Wanda's is the renovation of a historic 3,500sf bakery space in Crockett, California - a small town at the south end of the Carquinez Bridge.

The project involved the consolidation of several storefronts along the street frontage to create a vibrant, multipurpose space that incorporates the functions of restaurant, bakery, wine bar, and community room all in one venue. Due to the level differences in the different areas, a wheelchair lift is neatly integrated into the interior design. Seismic upgrades are also added to the structure due to the change in use.

The interior finishes and lighting are simple and reference easy country interiors.

Photos by Haley Randall

This Oakland Hills project involved the full renovation of a rather uninspiring 1990s post-fire spec house. The scope of the project included opening up all the walls in the main living room, plus a full renovation of kitchen, living room, and dining area. Accordion doors opened up the hillside views and the innovative use of pocket windows in the kitchen offers a seamless indoor-outdoor dining experience. Coast is proud of how well the space serves the clients’ needs and expresses their personalities. This was achieved through close consultation with the client, who works in commercial kitchen construction and had the knowledge and insight to bring unexpected materials and ideas Into the kitchen and living spaces. (The perfect hybrid job for Coast, as we have worked extensively with small commercial as well as residential kitchens.) 

Ain't Normal Cafe is the first permanent location of this Oakland-owned coffee shop. The cafe features artisan coffees brewed to order as well as a host of retail offerings and coffee equipment repair services. The tessellated Heath Tile cladding the walls of the space give the space a clean and dynamic feel.

Coast was charged with the design and permitting of this space - before and during the Covid pandemic. The space opened in October 2020.

An existing small house on a prominent hill needed a more useful porch, and better curb appeal from the street. A 2nd story bedroom addition and a more substantial front porch are added to give the house a fresh look.

Just Ride is a 1,200 sf interior build out of an innovative spinning studio in Concord, California. Located in a shopping center on the periphery of the suburb - closer to where clients live - Just Ride will be accessible to more users, providing a much needed service close to home. The project was designed and built on a budget with close coordination between client, contractor and architect. 

Coast is designing a project of nine for-rent townhouse apartments in the city of Lafayette, with one of those units set aside as an affordable unit. The townhouses maximize interior space while also providing each unit with private open spaces. An publically-accessible art plaza will be located on the corner of Mount Diablo and 2nd Street will feature a rotating display of locally-created artwork. The project works within very strict Planning guidelines including a daylight plane setback on Mount Diablo and a 35' height limit.

The project is currently in for Planning review.

Coast designed and supervised the expansion of a small half-bath, which we grew to twice its size, making it more functional for two kids to share. As a space-saving measure, we installed a shower room, with both a shower and a bath behind a glass enclosure. Re-using existing window openings allowed us to avoid a pain-staking discretionary city approval process and move the project along efficiently. One of the most fun aspects of this project was interior design: Coast selected finishes with the help of two junior designers, the children using the space. They appreciated the sleek look of Iphones and computers, so we settled on a clean, minimal interior (Modernism lives!). The result: a light-filled, cheerful bathroom with more space for family.

A locally-owned professional services business asked Coast to convert an existing 3,000 sf ballet studio in downtown Walnut Creek to an office space with room for 25 employees.

We removed all of the interior walls in the space and introduced glass interior walls and a lighter material palette to brighten up the workspace. Existing ceilings were raised and the wood structure was exposed in the central open office. In addition to the shared space, we also provided private, acoustically-insulated and light-filled offices and conference rooms.

The scope of work also included improvements to the building exterior, including new plaster and paint, new storefronts, and a new entry. 

This project involved the design and construction of a two-story deck overlooking the East Bay hills. The structure and railings were minimized to take advantage of the sweeping views to the east.

This project was a small-but-mighty 960 sf build out for a local olive oil and vinegar importer. This location is Amphora’s 5th location in the Bay Area. For the interior design, we relied on earth tones and Mediterranean details to help the space reflect the origin of the oils.

