The New Glass House

2 luxury home quarterly june 2011 luxuryhomequarterly.com

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bulthaup Scottsdale4225 N. Marshall WayScottsdale, AZ 85251

phone (888) [email protected]

www.bulthaup.com

bulthaup

At bulthaup, we understand the desires of individuals who appreciate the sensuality of high-quality materials and the aesthetics of form. With bulthaup, you can create living spaces that extend beyond the kitchen. To experience the timeless design of bulthaup kitchen architecture, please visit our showroom in Scottsdale or contact us for a free consultation (888) 541-9095.

bulthaup

3june 2011 luxury home quarterly

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bulthaup Scottsdale4225 N. Marshall WayScottsdale, AZ 85251

phone (888) [email protected]

www.bulthaup.com

bulthaup

At bulthaup, we understand the desires of individuals who appreciate the sensuality of high-quality materials and the aesthetics of form. With bulthaup, you can create living spaces that extend beyond the kitchen. To experience the timeless design of bulthaup kitchen architecture, please visit our showroom in Scottsdale or contact us for a free consultation (888) 541-9095.

bulthaup

“For several years now our relationship with BC&J

Architects has been both rewarding and challenging.

We’ve been fortunate to have Peter Brachvogel, AIA

include Pella on his team in an increasing number of

projects. One of the challenges presented has been

in providing solutions for some of the more creative

window and door requirements particularly in

their more contemporary homes. We have been

successfully meeting the challenges and plan to

continue meeting their needs well into the future.”

Pella Corporation102 Main Street | Pella, Iowa 50219

1-866-809-9460

Rich BennettPella Sales Consultant

Greater Puget Sound | 425.455.5550


1-866-809-9460


1-866-809-9460



Viewed To Be The Best.®


FEATURES

Black, White, and Red All OverThe artful design of a condo at the Plaza Hotel in New York City has

taken Jeffrey Hitchcock Enterprises Inc. to the top of its field.

page 46

A Sleek Connection Neil M. Denari Architects creates a contemporary home for a growing family that is strong enough to stand its ground in the

earthquake-prone region.

page 54

Among the TreesFrank Harmon’s modern dwelling connects form and nature with

sweeping views of the surrounding North Carolina landscape.

page 62

The Glass Pavilion Steve Hermann, founder of Hermann Design & Development, has created a stunning property that features glass walls on all sides—a

home fit for Hollywood royalty.

page 70

contents

OUTSIDE THE BOXAs a teaching architect, Neil M. Denari brings inventive building strategies to his own designs.

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ON THE COVER Frank Harmon Architect PA has created an oasis within the trees of North Caro-lina. The interiors of the Strickland-Ferris residence blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape thanks to expansive windows. page 62


contents

acclaim Custom-home projects of note

18 SKY RANCH

19 THE FARRAR RESIdENCE

BUilDeRs Construction firms specializing

in peerless residences

20 GREEN GAbLES dESIGN & RESTORATION

24 ARGUE CUSTOM HOMES

28 PALISAdE HOMES

DesiGneRs Creative minds in interiors, landscapes,

and furnishings

30 THURSTON/bOYd INTERIOR dESIGN INC.

33 SOLIS bETANCOURT, INC.

DesiGneR showcase An in-depth look at some of the industry’s most

unique designers

36 KENdALL WILKINSON dESIGN & HOME

the plans A showcase of sleek, modern architecture—

and the blueprints that started it all

74 MIRÓ RIVERA ARCHITECTS

78 ANNE dECKER ARCHITECTS

aRchitects Providing concepts and programs

for deluxe homes

81 dOMA ARCHITECTS, INC.

84 REAdER & SWARTz ARCHITECTS, P.C.

87 ESKUCHE CREATIVE GROUP LLC

Vacation homes Second homes and getaways across the globe

90 KELOWNA, bRITISH COLUMbIA

93 SILVER bEACH, NEW JERSEY

Distinction Serving a unique niche in the custom-home

industry

96 dEMARIA dESIGN ASSOCIATES INC.

100 bC&J ARCHITECTS

p74The 1414 residence in Austin, TX, designed by Miró Rivera Architects. The firm has a specific philosophy regarding the effect of its structures on the environment.

contents

PLUS

p16Niche Modern’s (nichemodern.com) new collection of glass fixtures help add color to a space in need of mood lighting.

Editor’s Note page 8

What’s New Industry news, awards, and product innovations page 10

Behind the Lines featuring Jocelyn Warner page 13

On the Rise Spotlighting designs for

illumination and relaxation page 14

Directory page 104

Products+Services Spotlight page 106

At Home With Julie Smith page 108

PHOTO: PAUL FINKEL


a s summer really starts to heat up, LHQ is present-ing our readers with a light, airy feature on custom homes that showcase glass as a focal point. Our cover features a stunning home by Frank Harmon Architect known as the

Strickland-Ferris Residence (p.62). “[The clients] wanted a house free of all restraints including cultural and conventional,” Harmon says. “The entire house has only about four doors. Most of it is one big room because a house is a place for enjoying other people. A big, wonderful space makes that pos-sible.” The use of glass, it seems, is all about transparency, and that trans-parency makes it possible for family and friends to enjoy each other’s com-pany within a home.

