The house in Mint Hill was originally located on Bernal Heights, on the southern periphery of San Francisco but was later moved to Waller Street, which some might say is in the very heart of the city. One of the first things that Red Dot Studio’s Camille Peignet noticed was the facade. She saw an opportunity to develop its facade tower to create a strong identity for the house.

“This would make the house more dynamic, and incorporate natural elements into this street-facing elevation,” recalls Camille. “The tower also serves a practical purpose,” she adds. “It provides privacy and shields the interior and entry.”

Camille’s envisioned tower design included a small, intimate upper deck accessible from the upstairs bedrooms and a porch area offering protection to the entrance from the elements. The design worked around an existing staircase, which city regulations obliged the designers to keep, so that the house would remain compliant with code.

“A key design element of the tower is the use of wood slats with varying widths and spacing, creating a rhythmic pattern and different levels of transparency,” says Camille. “The upper part of the guardrail and the lower part of the tower are cut at the same angle, creating a line inviting the guest to walk up the stairs.”

Sustainability was a guiding principle throughout the design process for the house on Waller Street. To minimize the home’s environmental footprint, Peignet opted for a whole-house fan for cooling, for example, to eliminate the need for air conditioning. The house now runs primarily on electricity, further reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.

The interior design also embraced eco-conscious elements, with organic bedding and textiles provided by Coyuchi, a premium sustainable brand. The result was a seamless blend of style, comfort, and environmental responsibility—a vision that earned recognition when the Mint Hill Home was showcased in the 2023 American Institute of Architects San Francisco Home Tour.

For Camille, who has been a spatial designer at the acclaimed architectural firm Red Dot Studio since 2017, the redesign of the Mint Hill Home aligned with her mission to transform spaces with mission and purpose.

“My design process is about empathy and the importance of understanding the people I’m designing for,” she says. “It allows me to spot the frustrations and pain points in order to develop ideas, refine them and bring them to life.” This was apparent in how she turned quick observations about a lack of light into a total and successful redesign of the Mint Hill House.

“During early studies, I observe the state of the location, its weaknesses and strengths, and I ask people about their needs and uses to elaborate the specifications of the project,” she says.

This all leads to the creation of a mood board, local code and regulation checks, sketches, and, eventually, a long term development plan.

Mint Hill facade, photo by Leslie Williamson

A Holistic Approach

Peignet’s approach extends beyond San Francisco, breathing new life into structures across the country. One notable success is the renovation of the Herb House at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine. Once a hub for herb processing and packaging, the historic building has been revitalized under her guidance, preserving its original purpose while adapting it for modern use.

As part of the village’s long-term restoration plan, Peignet helped integrate new educational spaces that align with the site’s historic wood storage wells dating back to the 1890s—ensuring that the Shaker legacy remains both intact and accessible for future generations.

Closer to home, Camille Peignet spearheaded the renovation of a historic residence on Guerrero Street in San Francisco, carefully repurposing existing materials to preserve the building’s character. The structure has a rich past—once a grocery store, later an ice cream and social dance club for teenagers, and eventually an artist’s studio. Today, it serves as a family home for a chef and a teacher, a transformation that inspired Peignet to enhance its communal spaces.

To make the home more inviting for social gatherings, she focused on redesigning the kitchen and living areas, weaving in vibrant details that honor its storied history while incorporating modern, sustainable upgrades.

“I did this by adding colorful details linking the precious history of the house and its modern sustainable additions,” she says.

Her approach is very much inspired by the Danish architect Dorte Mandrup, who aims to bridge the divide between nature and culture. “I seek to create designs that embody this synergy,” she says. “And each one of my projects focuses on storytelling, functionality, and enhancing the human experience,” she adds. “I view design as a narrative that reflects the lives of its users.”

It’s never easy, of course. Camille has to balance her wellspring of creativity with the realities of technical requirements, sustainability guidelines, budgets, and building codes. She also had to balance communication with clients, builders, engineers, architects, and officials, and to adapt projects on the fly to suit the needs of each case. This requires incredible patience, she notes. Her organizational skills are, after eight years on the job, preeminent.

“I have to manage multiple projects at once with different deadlines, regional codes, and consultants,” says Camille. “Sometimes it can take up to five years to finish off a project.”

Drawn to Design

Camille was drawn to design from an early age, and used to put herself to sleep by designing house interiors, tweaking them to meet the needs of their inhabitants, and then sketching them the following morning.

“I discovered design and interior architecture and I understood that design thinking should enhance people’s daily lives,” she says.

Studying at L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique in France helped her to realize her dreams, as she obtained a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture and a master’s in sustainable cities. After an internship at Sara Story Design in New York, she found herself as an intern at Red Dot Studio in San Francisco, where Camille quickly became a senior designer.

Under her influence, Red Dot Studio has advanced its commitments to sustainability, gaining LEED Green Associate recognition, for example. She has also helped explore regenerative design practice at the Red Dot Ranch, where she is now a board member. The ranch relies on building techniques and processes that are grown rather than mined.

“The ranch is a regenerative farm to learn our place in nature through food and shelter,” Camille says of the venture. “It will create nourishing food systems and grow the practice of architecture with outreach and education so we can learn how to live, gather, eat, and build as beneficial parts of the ecosystem.”

Mint Hill stairwell, photo by Leslie Williamson

Staying Committed

Transforming the meaning and function of spaces has become Camille Peignet’s core mission. When asked about her future, she expresses a clear commitment to Red Dot Studio, seeing it as the ideal platform to pursue diverse projects that align with her values. Peignet is determined to continue exploring sustainable design solutions, staying informed about the latest developments in the field and, when possible, pursuing additional specializations or certifications in sustainability.

“I’m committed to using my skills and expertise to create a positive impact on the built environment and the lives of people who inhabit it,” she says. “I want to continue to innovate and offer human, creative, inspired designs.”

The design process always starts with nature, she adds, with a focus on people and the planet. “One of my guiding principles is to consider ourselves and our work as a part of nature,” says Camille, “rather than opposing nature to humans and architecture.”

Herb House at Shaker Village, proposed rear facade, sketch by Henry Gao