Project Team

Gustave Carlson Design (Architecture, interior and custom cabinetry design)
Atelier Davis (Interior design and decoration)
Groundcover Landscaping
Flegel’s Construction

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About Gustave Carlson Design

Gustave Carlson began his career navigating two seemingly opposing worlds — luxury retail and historic design. As a project architect at the celebrated firm, Peter Marino Architects, Carlson worked on projects for American luxury brand Barneys New York, as well as on additions to historic homes in East Hampton, New York, Westport, Connecticut, and New York City. His eponymous studio, founded in 1999, showcases his design fluency across more than 30 private residential commissions.

Carlson’s formal education includes a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. His professional memberships include the American Institute of Architects, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Build It Green. He is also a Certified Green Building Professional.

Carlson and his artist wife live in Berkeley and Sonoma, California, where she works with found objects, while he is a trained painter whose work can be found on Saatchi Art.

Home's facade with dark wood siding and a gabled porch supported by wooden posts. — Home’s facade with dark wood siding and a gabled porch supported by wooden posts.

The covered porch is filled with a large potted plant and a yellow cushioned bench.

The living room is adorned with colorful pillows, an area rug, and artworks.

This living area features contemporary furnishings and a carpeted floor.

A large skylight bathes this living space with an abundance of natural light.

This living space offers a round couch, wicker seats, and a swinging bench.

The dining area has an industrial chandelier and a wooden dining table surrounded by green modern chairs.

This corner space is turned into a study nook complete with floating shelves, a gray desk, and a yellow chair.

The cabinet is equipped with yellow and stainless steel appliances, yellow cabinets, and a large island paired with rattan bar stools.

The kids' bedroom has carpeted floor, a beamed ceiling, and outdoor access through oversized sliding glass doors. — The kids’ bedroom has carpeted floor, a beamed ceiling, and outdoor access through oversized sliding glass doors.

The kids' bedroom includes a built-in wardrobe with black wooden doors. — The kids’ bedroom includes a built-in wardrobe with black wooden doors.

This bedroom features a cute armchair and direct access to an airy patio.

A foliage wallpaper sets a nice backdrop to the metal desks.

Cool sage green cabinets complement well with the wrought iron fixtures and hardware of this bathroom.

The primary bedroom offers a private sitting room enclosed by a sliding barn door.

The primary bedroom includes a spacious living space with a red sofa, woven chair, and a large coffee table.

Primary bathroom with a floating vanity and a walk-in shower highlighted by blue tiled walls.

Full-height cabinets and a freestanding tub complete the primary bathroom.

Concrete fences provide privacy to the primary bathroom.

Mudroom with built-in lockers, hooks, and cabinets.

The mudroom includes a built-in seat topped with hooks.

Concrete patio with outdoor dining and living separated by a brick chimney.

The concrete patio seamlessly transitions to a lush green lawn.

Architect-artist Gustave Carlson — whose eponymous residential architecture and design practice works on custom renovations, new construction, and sustainable design across architectural styles — adapted an unusually pedigreed ‘Eichler,’ the collective name for the distinctive single-family residences commissioned by the 20th-century real estate developer Joseph Eichler, to the current homeowners’ vision, while paying homage to its groundbreaking origins.

An admirer of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, and widely regarded as a social visionary, Joseph Eichler took the design principles and values of modern architecture to middle-class Americans. Between 1949 and 1966, his company, Eichler Homes, built an estimated 11,000 modern, tract-style, single-family residences in planned communities, mostly in Northern California; the City of Palo Alto, located along the San Francisco Peninsula, boasts the largest concentration of such homes in the U.S.

Unlike most of the ‘Eichlers’ found in Palo Alto, the one which Gustave Carlson and the project team worked on is unique. Built in 1971, and located in the hills of Palo Alto on a flag lot which backs into what is now a golf course, this ‘Eichler’ was custom-commissioned by John S. Lynd, an architect and personal friend of Joseph Eichler.

The John S. Lynd ‘Eichler’ is currently owned by a visionary couple who share four daughters and an art collection of more than 90 works, mainly by emerging female artists. Carlson approached their commission by adapting the structure for contemporary living, integrating energy efficiency and sustainability, while letting its original bones shine through.

“An ‘Eichler’ captures the word optimism in built form,” notes Carlson, who has worked on dozens of private homes on the U.S. East Coast and in California. “These airy, light-filled, and human scale structures convey the promise of the post-World War ll era, as well as Joseph Eichler’s philosophy on domestic life, and the ability of modern design to enhance our quality of life.”