Hermann Design & Development created yet another stunning glass home featured in this issue (p.70). Appropriately named the Glass Pavilion, the structure literally merges the indoors and out by creating a strong visu-al connection to the landscape. “The site was so beautiful and private that I thought it would be a shame to have any walls blocking the views,” says Her-mann. Glass, as a building tool, is not only an element of form and struc-ture but is also an element of the surrounding landscape.

The feature on Jeffrey Hitchcock’s Plaza Hotel residence in New York City is a prime example of one very important niche I’ve seen over and over in interior design and architecture—working to showcase a client’s art

eDitoR’s note

LIGHT AND DARK A New York living room designed by Jeffrey Hitchcock Enterpises.

Moll y Soat , features editor

collection (p.46). With 13-foot ceilings, the home provides the perfect showplace for the client’s extensive collections of modern art and Europe-an antiques. Hitchcock used a neutral palette of cream and black in much of the home to keep the focus on the client’s prized artwork. Passion for a client’s needs is integral in creating a truly unique custom home. “I love designing something unique for a client. I love the installation, when the whole project comes alive,” Hitchcock says. His masterpiece at the Plaza Hotel is alive indeed.

Keep an eye out for next month’s issue of LHQ , which features luxury lake homes that, again, marry architecture and landscape in unique and beauti-ful ways. As always, I hope that our coverage of the newest trends and de-sign philosophies will motivate, inform, and inspire your work. Enjoy.

BlackMountainCONSTRUCTION / DEVELOPMENT

BLACK MOUNTAIN, IN BUSINESS SINCE 1989, BELIEVES YOUR RESIDENCE SHOULD REFLECT YOURSELF AND YOUR DREAMS.

Owner Jeffrey Woods has shaped the quality and integrity of Black Mountain, believing in the value of responsible and realistic build-

ing practices to make the entire building process a positive and rewarding one. Com-munication and teamwork are key elements of Jeff’s hands-on management philosophy

throughout the entire building process.

We offer a wealth of experience in the con-struction and development fields, combin-

ing timeless and superior craftsmanship while integrating the true professionals

and visionaries in the fields of architecture, interior design and engineering to create the very best precision building team available to

meet our clients’ needs.

Our goal is to deliver a finished product of superior quality and distinction. Black Mountain’s team specializes in luxury estates, residential tower construction, remodels and commercial development. We personally pride ourselves on every project, large or small.

San Francisco650 Delancey St, #101 San Francisco, CA 94107P. 415.374.7463 East Bay3925 Old Santa Rita Rd, #200Pleasanton, CA 94588P. 925.520.000 | F. 925.520.0002www.blackmountaindev.com

blackmountain_2.indd 1 12/8/10 5:06 PM


what’s newINdUSTRY NEWS, AWARdS, ANd PROdUCT INNOVATIONS

LUxURY RESIdENCES

St. Regis Bal Harbour opens in MiamiLast year, less than 24 months after the leveling of the Sheraton Bal Harbour, the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, designed by The Sieger Suarez Architectural Partnership, finished construction on all three of its 27-story towers in South Flori-da. Located on more than 600 feet of immaculate beachfront, the luxury getaway—one of the larg-est in the southeastern United States, according to some experts—is scheduled to open this year with 270 private residences, a 205-rooms hotel, the 12,000-square-foot full-service Remede Spa, a wine bar, and roughly 9 acres of landscaped outdoor space, including a secluded beach. The residences were designed by the Yabu Pushel-berg firm and range in size from 1,777 to 6,868 square feet and from one to four bedrooms. All the homes feature marble bathrooms, European-style kitchen cabinetry, and state-of-the-art con-trols for climate, lighting, and the window shades. Each space also features floor-to-ceiling windows and terraces measuring 440-1,380 square feet that offer sweeping views of both the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

dESIGNER COLLECTION

Ann Sacks releases newline of wood tilesThe tiling of the Indah collection from Ann Sacks—a leading man-ufacturer and distributor of tile, stone, and plumbing products—is made of sustainably harvested tropical teak hardwood that is durable but still pliable. The company worked with Indonsesian artisans to conceive the tiling’s hand-carved designs, which add a natural atmosphere to any space they occupy. The tiles come in seven different patterns—acanthus leaf, banana leaf, circles, fingerprint, horizontal lines, waves, and a weave (pictured)—and they are available in five hues that range from dark to light de-pending on the type of finish (wax, French polish, or whitewash) applied to the wood. Designers and homeowners who prefer the character of aged wood can special order tiles made of reclaimed teak that has already developed a patina. Named after the Indo-nesian word for “beautiful,” the Indah collection was inspired by traditional folk art, and its tiles will enliven any interior. Source: Ann Sacks


what’s new

LUxURY RESIdENCES

Closings begin on luxe beachside condos

Closings have begun for the condo residences at the newly completed Terra Beachside 6000 Collins, a six-story, 116-unit property in Miami Beach. The homes have 18-foot ceilings and range in size from 1,095 to 3,495 square feet and from one to three bedrooms. All of the two- and three-bedroom units have two-story floorplans. A few of the residences even have rooftop terraces that provide an addi-tional 1,350 square feet of living space. The archi-tecture of the building’s common areas includes a translucent 400-foot atrium that spans the entire length of the property, a cone-shaped lifestyle cen-ter, and a courtyard with gardens and fountains. The entire structure was conceived by the Sieger Suarez architectural firm.Source: bH III LLC

