a modern
transformation
by Jessa Cast
I
A covered breezeway connects the garage with the home for protection from the elements.
A comprehensive remodel removes all traces of a midcentury Nob Hill home—except the glorious view
Paul W. Kenderdine Inc., pwki.com
Photographs by Amadeus Leitner
t all began with wanting to build a couple of additions onto their High Desert home. Fond of entertaining friends and family, real estate agent Donna O’Brien and her husband Gregg considered adding another bedroom, and maybe a swimming pool, to their house. But as they pondered the ramifications of building additions onto their existing home, an alternative idea started to brew: moving. Relocating to an urban setting appealed to the pair. Gregg really wanted to live in a “strolling” district, close to shopping and entertainment. Referring to the trails in their old neighborhood, he says, “We walked the hills up there, but we wanted to walk to something.” So the search was on for an urban house they could mold into a dream home. “We went in with the idea that this was going to be our last home,” says Donna. Unfortunately, the decision to move proved equally frustrating. Each house they encountered required extensive remodeling, and complicating their quest was the item at the top of their wish list: a great view—one at least equal to the vistas they’d enjoyed in High Desert. When a post-WWII–era adobe property in Nob Hill came on the market—one with
The interiors and exteriors follow a predominantly white palette, making the robin’s egg blue glass entry doors a delightful surprise.
It’s hard to imagine that this crisp, modernist home in Nob Hill was once a typical New Mexico–style adobe. It was resurrected by builder Paul Kenderdine in a style that honors the neighborhood’s midcentury roots.
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S U C A S A W I N T E R 2015
SUCASAMAGAZINE.COM
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