AquiloCarmen René Smith
Entry lounge with two hanging rattan swing chairs beneath a red-framed portrait

RETRO SPACE HOUSE

Midcentury, still in orbit.BERKELEY HILLS
Woman standing in the carved wood pivot front door
Behind The Story:
Originally designed by architect Robert Ratcliff, this midcentury home became the foundation for something far more imaginative. Rather than restoring the house to a particular moment in time, we transformed it into an immersive world inspired by science, literature, travel, memory, and the client's enduring sense of curiosity. Every space was conceived as its own experience while remaining connected through a larger narrative that celebrates exploration, conversation, and wonder.
Gabled courtyard with striped lounge chairs and blossom
Long red built-in banquette under a framed print in a wood-lined room
A Home Built Around Curiosity
Triangular clerestory window above a red banquette nook
The design was guided less by style than by personality. Every room responds to the client's love of science, mathematics, books, conversation, and discovery, blending midcentury architecture with brutalist forms, French rustic warmth, retro futurism, and playful space-age references into a cohesive world.
Long red built-in banquette under a framed print in a wood-lined room
A Home Built Around Curiosity
Triangular clerestory window above a red banquette nook
The design was guided less by style than by personality. Every room responds to the client's love of science, mathematics, books, conversation, and discovery, blending midcentury architecture with brutalist forms, French rustic warmth, retro futurism, and playful space-age references into a cohesive world.
The powder room in black mirror, onyx and ripple glass
Designing Experiences
This home was never intended to be experienced as a sequence of rooms. Throughout the home, we created destinations that encourage gathering, play, reflection, and surprise. A Zero Gravity game room, sculptural social spaces, layered living areas, and moments of discovery invite people to interact with the home differently each time they move through it.
Every memorable home deserves a moment of surprise. Conceived as an immersive experience rather than simply a powder room, this space layers black mirror, onyx, ripple glass, and carefully orchestrated reflections to create the sensation of stepping into another dimension.
Living room under an exposed timber vault, patterned sofa and low table
Low wood coffee table stacked with books over a patterned rug
Living room opening to the hillside through a wall of windows
Dining table under a row of globe pendants in the wood-lined kitchen
Living room opening to the hillside through a wall of windows
Dining table under a row of globe pendants in the wood-lined kitchen
Kitchen with brass shelving over deep blue tile and a black stone counter
Breakfast nook with a green banquette under a stained-glass pendant
Open bar cabinet with brass shelves against patterned tile
The long kitchen down its checkerboard floor to the bay view
Faceted white tile feature wall running beside the open-tread stair
Vertical wood slat screen and black stair rail
Sculptural Stair Wall
Spanning all three levels of the home, we designed a sculptural tile feature wall inspired by brutalist forms. The composition integrates custom planter pockets, creating a vertical architectural element that brings texture, rhythm, and greenery into the heart of the home.
Faceted white tile feature wall running beside the open-tread stair
Vertical wood slat screen and black stair rail
Sculptural Stair Wall
Spanning all three levels of the home, we designed a sculptural tile feature wall inspired by brutalist forms. The composition integrates custom planter pockets, creating a vertical architectural element that brings texture, rhythm, and greenery into the heart of the home.
Guest bedroom with a rust bedspread over green carpet and a corner desk
Detail of the faceted tile wall with its planter pockets
Doorway onto a green-carpeted room with a built-in bench
Powder room with orange pendant lights over a green tile floor
Wood dresser with cut flowers beneath a framed cat drawing
Primary bedroom with a paper globe pendant and an upholstered headboard
Custom Furniture
Custom furniture played a significant role in shaping the character of the home. We designed the dining table, kitchen table, Zero Gravity game table, primary bedroom bench, primary and guest headboards, banquette seating, and additional integrated seating throughout the house. Each piece was created specifically for the project to support the home's distinctive architecture and the clients' daily lives.
Built-in window daybed looking out into the trees
Covered deck at sunset with a rocking chair over the valley
Black angled soaking tub set against floor-to-ceiling glass
Primary bathroom double vanity under a run of windows
Sculptural Soaking Tub
We reimagined the primary bathroom around a custom angled soaking tub, carefully positioning it to improve circulation while strengthening its relationship to the shower. The result is a sculptural focal point that balances function with a quiet sense of retreat.
Black angled soaking tub set against floor-to-ceiling glass
Primary bathroom double vanity under a run of windows
Sculptural Soaking Tub
We reimagined the primary bathroom around a custom angled soaking tub, carefully positioning it to improve circulation while strengthening its relationship to the shower. The result is a sculptural focal point that balances function with a quiet sense of retreat.
The book labyrinth: floor-to-ceiling shelves lining the hallway
The Book Labyrinth
Book-lined passage looking through to a lit alcove
The hallway was reimagined as a custom book labyrinth, turning a passage between rooms into a destination of its own. The shelving creates depth, movement, and opportunities for display while reinforcing the home's narrative of curiosity and discovery.
Sunburst-carved door detail with the study beyond
Chartreuse sofa with a lavender throw under an abstract painting
Desk running the length of the window wall out to the deck
Office desk and chair opening onto the deck and the bay
Sitting room with a patterned sofa and an orange dome lamp
Grey hallway over a patterned tile floor
Open-tread stair with wall planters above a pebble bed
Grey hallway over a patterned tile floor
Open-tread stair with wall planters above a pebble bed
Exercise room opening to the deck through sliding glass
Sunset deck with a sunken hot tub and teak loungers
TEAM: ARCHITECT: Butler Armsden Architects BUILDER: Jetton Construction LANDSCAPE DESIGNER: Scott Lewis Landscape Design LIGHTING DESIGNER: Anna Kandolf Lighting
The next world
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