and Ryan (a passionate home cook and a software engineer, respectively) to leave the bedrooms, bathroom, and hallways untouched, focusing on the communal areas. Curvaceous millwork wraps the bedroom wing, hiding the private spaces behind closed doors while providing storage galore. "We mummified it in birch," says Lanigan. "It’s a big chunk that goes through the space, but it has a softness." The curving walls lead you in, creating a flow from front to back.

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: From Pegboards to Terrazzo, This Swervy Oakland Bungalow Has It All
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