Twin Gable House is the renovation of a 1962 Eichler home in Sunnyvale, California, originally designed by A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons as Plan OJ-1605. The model is an inward-looking courtyard scheme: living spaces wrap around a central open-air atrium, which is the first space encountered when entering from the carport. Ryan Leidner Architecture was brought in by the owners, Isabelle Olson and Matthaeus Krenn, both designers working in tech, to modernize the house for their family of four while improving its energy performance.

The renovation began by peeling back the alterations of the previous decades: shag carpet, mirrored walls, and old cabinetry were removed to reveal the original post-and-beam structural system. Walls were strategically removed to open the floor plan, and a large set of pocketing sliding glass doors was added to the rear facade, allowing the interior to flow directly to the backyard and new pool. The project treats the post-and-beam logic as the organizing principle of the house rather than an obstacle to contemporary living, celebrating what was already there rather than working against it.

The material palette is consistent and precise. Large-format porcelain tile runs from the interior through to the exterior, maintaining continuity across the threshold. Sheetrock walls were smoothed and painted, and the original tongue-and-groove wood ceiling and beams were refinished. White oak accents warm the painted cabinetry, and Carrara marble covers the kitchen countertops and backsplash. On the exterior, the front facade is reclad in red cedar strips cut at alternating depths to create a vertical pattern that echoes the original grooved plywood siding while concealing a flush garage door. The house maintains its original 2,200-square-foot footprint across an open kitchen and living room, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a garage. The landscape surrounding the house was designed by Stephens Design Studio.