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MDa Studios

@mdastudios

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Our Tree House project refresh was recently featured in @sunsetmag, highlighting an approach to sustainability rooted in adaptability, restraint, and long-term use.

Two decades after the original MDa whole-house renovation and expansion, “the house doesn’t feel tied to a particular moment or trend. It still flows naturally, the spaces function exactly as intended, and the details still feel considered and appropriate...the clients could change furniture, update paint colors, and reimagine how they used certain rooms without requiring any major architectural interventions... This flexibility is what sustainable design should provide. Architecture that endures isn’t just about durable materials—it’s about creating clear, thoughtful frameworks that can accommodate change without needing to be undone every decade.”

Read the full feature via the link in our bio! by @mdastudios

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8 months ago

Our retrospective continues with our Silicon Valley Residence, completed in 2015. Nestled among redwoods and oaks, the project was shaped by the client’s desire to live closely with the landscape, drawing on Northern California traditions of indoor outdoor living and casual, climate responsive design.

The home is organized in an H-shaped plan that forms two courtyards, providing light, air, and views to every room. Cedar, exposed framing, and concrete pass seamlessly between inside and out, while a generous south-facing porch creates an exterior spatial extension for daily life. Remnants of the site’s agrarian past remain present, including a century-old concrete cistern that inspired the use of concrete throughout the project and helps anchor the site to its history.

Photography by @brucedamonte by @mdastudios

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10 months ago

Stable is a 2008 adaptive reuse of an 1870s carriage house in the Mission District that now serves as the home of MDa Studios. The once dilapidated structure, originally built as the mayor’s carriage house, survived the 1906 earthquake but spent decades as a plumbing warehouse before sitting vacant covered in graffiti.
Working within historic preservation guidelines, the MDa renovation peeled back layers of additive materials and renovations to reveal the simple barn-like essence beneath. Salvaged materials were used throughout, from reclaimed barn flooring to cypress counters milled from a wind-felled tree that hit Malcolm’s house.
A key design decision involved the adjacent lot, previously a parking lot, that was transformed into an inviting planted courtyard filled with trees and foliage tended to by our friends at @fogandmoss.studio. This choice reinforced the belief that shared outdoor space can bring as much value as built square footage, allowing Stable to grow into a place for community, connection, and daily neighborhood life. The former hayloft serves as our office, while the ground floor is home to @stablecafe! taken in Stable Cafe by @mdastudios

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Our retrospective brings us back to Sea Ranch with Meadow House, a 2006 family compound that reflects many of the themes woven throughout MDa’s work. The project is composed of several structures arranged to create protected courtyards and frame views across the coastal meadow. The project approaches the site as if it’s an interconnected indoor-outdoor experience, each wing harnessing daylight, wind, and coastal views while maintaining a unified architectural language. This indoor-outdoor emphasis is a quiet throughline in the studio’s work, resulting in homes that feel grounded in place, considerate in scale, and enriched by thoughtful movement and sightlines to the surrounding context. Meadow House was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in 2016 in an article reflecting on contemporary compound-style living, highlighting the success of the project’s multi-structure approach, protected courtyards, and celebration of the coastal landscape a decade after completion.

Photography by @joefletcherphoto by @mdastudios

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The Presidio Residence was a phased MDa project that occurred between 2006-2010. A family home at the edge of San Francisco’s Presidio was in need of a whole-house renovation that would honor the home’s historic character while shaping it for contemporary living. MDa reimagined the circulation spaces throughout the house, relocating the stair and adding a ridge skylight that floods the central spine with daylight. The exposed moment frames, an MDa signature, allowed for new expansive steel windows and doors at the rear of the building, while refined interior detailing and preserved original elements reflect the home’s 1902 origins.
The renovations mentioned above focused on transforming the property for a family raising three kids in the city. Now, twenty years later, MDa is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to aid the same clients in a 2025 transformation that they will enjoy for the next phase of their life. The strength and timelessness of the original project remains, but what were formerly “city-sized” kid’s bedrooms are currently being reshuffled by the original builder @jeffkingandco to create a guest suite, a study, and an expanded laundry room. The Presidio Residence continues to evolve with care, embodying MDa’s belief that thoughtful design bridges past and present with quiet integrity. by @mdastudios

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Our MDa retrospective resumes with Stone, a 2005 Sea Ranch project. This ground-up family compound includes a main residence and standalone guest house that both thoughtfully respond to their close proximity to Highway 1. An expansive open-framed bookshelf makes programmatic use of a double-height solid wall that shelters the residence from the highway. This is the first bookshelf of its kind in MDa’s work, and remains one of our favorite applications at large wall planes. Framed bookshelf walls provide depth and materiality, celebrate the expressive language of structure, and provide homeowners with the perfect display opportunities for their possessions.