AWARd ANNOUNCEMENT

IIDA announces first- annual Global Excel-lence Awards winners

The International Interior Design Association an-nounced at the end of last year the winners of its first annual Global Excellence Awards, which honor the best interior-design projects from around the world in a broad spectrum of categories. The award for Best Residence went to Mitchell Freedland De-sign of Vancouver, Canada, for the firm’s design of a beachfront residence in West Vancouver. An entire 1,250-square -foot second level—complete with a bedroom, bathroom, living area, and terrace—was added above a studio situated right on the shoreline. A fireplace dominates the middle of the space, divid-ing the bedroom from the living room without clos-ing the space down. The space sports custom lighting and a fairly monochromatic palette of white paint and warm wood paneling, and the millwork and most of the furnishings were designed and fabricated by lo-cal artisans. As a final touch, sun shading was used to temper solar heat coming through the large windows facing the water. Another firm, Ptang Studio Ltd., received an honorable mention for its Hillsborough Court home in Hong Kong. The cozy 850-square-foot space was also given a monochromatically white palette and has won the firm an Excellence Award of Residential Space Design in the 2010 AIA Awards. Source: International Interior design Association

LIGHTING INNOVATION

WAC Lighting adds to handblown collectionMeant to match with the already-released Quick Connect™ series of glass pendants, WAC Light-ing has now introduced a collection of artfully decorated glass wall sconces. The handblown pieces were designed with eco-friendly features such as high-power electrical ballasts, and they are built to accommodate energy-efficient com-pact fluorescent bulbs. The sconces are also ADA-compliant thanks to shallow low-profile back-plates, which allow the glass shades to fit flush

against the wall. At 11 inches tall, 4 inches deep, and almost 8 inches wide, the pieces are large enough to draw attention without being spatially obtrusive, and WAC Lighting offers them in a number of different designs including Flava in Black and White (pictured top left), Tigra (top right), Aurora (bottom right), and Flava (bottom left). Use the sconces to add subtle, artful light-ing to any residential space. Source: WAC Lighting


Editors

features editor Molly [email protected]

associate editorGeoff George

Advertising publishers Madeline Camaci [email protected] Chester [email protected] S. Coll [email protected] Davis [email protected] Mathews [email protected] Wall [email protected] Brandon Watts [email protected] Dan Zierk [email protected] account manager Jacqui Lowisz [email protected]

Art

creative directorKarin Bolliger

designerDavid Chathas

Research

director of editorial researchGeorge Bozonelos

editorial research managersDawn CollinsAnthony D’AmicoGerald MathewsCarolyn Marx

editorial researchersAshley BrownDeidre DavisJackie Geweke Laura Heidenreich Ryan Jones Bronwyn Milliken Hayley O'HaraMolly Potnick

editorial research assistantAdam Castillo

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Vail’s newest condo development is a hot commodity p .78

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www.bowen-enterprises.com

jocelyn WarnerJocelyn Warner’s interest in interior design began at a very young age. Having grown up in 1960s England in a house designed by her architect father, her style was first informed by the home’s fabric and furniture, which had been conceived by such notables as John Piper and Lucienne and Robin Day. This early interest and immersion quickly blossomed into a successful career.

After obtaining a BA in textile design from Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts and an MA in computer-aided design and digital printing for textiles from Central St Martin’s, Warner dabbled in several textile ventures before founding her own company, Jocelyn Warner, in 1999. The design firm quickly became known for its wallpapers which combine Warner’s studies with ele-ments of nature. They have been acquired by the Cooper Hewitt wallpaper collection in New York, and they have received many awards, including a 2007 Elle Decoration award.

Jocelyn Warner has now come out with a line of designer furniture fabrics meant to complement its most popular wallpapers. The fabrics are 100-per-cent linen, which Warner feels “keeps the heart and soul of the wallpapers,” and their patterns were taken from the company’s Blossom, Flora, Leaf, and Tree Tops wallpaper designs. “They can be easily mixed with vintage as well as modern furniture creating an eclectic and relaxed style,” Warner says.

The new line launched in January at Maison & Objet in Paris, but the compa-ny is already looking ahead. Jocelyn Warner has collaborated in the past with companies such as DesignTex, Agnona, and Ploegstoffen, and the firm’s con-stant work and experimentation with new technologies and materials ensures the inevitability of more connections to come. Whatever turns the interior-design world might take, Jocelyn Warner’s timeless designs seem destined to thrive. –GEOFF GEORGE

BehinD the linesCUSTOM COLLECTIONS FOR LUxURY HOMES—ANd THE dESIGNERS bEHINd THEM


MORE THAN A SKETCH“When I start drawing, what comes through is the sense of wonder and excitement I first felt on seeing a plant or shape in nature,” Warner says. “[My designs have] also soaked up a sense of time and place along with other things I’ve absorbed subconsciously from art, fashion, trends, and experiences at that time.”

