GRAPHĒ: Budget Breakdown: Mermaids and Miyazaki Inspired This $699K Fairy-Tale Bay Area Home

Once upon a time, an interior designer and an architect got together to design a house that feels like a fantasy.

Oakland, California, is a city of dichotomies—like the way its humming downtown borders laid-back Lake Merritt, a beloved spot to unwind. And just east of the lake, one home embodies these contrasts.

In the Oakland, California, home of Diana Blanco Taylor and Joshua Taylor, architect Sky Lanigan bumped out a garage to make a shingle-clad primary suite. An open living, dining, and kitchen area with tile accents is where, Diana says, the family spends the most time together.

Interior designer Diana Blanco Taylor and her husband, Joshua, a product designer for start-ups, bought their over-100-year-old home in 2016. Diana believes the two-bedroom, one-bathroom home used to be a carriage house, and the land it sits on may have been an orchard. Today, a row of palm, eucalyptus, maple, and citrus trees frames a winding, red brick path that leads to the front porch. Set back from the street and shrouded by trees, the house gives the impression of an unexpected respite in an urban environment.