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Pro Spotlight: How to Keep Your Historic Home Up-to-Date
A San Francisco designer drawn to historical homes shares how modernity can complement history
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Who: Jessica Azevedo of SF Design Build
Where: San Francisco
In her own words: “I enjoy taking a client’s wish list for their home — from incorporating natural lighting to finding a more modern flow — and still staying true to the home’s history. It’s a fun puzzle every time.”
From the Spanish-style Presidio and Beaux-Arts City Hall to the iconic Victorian homes dotting the city’s hills, San Francisco is well known for its unique architectural character. While many residents embrace the history of their homes, it can be a challenge to upgrade those spaces to our contemporary standards. For Jessica Azevedo, the principal designer of SF Design Build, this puzzle is what pulls her toward historical renovation. “I love homes, especially older homes,” she says. “We can honor what came before and appreciate how people used to live a long time ago while making it livable now.”
Where: San Francisco
In her own words: “I enjoy taking a client’s wish list for their home — from incorporating natural lighting to finding a more modern flow — and still staying true to the home’s history. It’s a fun puzzle every time.”
From the Spanish-style Presidio and Beaux-Arts City Hall to the iconic Victorian homes dotting the city’s hills, San Francisco is well known for its unique architectural character. While many residents embrace the history of their homes, it can be a challenge to upgrade those spaces to our contemporary standards. For Jessica Azevedo, the principal designer of SF Design Build, this puzzle is what pulls her toward historical renovation. “I love homes, especially older homes,” she says. “We can honor what came before and appreciate how people used to live a long time ago while making it livable now.”
Connecting with a design-minded community. Azevedo found joy in architecture and design early on. “I started taking drafting and engineering classes in middle school and really fell in love with it,” she says. After learning AutoCAD in high school and going on to earn degrees in architecture and interior design, she knew she wanted to start her career in San Francisco. “San Francisco is such an interesting challenge with earthquakes, hills, site access and permitting,” she says. “At the same time, you have so many wonderful old buildings and a community of homeowners who care a lot about their homes.”
Thoughtful, thorough trust building. Azevedo says communication and organization are what keep projects running smoothly. “At project outset, we discuss how the project will progress and what to expect in each phase,” she says. “Overcommunication and record keeping help us track all the moving pieces.” Beyond logistics, Azevedo says, relationship building is crucial, and that comes down to trust earned by consistently following through on promises. “We’re a small company and only take on a few projects at a time,” she says. “At the end of a project, we feel as though we’re friends with our clients, so those relationships are so important to us.”
Ready to renovate without losing touch with the past? Azevedo shares her tips below.
Ready to renovate without losing touch with the past? Azevedo shares her tips below.
1. Focus on a Functional Layout
According to Azevedo, the beginning is the best part of any project. “There’s something really fun about all the possibilities, then figuring out how it’s all going to happen,” she says. A functional layout is essential, so take the time to make sure the floor plan will work for you. “We spend a good amount of time making sure we get this right,” Azevedo says. “You can have this beautiful space, but if it doesn’t flow well then it doesn’t function properly.”
At this home on Chenery Street, the family needed flexible living space within a small footprint. Azevedo used a very large, solid wood sliding door to create separation downstairs between a media-playroom and the rest of the space, which can be used as a guest suite when friends and family are in town. “We also found some creative space solutions upstairs, like a built-in sofa lined in walnut and a full wall of storage that extends along the entry, living and dining rooms,” she says.
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According to Azevedo, the beginning is the best part of any project. “There’s something really fun about all the possibilities, then figuring out how it’s all going to happen,” she says. A functional layout is essential, so take the time to make sure the floor plan will work for you. “We spend a good amount of time making sure we get this right,” Azevedo says. “You can have this beautiful space, but if it doesn’t flow well then it doesn’t function properly.”
At this home on Chenery Street, the family needed flexible living space within a small footprint. Azevedo used a very large, solid wood sliding door to create separation downstairs between a media-playroom and the rest of the space, which can be used as a guest suite when friends and family are in town. “We also found some creative space solutions upstairs, like a built-in sofa lined in walnut and a full wall of storage that extends along the entry, living and dining rooms,” she says.
See more of this project
2. Honor History While Addressing Reality
It’s always possible to honor a home’s history while making the necessary updates needed for present-day realities. For this remodel in the Inner Sunset, previous home remodels had left the back of the house feeling discordant from the historic entryway and living areas. “We had the opportunity to make changes throughout the home to tie everything together in a cohesive way,” Azevedo says. “By replacing some fixtures, removing some cabinets and tying the colors to the rest of the home, those areas feel modern but connected — and they function much better.”
For the exterior, the SF Design Build team found a historic photo of the facade and rebuilt it to match the original. Then it painted the entire exterior a dark blue gray for a more modern sensibility. “It’s sort of a dance, all these elements that come into play to create a whole home that feels cohesive,” Azevedo says. “It’s still very much a Victorian home, but it has been remodeled so that it functions for the modern San Francisco family.”
See more of this project
It’s always possible to honor a home’s history while making the necessary updates needed for present-day realities. For this remodel in the Inner Sunset, previous home remodels had left the back of the house feeling discordant from the historic entryway and living areas. “We had the opportunity to make changes throughout the home to tie everything together in a cohesive way,” Azevedo says. “By replacing some fixtures, removing some cabinets and tying the colors to the rest of the home, those areas feel modern but connected — and they function much better.”
For the exterior, the SF Design Build team found a historic photo of the facade and rebuilt it to match the original. Then it painted the entire exterior a dark blue gray for a more modern sensibility. “It’s sort of a dance, all these elements that come into play to create a whole home that feels cohesive,” Azevedo says. “It’s still very much a Victorian home, but it has been remodeled so that it functions for the modern San Francisco family.”
See more of this project
3. Stay Open and Go With Your Gut
Azevedo urges homeowners to remain open and flexible during the remodeling process. “Things don’t always go as planned,” she says. “Usually the finished product ends up better because of it.” At this 21st Street remodel, the final opening sizes in the kitchen and dining room changed during construction. “Sometimes a homeowner needs to see something in real life to get a feeling for the light flow and overall space,” Azevedo says.
The homeowners were also torn between dark gray or white in the kitchen and dining room. It wasn’t until the space was almost complete that Azevedo saw an opportunity for a creative compromise. “We used both colors and had them meet in an unusual way that works well with the home’s design and offers a contrast to the art and furniture,” she says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Jessica Azevedo and examples of her work, visit SF Design Build’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Azevedo urges homeowners to remain open and flexible during the remodeling process. “Things don’t always go as planned,” she says. “Usually the finished product ends up better because of it.” At this 21st Street remodel, the final opening sizes in the kitchen and dining room changed during construction. “Sometimes a homeowner needs to see something in real life to get a feeling for the light flow and overall space,” Azevedo says.
The homeowners were also torn between dark gray or white in the kitchen and dining room. It wasn’t until the space was almost complete that Azevedo saw an opportunity for a creative compromise. “We used both colors and had them meet in an unusual way that works well with the home’s design and offers a contrast to the art and furniture,” she says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Jessica Azevedo and examples of her work, visit SF Design Build’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
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