Stone continued to sharpen MDa’s design language; strength of siting, natural daylighting, and structural expression at the forefront. The project’s placement on site carefully frames ocean views while protecting the inhabitants from the adjacent highway. Natural light streams in from multiple points in all rooms, including below a custom kitchen sink, while open framing at both walls and porch roofs provides depth and richness of built character. In these ways and more, Stone helped set the foundation for a lasting dialogue between site, daylight, and lived experience.

Photography by @joefletcherphoto by @mdastudios

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Our MDa retrospective continues with the 21st Street Residence, a 2003 whole-house renovation of founder Malcolm Davis's former San Francisco home. It was listed as a tear-down when purchased in 1998, but instead became an architectural design testing ground for infill lots in need of renovation in San Francisco. The multi-phase project helped define MDa's approach to materiality and light for decades to come.

The previously dark, compartmentalized home with dropped ceilings and enclosed porches was transformed at all levels. The upper and lower floor work involved experimental light-sharing techniques that greatly improved access to natural daylight for all spaces. The main floor renovation opened up the kitchen, living, and dining room to one another with the help of an added steel moment frame. At 21st Street, Malcolm buried the moment frame within wood-trimmed columns, but during the construction process, he and a friend were struck by the inherent beauty of the exposed steel. That realization led to future celebration of bare moment frames in MDa's work, solidifying structural honesty and material expression within the firm's aesthetic. Several upcoming projects in the retrospective will feature exposed moment frames, stay tuned! by @mdastudios

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Kicking off a retrospective of MDa’s work where it all started: a 1991 Sea Ranch residence designed by founding Principal Malcolm Davis for his parents. Inspired by the vernacular sheep sheds along the drive to Sea Ranch, the design features distinctive gable roofs, somewhat unique for the area at the time. A main house and a separate guest structure are linked by a covered porch that traverses a fenced, wind sheltered courtyard. A fireplace sits on axis with the entry sequence to provide a warm firelit welcome to visiting family and friends, while transom windows share light between spaces and corrugated fiberglass porches blur the boundary between inside and out. These elements would become touchstones for decades of work to follow: thoughtful design, strong indoor-outdoor connections, and a focus on natural light.
We are reflecting on our body of work to celebrate a transition at MDa. After more than thirty years at the helm, Malcolm is stepping into a consulting role at the end of the year, while principals Pat Blackburn and Elsa Brown will lead MDa Studios into its next chapter. Pat and Elsa have been integral to the firm’s growth since joining in 2013 and 2015, bringing complementary skills and a shared commitment to the studio’s core values. The work we love continues, rooted in a respect for the past and an eye toward the future. Follow along as we revisit projects that shaped MDa’s approach to residential design in Northern California. taken in Sea Ranch, California by @mdastudios

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We wrap up our Tree House series with the primary suite, where the original renovation made a strategic move that transformed the home’s most private spaces. The new primary bedroom and bath claimed the footprint of two existing smaller bedrooms, creating an expansive sanctuary that dramatically captures the sweeping bay views.
Rich wood paneling brings warmth to the space, while wrapping windows frame the panoramic San Francisco cityscape. Rather than separating the bedroom and closet with a typical wall, the layout was kept open, creating a multifunctional environment that prioritizes light and connection.
That’s a wrap on our Tree House refresh! See the complete project on our website, link in bio.
Photography by @marikoreed by @mdastudios

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The kitchen is up next in our Tree House series, a space MDa transformed from closed-off galley into the luminous heart of the home. The original compartmentalized layout was expanded into an open, light-filled environment where daily life unfolds against sweeping views of San Francisco Bay. Daylight reflects off timeless stainless steel countertops, and cantilevered wood shelves, located in front of luminous privacy windows, provide practical storage while also harvesting natural light. The result is a kitchen that serves as both functional workspace and serene backdrop for daily rituals, allowing the dramatic hillside setting visible beyond the dining room to remain the focal point.

More Tree House moments next week! The full project imagery can be found on our website now, link in bio.

Photography by @marikoreed by @mdastudios

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One of the most enduring successes of the original Tree House renovation can be found immediately inside the front door. Upon entry, the clients were previously greeted by a solid wall, with no indication of the views beyond. Some strategic MDa floor plan reshuffling placed the new stair to the added lower floor directly opposite the entryway, creating a dramatic sunlit circulation space anchored by a central skylight and a two story window that provides sweeping views of San Francisco. These elements wash natural light over the paneled walls, filtering daylight down into the lower floor that was harvested from an unused enclosed crawl space below. More than twenty years later, this stair continues to demonstrate the lasting value of thoughtful design moves that bring light, connection, and warmth to a home.
Swipe through for “before” images! If you want to see more, the full project imagery can be found on our website, link in bio.
Photography by @marikoreed by @mdastudios

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