Design house: A charming Tudor home, designed by Nicole Yee of NY Interiors

The home belongs to Danielle and Phil Hayes, and their three daughters Cecily, Meara and Remi. Danielle and Phil were drawn to the Trestle Glen neighborhood of Oakland for its strong sense of community, tree-lined streets, idyllic climate, and proximity to the city.

Trestle Glen was the first master-planned housing development in the United States, featuring small lots and tree-lined streets designed by the Olmsted brothers, sons of Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted.

THE PROPERTY

When they became only the third owners of a charming Tudor built in 1927, they knew they were home for a long time. Over the past 17 years, they have shared large Sunday dinners and celebrated countless birthdays with their extended family and friends, including many neighbors, gathered around their table.

But 17 years later, the family of five with three teenage daughters needed more space to gather and relax. Danielle and Phil were loath to leave the home and neighborhood where they raised their girls. Instead, they hired Oakland-based interior designer Nicole Yee of NY Interiors, who created a plan to expand their dining room.

Now there is a place for everyone around the table. And as part of the whole-house remodel, Nicole also suggested that they push out a wall toward the yard to create an open, airy kitchen and family room space with easy indoor/outdoor access to the garden where the entire family hangs out to cook and watch their beloved Golden State Warriors. As part of the project, the design team saw that failed windows were replaced and enlarged, beautiful light fixtures were introduced throughout, and the master bath took on a gorgeous new style with a soaking tub and walk-in shower.

Among all the beautiful new design aspects, as COO of Blisshaus, Danielle is thrilled to finally have her own custom, built-in wall cabinet for Blisshaus jars, while Phil loves practicing mixology at his newly installed bar. The entire family enjoys their beautiful built-in copper coffee and tea station and plans to share many cups together gathered around the large kitchen island in the years ahead.

HALL

The home was built in 1927, and had been remodeled once in the 1980s. The space was divided into small spaces that lacked light and style. The stairway to the second story was like a tunnel. Designer Nicole Yee opened up the wall between the stairs and the dining room and added a beautiful custom wrought iron stair rail to make it open and airy.

DINING ROOM

The dining room is also the throughway to the kitchen. Nicole designed a custom 10' long built-in banquette so that the dining table could be set off to one side and still seat a big crowd. Extra linens and tableware are store underneath the seating in custom cabinetry. Large glass pocket doors are designed to separate the space from the kitchen when needed.

SITTING ROOM

The front living room was designed around the beautiful original marble fireplace. The room was completely transformed when dark brown beams were painted white, windows were replaced and the stunning chandelier became the centerpiece.

FAMILY ROOM

Nicole devoted a corner of the family room for a turntable, vinyl record storage, built-in AV equipment behind metal mesh doors, and stereo sound via Sonos. The same style metal doors are also featured on the custom bar in the dining room which is the perfect addition for convenient entertaining. The custom oak mantle matches floating shelves in both the family room and kitchen

KITCHEN

The island comfortably seats all five family members. The baking area features a steam oven and a small sink. The handmade herringbone tile backsplash extends to the full height of the ceiling and wraps into the new windows.

COFFEE STATION

The unique custom coffee and tea station is a focal feature lined with high gauge copper. It is both beautiful and practical as copper is an antimicrobial surface. Retractable doors give the option to close the space up when not in use--although it's so pretty they typically remain open. Shelves above were incorporated to house the home owner's collection of cake stands.

PANTRY

Knowing that Danielle is COO of Blisshaus (a pantry organizing system), Nicoleknew that it was important to find a prominent place to incorporate their beautiful jar system. Yee came up with a plan to recess the perfect size niche into the wall near the refrigerator. Now the jars are as pretty as they are practical.

BATHROOM

This spaced was opened up with a frameless glass shower. The stunning soaking tub rests on a handsome black and white pattern tile. The navy blue vanity is topped with white quartz and features a full-width mirror framed with Schluter edging. Chrome sconces are mounted directly to the mirror for optimum light bouncing.

Photography/ SEN Creative

Interior design/ Nicole Yee, NY Interiors