LEAF WALLPAPER

FLORA FAbRIC


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on the RisePOPULAR TRENdS ANd RISING STARS IN THE LUxURY-HOME MARKET

Illuminated Every room needs a focal point, whether it be a stunning light fixture or a funky piece of furni-ture. These products embody some of the most artful, beautiful concepts in home décor today.

industrial

SerieS 28 The bulbs of the Series 28 fixture from Bocci are created with a special glassblowing technique de-veloped by Canadian architect Omer Arbel. The process involves blowing air in and out of the glass at random intervals while also intermittently heat-ing and cooling it. This creates shapes inside of the glass where low-voltage or LED lamps are then placed. Because of this process, no two Series 28 fixtures are exactly alike. bocci.ca

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on the Rise

opulent

hydroargentum Illuminate any space with Hydroargentum, a stunning new lighting collection from Androm-eda International. The fixtures were conceived by Leonardo de Carlo, and they’re built to fit any space, large or small. Dimensions of the pieces range from 15 to 96 lights, and they can be redesigned and customized for each order. They are also available in three different colors: silver (pictured), blue, and bronze. andromedamurano.it

16 luxury home quarterly april 2011 luxuryhomequarterly.com

on the Rise

modern

pharoSDesigned by Jeremy Pyles, these narrow lamp fixtures from Niche Modern come in a variety of colors that will lend a dramatic atmosphere to any room. The lengthy glass cases hold 75-watt, tu-bular incandescent bulbs, which are dimmable to further enhance the mood of a space. The fixtures are named after lighthouse towers written of in ancient texts, and the light that pours from them will seem just as fabled. nichemodern.com


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fashionable

mah jong modular SofaThese cushions, part of famed clothing designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s furniture col-lection created for Roche Bobois, can be arranged and rearranged dozens of times to imagine a room anew. The tile-shaped elements are borrowed from deceased German designer Hans Hopfer, who first brought the idea to Roche Bobois in the 1970s. Here, Gaultier makes it his own by upholstering the flexible cushions in nautical stripes and whimsical patterns. Other pieces in Gaultier’s collection include a chariot-shaped chair, luggage-like clothes bureaus, and an elaborate folding screen. roche-bobois.com


accl aimCUSTOM-HOME PROJECTS OF NOTE

When a client approached The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP about constructing a care-taker’s home atop a warehouse in Seattle’s bay area, a home that would need to meet specific dimensional requirements, the architectural firm eagerly took up the challenge. The result-ing structure takes the idea of spacial economy to its furthest extreme while still conveying a refined sensibility.

Because residential spaces within industrial facilities are allowed no more than 800 square feet, the designers made sure that every wall would serve multiple purposes. One entire forty-foot edge of the home was turned into a bookcase and included inset spaces for a TV and an oven. Another wall had a fireplace built into it. The interior was planned out to take advantage of the location, and the kitchen/din-ing/living room and the master bedroom both enjoy sweeping views of Stimson Marina and Salmon Bay.

CreditsARCHITECTURE: The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP(millerhull.com) ENGINEER: degenkolb Engineers(degenkolb.com)

GENERAL CONTRACTORS:Steve Mann and Scott Chenoweth

The exterior of the home was constructed of corrugated metal sheets that match the home to its industrial surroundings, and a wooden deck wrapping around two sides of the structure provides an additional 500 square feet without violating building codes.

As a final preservative touch, the home was constructed on a bed of I-beams, allowing the owner to transport the entire dwelling should he ever decide to move and ensuring its continued use long after its current industrial surroundings grow tiresome. The home might be economical, but it was still built to last.

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THE FARRAR RESIDENCEBlending seamlessly with the tree-laden hillside it occupies, the Farrar residence lies almost hidden in the natural, boundless landscape outside of Park City, Utah. The 12,000-square-foot home has been designed for optimal style and comfort, and yet it remains a perfect example of how to take advantage of the surrounding environment while minimizing a structure’s impact on it.

The house, designed by the Bohlin Cywinski Jack-son firm, is composed mainly of two perpendicular sections that intersect at a central living space. The north-south section is parallel to the hill’s slope and runs from the entry to the back of the house, containing a kitchen, a guest wing, a garage, a wine cellar, and an indoor swimming pool. The other section houses a master bedroom and a study. Cedar siding and Douglas-fir wood were used respectively for the home’s walls and roof, and large window panels throughout both sections open the dwelling up to the Wasatch Valley below.

The highlight of the home is the 25-meter lap pool that cantilevers over a seasonal brook. Another broad window at one end of this natatorium allows an underwater view from the exterior—a fitting detail for this model of luxury-home living that works with the land rather than against it.

acclaim

CreditsARCHITECT: bohlin Cywinski Jackson (bcj.com) STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Rutherford & Chekene (ruthchek.com)

M/E/P/FP ENGINEERING: Flack and Kurtz (wspgroup.com) GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Culp Construction Co. (culpco.com)

FURNISHINGS: Light Spot Modern design (lightspotmoderndesign.com)


When it comes to dynamic home projects, Lind-ley Morton has always designed and built at the same time, so it was only natural to start a firm that specialized in just that. More than 30 years after its founding, Morton’s firm, Portland, Oregon-based Green Gables Design & Restora-tion, is known for its highly detailed homes and its dedicated craftsmen.

