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Seating area next to the kitchen.

assets of the property, a shaded rear yard downhill of the would resolve the view issue while providing better use
street level, was blocked from view by the addition’s walls. of space within the house.
Early in the design process, Tokunaga proposed The clients, both of whom had attended the Rhode
demolition and replacement of the addition. Put simply, Island School of Design, trusted Tokunaga’s conceptual
she would retain the original house, and add a minimal- ideas from the beginning. “They very immediately had a
ist, modern box that would supplant and expand upon great understanding of space, materials, and how things
the prior addition. In her vision, vertical bands of glazing went together,” she said. “When they came to me, they
in the back half of the house would admit more light knew they wanted more light, and they wanted that
while creating continuity between upstairs and down- connection between the back yard and the main level.”
stairs. This straightforward but strategic intervention, In the prior arrangement, the house’s entry opened
combined with a new programmatic configuration, to a living room, but beyond it was a warren of smaller

28 NOT-SO-BUNGALOW