A first time homeowner takes on the remodel of a midcentury modern time capsule On paper, Michelle Green didn?t seem like a person who might take on the renovation of a time capsule midcentury modern house.
She was living in San Francisco in an Edwardian apartment with period details, she didn?t know much about the style, and she?d never owned a home?much less taken on a remodel of any size. But, as she says, ?sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.?
Green had heard of this house in the Berkeley Hills long before she actually laid eyes on it. It belonged to the great-aunt of her long-time friend, whose family had purchased a Henry Hill-designed home in 1948.
Hill was a noted architect who was part of the Second Bay Tradition, a regional architectural movement that married a rustic, woodsy vibe with the sleek lines of machine-age Modernism to create buildings with a distinct Northern California accent?sometimes referred to as ?redwood post and beam.? The original owners lived there for the next 65 years, adding a pair of additions, but leaving the house largely unchanged from the day it was built.

In Michelle Green?s home, a side courtyard provides a secluded outdoor spot.

With her great-aunt growing older, Green?s friend mentioned the house to her often, advising her to consider buying it if it came on the market. ?On Memorial Day weekend in 2014, my friend called and said that the house was for sale, and I should go and get it. This is a woman I?v...