“Because of the nature of our work, everything we do is custom,” Morton says. “At the end of the day, we do things we can be proud of—whether it’s a mansion or a tree house.” That strategy has worked for Green Gables. The company doesn’t

Green Gables Design & Restoration INTEGRATEd dESIGN ANd COLLAbORATIVE PHILOSOPHY WORK WELL FOR dESIGN-bUILd FIRM

by Amy Lemen

do any advertising at all—not even allowing contractors to put up signs on jobs—yet it has managed to generate a healthy list of clients, all of them by word-of-mouth. “We lead with our reputation and do the best job we can for every client,” Morton says. “It’s all about pleasing the client—that’s always the goal for us.”

The firm’s work ranges from kitchen and bath projects to whole house remodels to new con-struction jobs between $500,000 and more than $12 million. Green Gables has done much of its work along the Pacific coast, from Portland, Or-egon, up through Washington and all the way to

BUilDeRsCONSTRUCTION FIRMS SPECIALIzING IN PEERLESS RESIdENCES

Vancouver, British Columbia. The firm has also done design projects in Hawaii and Utah—often for clients who have used the firm already for their primary home and who now want a vaca-tion home.

For example, the firm has designed several homes on Lake Oswego as relaxing, gorgeous family retreats. One of the homes, known as the Northwest Lakehouse, is owned by people who requested their home have a strong relationship with the outside. Morton built the home to take maximum advantage of the surrounding views and installed wide entryways that better connect-

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Northwest Lakehouse in Lake Oswego, OR

6,000 square feet 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms

The relationship between the outdoors and indoors was very important to this home’s owners. So, Green Gables took full advantage of spectacular Lake Oswego views and developed wider entryways that create a flow between interior living spaces and the natural exterior. The design also includes plenty of spaces for outdoor living.

ed the home’s interior and exterior. “The house that fits with its owners’ life and what’s going to make them happy will always be a house that stands apart from the rest,” Morton says.

No matter the home’s location, Morton says each house and project is a new one, and the firm therefore does not attach itself to a particular style. “We want to show our clients a range, show them the possibilities,” Morton says. “Each house is special and for an individual, and we think a lot about that.”

The firm also follows the same careful process with all of its clients, taking the time up front to listen to what each of them wants, helping them define their objectives and goals, and always keeping budget in mind. “We talk budget very early on so we don’t design something that’s completely out of their price range,” Morton says.

on the Rise


BUilDeRs

A MESSAGE FROM NORTHWEST dOOR & SASH COMPANYNorthwest door & Sash Company has produced fine architectural windows and doors for many years, specializing in vertical-grain douglas fir featuring true divided lites. dedicated to excellence, we have captured the essence of a quality product: functional and long lasting, pleasing to the eye, and committed to today’s energy standards. (nwdoorandsash.com)

“We love to show clients past projects and walk them through so they can see the detail and the quality of work—and so they get a real feeling for what we’re about.”

In particular, Morton stresses the handmade, custom-made emphasis that permeates the firm’s work—an aspect that appeals both to clients and to architects who work with Green Gables. “Every-thing we do has been touched by human hands—this is not off-the-shelf stuff,” he says. “The out-standing cooperative work of our subcontractors and suppliers has been critical to our success.”

The firm is also known for its adherence to green design principles, and many of its projects have achieved LEED certification for their sustain-ability. Morton says it is about presenting clients with options and showing them the potential for payback. “We want to give them a clear picture of the difference, and they appreciate the information and the options, whether or not they choose to use them,” he says. “It’s about efficiency: good design is built efficiently.”

Above all, Morton says it is about designing and building a home that the client loves—without regard for resale or other factors—and that is where the firm’s custom emphasis really makes a difference. “My feeling is that if you go with what you want, what you love, and what fits with the way you live, it’ll sell,” Morton says. “You can tell the difference between a house built for re-sale versus one built for yourself. There’s always going to be someone like you out there who will appreciate that.”

PO Box 4828, Tualatin, OR 97062Phone: (503) 612-0555

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Jim Davenport started Davenport

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“if we can draw it, we can build it”.

Contour / Profile & Design Replication

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In the competitive Arizona building environment, Argue Custom Homes works hard in and around the Scottsdale area to create unique, high-end custom homes that continually place the firm at the top of the residential market. “We’ve been very fortunate to rise to the top,” president Tom Argue says. “I definitely feel lucky to be where I am and doing what I’m doing.”

After graduating from the University of Arizona in 1989, Argue worked for various businesses in California and Arizona before starting his own company in 1992. “Before I started my company, I worked mostly in commercial and environ-

Argue Custom HomesPERSONAL dETAILS ANd MEdITERRANEAN STYLE CREATE bEAUTIFUL HOMES

by Laura Judy

mental construction,” he says. “In this company, we’ve touched on commercial, but our passion is residential.” Argue works with a reliable base of subcontractors, which he says is extremely important. “With the competitive environment here, we have to be very careful who we work with to make sure they really know what they’re doing,” he says.

While Argue Custom Homes has taken on up to 18 projects per year in the past, currently that number is closer to five—however, tough econ-omy aside, there’s another reason the number is lower this year: the company has been working

BUilDeRs

MOUNTAIN RETREAT This formal Mediterranean home was built into the rocks of Artesano Troon Canyon in Scottsdale, AZ.

