Snapshot: In the historic Oriental Warehouse Loft Building in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, Edmonds + Lee Architects completely reconfigured and renovated an existing loft apartment.

In order to maximize the spatial experience of the loft, traditional notions of domestic privacy were abandoned in favor of open and transparent relationships. Opaque guardrails at the sleeping mezzanine were replaced with frameless glass guardrails in order to provide a direct visual connection to the living room below. A large over-sized sheet of transparent glass further eliminates privacy in the master bathroom by allowing views into and out of the bathroom to the rest of the loft beyond.

In contrast to the existing heavy-timber and rusticated brick structural shell which are left exposed, sleek new interior finishes were replaced throughout including wall and floor finishes, kitchen and bathroom millwork and a new steel cantilever stair that connects the living areas on the ground floor with the sleeping areas on the mezzanine.

Photography courtesy of Edmonds + Lee