"I've noticed a trend toward people replacing existing homes with the biggest one they can get on the site," Teague says. "It is important when building a new home to pay attention to the proportion and scale of the homes around it."

Teague and her husband, Gil Garcia, principal designers and architects of Garcia Teague Architecture + Interiors, were pleased when their Lupton Avenue clients wanted to construct and design a home that blended into the neighborhood.

"Our clients did not want the house to stand out and neither did we," Teague says. "The lot was big enough to accommodate two houses, so they could have built something much bigger. Today when people drive by and look at the house they think it has been there for a while."

Modeled after the California Bungalow style that was popular in the early 20th century, the home reflects many of the houses built in Willow Glen during that period.

The home also caught the eye of Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival magazine and was showcased in its spring 2005 issue.

Teague said, "I believe the magazine heard about the Lupton house through the design awards that Garcia Teague won last year for the project."

The California Bungalow style is an offshoot of the Craftsman-style bungalows that were first built in Cape Cod, Mass. in 1876. The homes have an openness to their the floor plan, and the design's use of wood and simple, clean lines appealed to Californians looking for a less stuffy and more comfortable feel than the Victorian-era architecture that was popular at the time.

Taken from the Indian word "bangle," meaning low house with galleries or porches around it, the first California house dubbed a bungalow was designed by the San Francisco architect A. Page Brown for J.D. Grant in the early 1890s.

"Many of the characteristics of the California Bungalow style appealed to our clients, who toured a variety of houses. They developed a list of what they wanted and we worked to incorporate everything," Teague says. "They opted for a lot of upgrades which were not present in true Craftsman homes, but we stuck with organic, natural materials, wood and natural colors, so it works."

Teague was most impressed with the conviction of her clients.

"This was definitely a labor of love for both us as well as the client," she says. "It took a couple of years to complete but now that it's done everyone is saying, 'Wow, this is great.' It really is a hidden jewel."

After working for a variety of different companies, Teague and Garcia started their business in 1991 in a studio apartment with minimal equipment. Today they have offices on The Alameda and work on projects ranging from hospitality to retail and residential to commercial. High-profile projects include the Biblioteca Latinoamericana on First Street in downtown San Jose and the Tied House on San Pedro Square. The business is unique because it offers clients a company that can take them from design through construction.

For more information, email Garcia Teague Architecture + Interiors at information@garciateague.com, call 408.244. 8368 or visit www.garcia teague.com.