
A Stunning Home Makeover
Richard Beard Architects brings quintessential Englishness to a 1930s classical home
- Text by Charlotte McManus
- Photography by Matthew Millman
Modernist architect Mies van der Rohe once said, “Less is more,” an aphorism that rings true for many a tasteful 21st-century build today. Though we live in a world where the possibilities of design are almost limitless—and it’s easier than ever to alter, tinker, and add—there’s still something to be said for a space that stays true to its roots.
Take Broadway, a project recently undertaken by Richard Beard Architects in San Francisco. The firm’s team was tasked with a complete renovation of a 1930s residence, which, having been subjected to a host of questionable alternations over the years, stood as a somewhat confused and decidedly over-modelled structure shaped by a miscellany of conflicting styles.
“The house was previously remodelled in the early 2010s, introducing numerous Gothic elements that weren’t in keeping with the character of the house,” says Rebecca Lischwe, the firm’s associate and project architect. “For instance, [there was] a pointed arched front door, pointed arched openings in the dining room and living room, and a library space off the stair with a vaulted ceiling and hidden rooms. There were also Gothic-inspired faucets and door hardware.”

The interior’s dense Gothic Revival sensibility clashed with the home’s clean-lined modernist exterior. As a result, Broadway’s owners—a couple with a passion for art, antiques and travel—wanted change. They envisioned a stylish home with a conscious, tastefully clarified aesthetic inspired by an English sensibility.
Inspired for a Beautiful Life
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