Michael Volk was walking through his Oak Meadow neighborhood one day about four years ago when he saw a house in the middle of what he recalled as a “really cool” renovation.
“It looked like a California beach house,” recalled Volk, an attorney and single father. “So I sent a note to the house asking, ‘Hey, who did your remodel?’”
About a week later, he got a return note saying it was the work of designer Mary Beth Edgerton, who, along with her husband, was also the home’s owner.
With two young daughters, currently ages 6 and 9, Volk hired Edgerton to freshen and upgrade his own three-bedroom, two-bath home, with its outdated 1970s and ’80s design: small rooms, no kitchen pantry, a dilapidated backyard deck and — horrors! — salmon-colored walls.
“I wanted to make it a comfortable home for the girls to live,” he said. “We finished in April and they say it’s like living in a hotel now.”
The renovation was done in stages, beginning in 2019, with the most dramatic change being the removal of several walls to open up what had been a series of smaller rooms.
“The openness was all Michael,” said Edgerton. “That was the look that was in his heart, and Peter Stainken, the general contractor, and I just went for it.”
For example, to the right of the front entryway there had been a solid wall with only a case opening into the dining room. Removing that wall, as well as another between the dining room and living area, gave the home a more modern, light-filled look.
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After removing several walls to open up the space, several clever tricks were used to visually delineate the different rooms, such as installing a slatted wooden screen that partially blocks the view into the back of the house from the front door.
Richard A. Marini/Staff
Still, they used several clever tricks to visually delineate the different rooms. Between the dining and living areas, for example, they installed a partial, slatted wooden screen that helps obscure the view into the back of the house from the front door.
“When Peter designed the screen I was, like, we don’t need that,” Volk said. “And then he put it up and I saw how it makes sense. Now, when you open the front door, you don’t just see directly into the living room or the kitchen. It breaks things up a bit and gives you a little bit of privacy.”
The screen also had the utilitarian benefit of allowing them to bring power into the middle of the room by running the electric wiring through the screen.
Another way they broke up the space was by building a standalone, U-shaped coffee and wine bar between the kitchen and the dining room/music room. But the structure doesn’t reach all the way to the ceiling, so it still helps emphasize the room’s openness.
Because several of the now-missing walls were load-bearing, they had to install a steel I-beam to provide support — and it was left exposed rather than being covered up.
Several of the walls that were removed during the renovation were load-bearing, so they installed an exposed steel I-beam to provide needed support — and it was left exposed rather than being covered up.
Richard A. Marini/Staff
“We had talked about giving the house a kind of semi-industrial look,” Volk said. “So keeping the beam visible was a part of that.”
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Michael Volk’s three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has been modernized.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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The outside of Michael Volk’s Oak Meadow home is shown prior to the recently completed renovation.
Mary Beth Edgerton
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Michael Volk’s three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has been updated from the inside out.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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The living area of Michael Volk’s three-bedroom, two-bath home in the Oak Meadow neighborhood has a modern open-concept feel.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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At the kitchen’s center is a large island topped with quartz in a swirled, black-and-white pattern.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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Removing several walls opened up the space between the living area and the kitchen.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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Because several of the now-missing walls were load-bearing, they had to install a steel I-beam to provide support.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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Volk uses the large, six-burner stove to cook for his young daughters, often making pancakes for breakfast and pizza for dinner.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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The living area of Michael Volk’s three bedroom, two bathroom single family home in San Antonio has a modern, open-concept feel.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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Removing walls truly opened up the home, while the standalone coffee and wine bar, visible to the left, visually delineates the dining area from the music niche and the kitchen.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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Another way they broke up the space was by building a standalone, U-shaped coffee and wine bar between the kitchen and the dining room/music room. But the structure doesn’t reach all the way to the ceiling, so it still helps emphasize the room’s openness.
Richard A. Marini/Staff
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A built-in coffee bar offers extra storage space for drinks, appliances and bread-making supplies.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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The primary bedroom has a vaulted ceiling.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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By stealing space from the attic above, they were able to turn the primary bedroom’s flat ceiling into a vaulted ceiling and give the room a more appealing, airy and open feel.
Richard A. Marini/Staff
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The primary bathroom has a single, elongated trough sink and granite countertops.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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The girls’ bedrooms, located side by side, each have a wall covered in beautifully designed, floral-patterned wallpaper.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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Both the girls’ bedrooms have one wall covered in beautifully designed, floral-patterned wallpaper.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
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The girls’ bedrooms were designed to stand the test of time, so they can work both with toys and childlike things, while also feeling sophisticated.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
Although he’s a single dad, Volk is a fairly serious cook, so the kitchen is outfitted with that in mind, including a large, six-burner stove.
“I do steaks on there, pancakes for breakfast,” he said. “And during COVID, like everyone else, I learned how to bake bread. I have a friend who got some sort of pizza certification from some bakery in San Francisco, and he taught me how to make pizza.”
At the kitchen’s center, the large island is topped with quartz in a swirled, black-and-white pattern Volk said reminds him of the cover design of the Radiohead album “A Moon Shaped Pool.” The granite waterfalls down the sides because, according to Edgerton, the kitchen called for it.
“We needed that because, when you’re doing a neutral color scheme like we did here, it’s all about texture and pattern,” she explained. “So we needed this energy running down the sides. Plus, with little kids, granite is more durable than, say, just painting the sides.”
The semi-industrial vibe Volk spoke of can also be seen in the pair of tubular kitchen exhaust fans above the stove.
“They look like the bottoms of a pair of rocket ships,” he said.
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Outside the primary suite, located to one side of the house, there’s a small foyer space that has a built-in shelving unit filled with books and knickknacks and adds a bracing splash of color to the otherwise mostly neutral house.
“It breaks up the space nicely,” Volk said. “I didn’t really have a bookshelf, and I like that it’s not just another piece of furniture. I’m still organizing it.”
Previously, the bedroom had its original, flat ceiling. But during the renovation, they were able to steal space from the attic above and now, like in the living room, the bedroom ceiling is also vaulted, giving the room a more appealing, airy and open feel.
In the bathroom, they installed a single, elongated trough sink instead of the more traditional his-and-hers sinks. They finished the space with marble countertops above and walnut cabinets beneath.
“Wood is more masculine and timeless and it make the room feel more organic as opposed to just adding more painted surfaces,” Edgerton explained.
The girls’ bathroom is stylishly designed so they won’t outgrow it, and it can serve as a powder room for guests.
Sam Owens/Staff photographer
In the girls’ part of the house, they redid the bathroom, replacing the too-small tub with a walk-in shower and clunky, outdated cabinets with more modern fixtures. The result is a stylish bathroom that will grow with the girls and not put off guests, since the house doesn’t have a traditional powder room.
The same can be said for their bedrooms, which sit side by side. One wall in each bedroom is covered in beautifully designed, floral-patterned wallpaper.
“I love doing kids’ rooms,” Edgerton said. “But I don’t do kids rooms that look like a kid’s room. They need to stand the test of time. They need to be able to work with toys and childlike things, but they have to feel more sophisticated.”
For Volk, the renovated home has made his life easier.
“It flows better,” he said. “Even something as simple as dirty clothes on the floor, it feels easier to clean up. Just the daily minutia of everyday life is just a little bit improved.”