For this tenant improvement project in downtown Berkeley, we added an approximately 1,600 sf office space to an existing, busy compounding pharmacy. Space was allocated for new workstations, conference rooms, and a new break area.

In the existing pharmacy space, we renovated a compounding lab facility, adding new and more energy-efficient equipment. We also added a new walk-in cooler with a battery backup power source to store medication even in the case of a power outage.

A recently retired longtime Albany resident asked Coast Architecture to assist them with the design and permitting of a 650 square foot ADU behind their current residence in the same property. As a rental unit, the ADU will provide an additional source of income for the owner. Eventually, it will be a place for them to live. The project is located and sized to maximize views and solar exposure. The project was completed in 2021.

This project in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood added a new bathroom off an existing bedroom, to create a more useful – and luxurious – master bedroom suite, including new double vanity and frameless shower. The client’s main request? Lots of daylight. In response, Coast added a high window above the vanities, in addition to a window at the end of the room. We also collaborated closely with an interior designer to choose the finishes: vibrant glazed blue tile by clé is a stand-out.

The clients of this tree-filled property were interested in expanding on an existing outbuilding that backs up to a creek in the hills of Rockridge in Oakland. The addition is a light touch, but provides 700sf of living space, including a music studio for the clients. The building will be clad in vertical stained cedar siding.

For this small project, a bay window projection was added to an existing home office, fronting the street. By cantilevering a rim joist, this was acheived at a low cost. The permit for this project was attained over-the-counter in one visit to the Building Department.

Community Foods Market is a mission-driven, ground up full-service grocery store on the San Pablo corridor of West Oakland. The project aims to combat the food desert condition of this neighborhood by offering a full range of products including fresh produce, meats and prepared foods. It is the first full-service grocery store built in West Oakland in over 40 years. The 15,000sf building takes its form from warehouse structures common to area.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

We were asked to transform this 15,000sf commercial building in Danville. By removing the exterior finishes and introducing clean, simple forms, we gave the building a new, contemporary appearance, making it much more desireable for tenants. The scope also included the renovation of the lobby, a new elevator and new stairway.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

A small 16’ x 18’ pool cabana was added to a recently built and purchased home outside of Austin. The simple structure echoes the finishes of the main house and features and outdoor kitchen and TV. Coast provided design and documentation services for this project.

The scope of this project included a major interior renovation of both common areas including main lobbies, circulation spaces and restrooms as well as a 20,000sf “market-ready” tenant improvement. We also took on exterior signage and paint as a part of the work.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

For this project, East Bay Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) ,an Oakland-based nonprofit developer asked us to assist with improvements to their headquarters in downtown Oakland. The scope included the interior remodel of 15,000sf of office and commercial space as well as exterior improvements. With the client’s limited budget in mind, we worked closely with the contractor to focus our collective efforts on areas that would have the most impact for the client and their users.

Chow Oakland was a transformation of an existing concrete office building into a mixed food use facility for a local restaurant. The 15,000sf program combined the functions of a restaurant and cafe with grocery and retail functions as well as commercial kitchen and office uses. Over the two stories, we created large outdoor spaces for customers to shop, gather and dine.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

Formerly a chocolate shop, we renovated this 1,400sf space to become a small neighborhood pub. We worked closely with the tenant and interior designer during the design and documentation processes.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

This busy local restaurant needed its kitchen completely reconstructed. A simple, iconic gable-roofed structure was added at the back of the historic brick building. We worked closely with the operator and food service consultants to ensure we were providing a comfortable and effective kitchen space. We clad the addition in rusted corrugated metal to help it blend in with the context.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

Our client purchased this 5,000sf brick warehouse in the Jack London Square district in Oakland. We were asked to increase the marketability of the property for local commercial uses. We removed the roof and replaced it with a new second floor office addition. The ground floor was renovated for use as a future restaurant.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture

8,000sf tenant improvement for art supply retailer in a historic north Berkeley warehouse building.

Project completed at Lowney Architecture