Artesano Lot 27 & 28 in the Troon Community

Location: North Scottsdale, Az

Design Style: Formal Mediterranean

Square Footage: 14,600

Beds/Baths: 5 bedrooms, 7 baths (in the main house)

Lot: Integrated with boulders on the side of a mountain

Highlights: A separate guesthouse, a workout facility with a locker room and sauna, a three-story elevator, a wine cellar with toasting patio, and a reverse negative-edge pool with Chinese glass tile.


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Argue Custom Homes’ Top Architectural Elements

1. Proper placement: “How a house blends into the lot and environment is very impor-tant to us. The lot is a canvas, and we paint the home onto it,” president Tom Argue says.

2. Home automation: “[It] is big in Arizona, and there are constantly new, interesting, and sophisticated products available.”

3. Reclaimed materials: “We love using reclaimed products like wood and rock, and we often incorporate rock from the building site right back into the construction of the home.”

4. Light finishes: “We love how lighter finishes and the use of a lot of glass are bringing the popular style back to more minimal and traditional. It’s a more timeless and lighter way of living.”

5. Solar power: “We are looking at using more and more solar technology. We like where the industry is going, and government re-bates make it easier and easier to use.”

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FROM ITALY TO ARIZONA This kitchen was designed to the specifications of an Italian kitchen the clients wanted to replicate.


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The Scottsdale Elegant Estate Home

Location: Scottsdale, Az

Design Style: Rural Mediterranean

Square Footage: 30,000 (24,000 liv-able space)

Beds/Baths: 6 bedrooms, 7 baths (in the main house)

Lot: 40 acres with a sweeping moun-tain view

Highlights: A separate guesthouse, a tennis court, a horse barn and arena, an all-rock exterior, a back patio with a brick ceiling, and a negative-edge pool facing the mountains.

on a massive project. “This home is worth the equivalent of about 10 of the homes we usually do,” Argue says. The Scottsdale home, which will be one of the largest homes in Arizona, is 103,000 square feet with about 76,000 square feet of livable space. Built on top of a mountain, the home will include an IMAX theater, a three-story nightclub, and a lazy river.

Of course, while still on the high-end of the mar-ket, most of the homes the company builds are on a slightly smaller scale, and style varies from project to project. “I wouldn’t say that we have our own distinct style because we enjoy work-ing with different styles, but we don’t do a lot of true contemporary homes,” Argue says. Some of the styles the company references frequently are rural Mediterranean, formal Mediterranean, Tuscan, and ranch hacienda, all popular in the Southwest market.

A recent project that the company built in North Scottsdale’s Troon community truly exemplifies formal Mediterranean style. While the project was a little difficult to get through—it became the company’s longest build ever—it turned out

“We put forth a team approach to a project, articulately explaining the process to the client and managing it all the way through, which is the best thing you can do in this industry.” Tom Argue, PresidenT

to be amazing in the end. “The client was very tough and discerning, and he kept changing his mind, but now he’s turned into a great friend,” Argue says. “He just wanted to make sure every detail was something he’d want to live with.” Some of those details include reclaimed materials, Venetian plaster, automatic pocket doors, and an elegant office opening onto a “trophy” room for the big-game hunting client.

One of Argue’s favorite elements is the ceiling in the breakfast room. “The client wanted a skylight, but we were worried about too much light com-ing in, so we created an illuminated, mirrored ceiling that creates the illusion of a window,” Argue says. The company enjoys finding solutions to tricky problems and making sure every client gets the best. “It’s all about filling in those per-sonal details,” Argue says.

Another favorite project, which Argue Custom Homes built about seven years ago, is an elegant estate home in the rural Mediterranean style. The home takes full advantage of its 40 acres of property with a large yard, a negative-edge pool, tennis courts, a horse barn and arena, and a huge

back patio featuring a mountain view. An all-rock exterior, brick ceilings, and walnut floors add to the unique style of the home.

Most of the company’s clients come from refer-rals, and Argue is thrilled with its success over the years. “We put forth a team approach to a project, articulately explaining the process to the client and managing it all the way through, which is the best thing you can do in this indus-try,” Argue says. “It’s also important to click with clients personality-wise, and we’ve been blessed to have some great clients who have really pushed us to get creative and find new, unique solutions.”

It’s not the graceful arches or grand entryways that make our homes so

special. Nor is it the hand-cut stone that adorns the outer walls. It’s

not the meticulous laying of tile, the imported wood doors or vaulted

ceilings framed with ornate trim that makes them so magnifi cent. It’s

not even the organic fl ow of the fl oorplan that creates such outstanding

beauty.

No, none of these things can compare to the most important thing we

put into every home we build: artistic vision and unrelenting passion

to create the home of your dreams.

We only build a select number of homes each year. This allows us to

deliver unparalleled attention to detail and quality. And, at the same

time, we are able to maintain a very high level of personalized attention

to each and every customer.

