Few Northern California neighborhoods are as charming as Professorville in Palo Alto, so named because it’s where many Stanford University faculty built their homes in the early 20th century. Two decades ago, the allure of the classic dwellings and tree-lined streets appealed to a young couple, and they purchased a 1906 Colonial Revival abode. But over the years, as a family of two became six, their beloved home was bursting at the seams, and they started looking for a new residence. “We searched for a ‘ready-to-go’ house so we could avoid the hassle of a remodel, but we couldn’t find what we wanted,” the wife explains. When they decided to stay put, they enlisted architects Gina Dixon and Catharine Garber, designers Tiffany Mansfield and Lisa O’Neil, and general contractor Chad Lencioni to make the house a perfect fit.

“Professorville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” Dixon says. “Because of this, we needed to maintain the original character of the street-facing side but had free rein on the rest.” The architects developed a plan to open the compartmentalized layout, excavate belowground to add a basement and create new connections to the outdoors via a side porch.

Most of the rooms mix moments of darker tones with lighter elements, such as the primary bath, where deep cornflower-blue tile pops against white walls. However, for the new basement level, the designers embraced the darker end of the color spectrum. “We used a rich gray paint for the walls and ceiling in the family room and contrasted it with brass light fixtures,” Mansfield explains. “Basements are usually dark, so people avoid painting them a deep color, but the walls here glow with a semigloss paint, and it feels cozy.”

Pattern was another element the designers embraced throughout the home. “The wife picked a Moroccan-style tile with a brick-red geometric pattern for the kitchen backsplash, which inspired the geometries in the fabrics I chose,” Mansfield recalls. English and French patterns influenced other fabric and finish selections, including the custom upholstery on the dining and living room chairs as well as the new built-in hutches with fretted glass in the dining area. Together, the palette conjures the Southern charm the couple loved but with a modern twist.

Perhaps the most New Orleans-feeling element is the new covered side porch designed by Dixon, which holds areas for dining and lounging. “We spend a lot of time out there—in this amazing climate, we can use it almost year-round,” the wife says. A ceiling fan, fire pit and heavy curtain help modulate extreme weather, and a set of bifold doors create a seamless connection between inside and out.

Today, the right-sized home weaves a tale of a maturing family and a building whose legacy continues to deepen. “Now, the house speaks to the kind of people they are, which is happy, family-focused and approachable,” Mansfield says. “It’s the next chapter for them.”