While very much a modernist, Roger Lee (1920–1981) was strongly influenced by the early 20th C. Arts and Crafts movement. As a result, his midcentury homes combine rustic and streamlined sensibilities, emphasizing wood and natural materials while also featuring glass walls and open, spacious interiors. Deceptively simple on first glance, he relied upon structural elements to create rhythmic, graceful spaces. A pioneering Chinese American architect and graduate of UC Berkeley, Lee designed dozens of affordable homes in Berkeley, El Cerrito and Kensington during the ‘50s and ‘60s that remain highly sought after today.

Where you can find some his homes:

• 3215 Burdeck Drive, Oakland

• 1360 Summit Road, Berkeley

• 189 Highland Blvd, Kensington

• 440 Camino Sobrante, Orinda

Drawing by Michelle Morby; watercolor on paper, 2022.