480.941.0531 | www.arguecustomhomes.com

Argue Custom Homes

A

Design Portfolio:www.marjoriecranstondesign.com

View Marjorie’s Fine Art:www.jackstrawgrandlake.com

970-627-8111

Marjorie CranstonDesigner

of the Palisade Home

2010

Complete Design Services:from construction planning

through furnishings.

Contact Marjorie for thefull design details of this home.


Palisade Homes

Some people take a long time to discover their true calling, trying various career fields until something clicks. Keith Lukovsky is not one of those people. From an early age, the owner of Littleton, Colorado’s Palisade Homes knew pre-cisely what he wanted to do with his life.

“I used to be the little kid that would sit at the construction site and watch. [Later], when kids were 14, 15, and 16 years old and had paper routes, I was actually doing remodeling,” he says. The teenage Lukovsky’s work on his parents’ basement was noticed by a family friend, who enlisted his help on a similar project. Word of mouth spread quickly, and Lukovsky soon had a thriving remodeling business that he continued to run through college. Eventually, he grew so busy that school had to wait, and Lukovsky left

GUIdEd bY MIdWESTERN VALUES, FIRM PROSPERS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORAdO

by Susan Flowers

his Wisconsin home to strike out for Denver, where he founded Palisade Homes in 1987.

Over the years, the firm has become one of the city’s best-known custom-home builders, tak-ing on around five houses every year. A recent project on Whistling Elk Drive, in Denver’s southwestern suburbs, provides an example of Palisade’s high-quality work.

Although new, the house blends so harmoniously with its rustic, rugged setting that “It looks like it’s been there for 150 years,” Lukovsky says. “It’s very natural, very fitting to the area.” Designed and constructed in earthy colors with natural stone and other organic materials, the Colorado lodge-style home is warm and invit-ing—elegant without being ostentatious.

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Top Design Elements of the Whistling Elk Residence

1. Stone: Over 400 tons of “Farmers blend” stone harvested in Oklahoma was used throughout the interior and exterior of the home. The stone evokes a rustic feeling of permanence.

2. Timber-log details: Large-scale rough-sawn douglas fir timbers and logs were extensively incorporated into the structure of the home, creating a strong western-lodge theme.

3. Hardwood floors: Random-width oak-plank flooring ranging from 4 to 10 inches in width covers the entire kitchen, the din-ing and great rooms, and the study.

4. Faux finishes: Richly finished wall and ceil-ing treatments complement every room in the home. Faux-finishing artist Ronny Tucker created warm, relaxed, Old-World textures that wear well with age.

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This home’s style is also in synch with Lu-kovsky’s personal taste. While his custom proj-ects understandably vary in look according to client preferences, he says that his spec homes usually reflect the rustic mountain sensibility found in the Whistling Elk residence. “I just re-ally enjoy being creative with that style,” he says.

Lukovsky also notes that eco-friendly practices are increasingly popular in new home construc-tion, but he offers a caveat: while high-efficiency electrical products and high-value insulation are standard for Palisade Homes, he says that the cost of many green materials can be off-putting for budget-conscious clients.

As with many other projects, Lukovsky complet-ed this home with a team of architects, designers, and other professionals he knew from previous assignments. He believes the rapport built when working in tandem is always beneficial. “You develop a relationship among all the people working on a project,” he says. “Everyone learns how the other people think and how they work.

It becomes a finely tuned machine when you’re all working toward the same goal.”

His success throughout the Denver metro area is gratifying, and Lukovsky is considering adding to his geographic base—so long as he doesn’t become too busy to maintain his current hands-on presence. “Depending on the request, I would probably go anywhere in the southwest region, but I’m not looking to expand,” he says. “I’ve started to receive requests to work outside of the Denver area, and I’m mulling that over.”

Lukovsky certainly has enough to keep him oc-cupied right where he is, and he takes great sat-isfaction in his work, especially at the conclusion of a project. “Ultimately, moving in a family that I’ve worked with—depending on the project—for two or three years is the most rewarding thing,” he says. “Lots of times, I develop friend-ships with the people I build for.”

He attributes much of his success to his upbring-ing. “Where I am is truly the result of the Mid-

TWO SPACES IN ONEShown above is a view of the expansive great room and dining room. The space is built with rough-sawn douglas fir timber trusses, a gapped-plank ceiling hand-crafted by artisans on site, and 100-year-old random-width oak-plank flooring reclaimed from an old whisky distillery. Adding distinction, a “Farmers blend” stone fireplace offers warmth, and a custom elk-antler chandelier by Sua International (suainternational.com) hangs over the dining-room table.

western values and strong work ethic I learned as a child. They gave me the stick-to-itiveness to prosper in this business.” Thanks to his natural passion, Lukovsky is happy to devote himself to the needs of his clients. He takes pride in offer-ing hands-on supervision, attention to detail, and stringent standards for quality, a dedication that is sure to keep his firm prospering for years to come. “I don’t rely on a building manager,” he says. “I’m on my job sites every day.”



A designer for more than 25 years and the found-er of Thurston/Boyd Interior Design Inc, Randy Boyd’s extensive portfolio covers a variety styles, but it is the historic beach cottage that holds a special place in his heart. As a third-generation Laguna Beach, California, resident, he says “the beach environment, casual lifestyle, and quaint architecture” are what launch his design.

