Bringing New Life To A 1960s Portola Valley Abode

The owners of this Portola Valley home gave their design team a straightforward brief that took the desires of all occupants, be they humans or canines, into account: “We wanted spaces designed for how we live as a couple with dogs,” the wife says. But in practice, the directives were not as simple. They required a full-scale reimagining of the steep hillside property to establish a strong connection between indoors and out, and rooms tailored to provide ample space for their passions—making art for her; reading and exercise for her husband—all animated by an abundance of deftly deployed color and pattern. Fortunately for designer Kelly Hohla, “The owners know themselves well and share a common design sense,” she says. “After a few conversations, everything was clear, and we dove in.”

Hohla worked in concert with architect Brian Friel and architectural designer Meghan Dorrian to bring harmony to the single-story 1960s ranch-style abode. “It had been built with a central wall down the middle, so you couldn’t see through the house and had limited access to the backyard,” Friel says. So, Dorrian explains, the “kitchen, dining and living areas were opened up to each other and the yard to create a transparent, light-filled heart of the home.” Split-level additions accommodate spaces for the couple’s interests, including a media room and a barbecue terrace on the lower level, and an art and reading room on the upper.

On the exterior, Friel and Dorrian opted for a metal roof, stained wood and painted siding that act as a neutral backdrop for the gardens. For her part, landscape architect Gretchen Whittier, along with her associate Jessica James, worked to integrate varied levels across the steeply sloped property so they feel seamless. “The wife wanted a lot of color in her plant palette, and they’re both bird lovers, so we used elements that would attract them,” Whittier notes. In a nod to the couple’s three Cavalier King Charles spaniels, they selected hardy, nontoxic plants.

The home’s enhanced indoor-outdoor nature served as the jumping-off point for the interiors. “We brought in blues and greens from outside and then turned up the volume,” says Hohla, who was joined by senior designer Alana Dorn on the project. In the great room, for instance, they covered a sectional in a dark blue tweed-like material and used brighter blue and grassy green fabrics for the side chairs. The two hues unite again on the dining area’s chair and banquette upholstery.

Although blue and green remain constants—even the outdoor furnishings are true to the palette—the art, some the clients already owned and some Hohla curated for them, brings in additional splashes of color, such as the vibrant works by Griff Williams and Anna Kunz hanging in the great room. The reds found in key pieces have echoes in the lower-level spaces, where the designer outfitted a powder room in red paneling and installed a tile mosaic composed of red and blue fish.

Another through line is the focus on craft. “They have an eye for detail and are into ceramics and wood, so we sprinkled in pieces using those materials,” says Hohla, who placed a ceramic side table by Danny Kaplan—the wife is a fan of his work—in the great room. For the dining area, she chose a live-edge table accented with bronze butterflies. “We used that material for all the hardware since the clients don’t like shiny finishes,” the designer notes. “Bronze is soft but has strength and presence.”

Once the owners and their pets were settled, Hohla visited the house and was delighted by what she found, noting, “With everyone busy reading, making art and—in the case of the dogs—playing in the yard, the home has come alive.”