KINTSUGI

“Kintsugi” is a remodel and addition to a modest 1950s single-family home that had undergone multiple prior renovations. After careful consideration, the owners opted to remodel rather than rebuild, guided by the philosophy of kintsugi—the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. The approach is a reflection of the owners’ commitment to sustainability and low-consumption living.

The project is also a reflection of the architect’s approach which takes big-project, and big-living design thinking, and applies it to a modest project.

Living in Japan at the time of engagement, the clients asked the architect to lead a comprehensive design effort through interiors and landscape design that incorporated the existing home despite its unwieldy and difficult existing conditions. Together, the team worked to minimize additional square footage, preserve open outdoor garden space, and forge functional, community-building modern spaces, and site flow for this walk-and bike-commuting, super active family of five, and do so on a limited budget.

BOULDER, CO | 2,938 SF

General Contractor: Buildwell

Structural Engineer: GFE Structural

Landscape Design: Laura Marion

Photography: Randy Land

The owners’ experiences in Japan helped inform the design. Over a number of Boulder-Tokyo Zoom calls, we discussed scraping the old home for a fresh start. But in the spirit of reducing their impact, the owners chose to take the kintsugi approach, and infuse the existing conditions with beauty without erasing the past.

The design transformed the old cramped kitchen, living, and dining space into a seamless, modern main level. This new space features a large kitchen, a sunny “tree house” dining area, and living area. Generous exterior windows, doors, and wall-washing skylights modulate and embrace the Colorado sunshine. The design introduces a private main-level primary suite and consolidates the kids’ bedrooms upstairs. With a super-surgical strategic addition, the small suite nevertheless holds space for seating, yoga, privacy and repose.

The avid biking-hiking-skiing family entered the house regularly from the front and back. To address the circulation, utility, and storage challenges this posed, we introduced a utility core with custom-designed, floor-to-ceiling oak screens which concealed and revealed a host of utilitarian spaces running down the central spine of the home.

The fifteen-foot long kitchen island, locally crafted from concrete, is the heart of the home. For a family that loves to cook and gather for meals, the detailing of the island was critical to the success of the space. The kitchen is book-ended by a glazed sunny dining area nestled in a tree on one end, cantilevered to preserve the tree roots. On the opposite end, a steel and glass frame and bookcase partition suggests a soft separation between the active public space of the kitchen and living room’s repose, but keeps the footprint small. The living room is organized around a 2-sided fireplace and glass patio doors for this outdoor-loving family.

Making lemonade with a difficult upper level, the design re-tools the bedrooms and bathroom to celebrate the wonderful light and mountain views, introduced a west rooftop deck atop the primary mini-addition, and carved privacy and storage for their boy-girl-boy upper level dwellers.

Kintsugi is the second project on this property from our design office. The founding principal also designed the two-story accessory structure, seen at the west of the lot in 2016, which was the beginning of an enduring friendship between the architect and owner.

Modern two-story house with a mix of wood and white siding, large front window, concrete steps with embedded lights leading to the entrance, surrounded by autumn leaves and trees.
Modern open-concept kitchen and living area with wooden cabinetry, a large kitchen island with stools, a black TV, and sliding glass doors leading outside.
Dining room with a wooden table, four matching wooden chairs with black metal frames, skylights, and two pendant lights hanging from the ceiling. Large windows reveal trees outside.
Modern kitchen with wood cabinets, a kitchen island with bar stools, and built-in shelving with books and decor.
Woman sitting on a light-colored sectional sofa holding a book, in a bright living room with large windows, wooden flooring, a circular wooden coffee table, modern decor, and a sliding door leading outside.
A man and woman sitting on a beige sectional sofa in a modern living room.
Interior view of a modern home with wood flooring, white walls, a front door, a kitchen island with bar stools, and a couch with blankets and pillows.
Modern bathroom with a beige concrete sink, black wall-mounted faucet, round mirror, black wall light fixtures, a potted plant, and wooden lower cabinets with towels and candles underneath.
A person walking up a wooden staircase in a modern indoor setting, carrying a beige bag, with white walls and a wooden slat wall on the left.
Entrance area with wooden accents, a small window, bench with a fuzzy white throw, vase with branches, and shoes on the floor.
Modern house with a covered wooden deck, outdoor seating, and a landscaped yard with purple flowers.
A woman walking through a doorway in a modern home with wooden sliding closet doors.
Modern house with large front windows, porch with outdoor furniture, surrounded by trees and landscaped garden with rocks and mulch.