Critical to these designs are the right furnishings, and on any given day Boyd often can be found antiquing in either New York or Europe—for his

HANdSOME ANTIQUES ANd REFINEd ARTWORK GIVE LAGUNA bEACH HOME POLISH ANd SOPHISTICATION

by kaleena Thompson

Thurston/Boyd Interior Design Inc.

personal collection if not for his cultured clients. The designer uses a careful blending of tradi-tional and contemporary furnishings and takes both comfort and function into account, and his knowledge of antiques and his taste for tradi-tional homes has led to work everywhere from the Hawaiian Islands to the Cotswolds.

So in 2007, when antique-loving clients with an extensive art collection—acquired from re-spected local galleries—were looking for an East Coast-influenced design, they knew Boyd would

REFLECTIVE SURFACES The kitchen’s marble countertops, granite center island, and hardwood maple flooring all reflect the daylighting generously.

DesiGneRsCREATIVE MINdS IN INTERIORS, LANdSCAPES, ANd FURNISHINGS

be the perfect fit. “They wanted to incorporate those collections into a traditional East Coast vibe, with enough bedrooms for visits from their children and grandchildren,” he says.

California Plein Aire paintings and con-temporary art are displayed throughout the 5,800-square-foot Laguna Beach home with views of Catalina Island. It was a collaborative effort between the client, architect, and Boyd to design the home to showcase the art. The color palette was selected to reflect the colors of the

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COASTAL INSPIRATIONA view of the living room from the entry. The color palette was inspired by the sand, ocean, and the client’s personal art collection.

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Top Design Elements of the Laguna Beach Home

1. Murano lighting fixture: Imported from Italy (muranoimports.com), the hand-blown piece hangs over the dining table, and boyd says he loves its elegance and simplicity.

2. Large bisque-glazed ceramic shell: designed by Laguna beach artist Ron dier (studioartslaguna.com), it adds a contemporary flavor to the dining-room table.

3. Fireplace in the family room: Made from the same natural stone used on the terraces, it maintains continuity between the spaces.

4. Paul Ferrante double lantern: boyd was attracted to this Paul Ferrante piece (paulferrante.com) because of its large scale and classic detailing. The fixture now hangs gracefully over the kitchen island.

5. Entry hall: This area commands atten-tion by combining an antique Chinese pedestal table with a sisal runner and English influences.



THURSTON/ BOYD i n t e r i o r d e s i g n

1476 South Coast Highway / Laguna Beach, California 92651Phone 949.376.0477 / WWW.THURSTONBOYD.COM

sea and serve as a subtle backdrop to the art and English antiques. “And we chose the colors and fabrics so as not to take away from the architec-ture and the ocean views,” Boyd says.

In the large, two-story foyer sits an antique Chinese pedestal table along with an English bench and sea-grass runner. Just off the foyer is the sun-filled living room, which Boyd has made a comfortable yet elegant space. Two elongated bronze cranes in a corner compete for attention with a custom-designed fireplace nesting a pair of carved 18th-century Italian dolphins. Because of the couple’s art collection, Boyd suggested a neutral color scheme punctuated by pops of color from camel-aqua-floral-print upholstered chairs, a set of aqua pillows, and an ottoman. To keep with the earthy and warm feel, Boyd added a sea-grass rug over the wood floor. “It adds a textured yet a comfortable aesthetic,” he says.

The large kitchen leads flowingly into to the family room and morning room, an ideal setup for casual entertaining. The kitchen’s hardwood maple flooring, honed white-marble counter-tops, black-granite center, and pearl cabinets all reflect the daylighting brilliantly, and an old-fashioned double lantern hangs over the center is-land. “The clients wanted a clean, classic feeling in the interior architectural details,” Boyd says. Outside in the back, the family room’s French doors open onto an ocean-view dining terrace and a patio with a fireplace and spa overlooking a small canyon.

Boyd also placed the couple’s art to complement the architecture of the library and combined the pieces with color schemes of sage green, terra cotta, and camel. Lined with built-in pine-paneled bookshelves, the library features large French doors overlooking a patio with a private garden. A contemporary painting hangs over the fireplace.

A fresh approach was called for in the master suite, which rivals that of a five-star hotel. Boyd created a soothing palette tailored for a soft sum-mer day with beige, soft aquas, and creams. “The clients note that they linger near the fireplace in the sitting area, enjoying coffee and the morn-ing’s newspaper,” he says. A few steps away is the elegant yet simple bath, highlighted with marble floors and counters and custom-stained cabinetry.

While 75 percent of Thurston/Boyd’s work is in primary residences, 25 percent is in vacation or second homes. But, either way, the interior designer always makes sure his choices carry a sense of permanence. “We don’t follow trends,” he says. “We always try to incorporate antiques and classic pieces that can be passed down through generations.”


INTERESTING ELEMENTS CREATE JUxTAPOSITION OF STYLE ANd dESIGN

By Amy E. Lemen

Solis Betancourt, Inc.

When architecture and interior design work in concert in the creation of a luxury home, the result is a symphony of styles, colors, textures, and solid building essentials that is palpable to anyone who enters. “Our work has diversity—clients don’t want us to create someone else’s interior,” says Paul Sherrill, interior designer and vice president of Washington, DC-based Solis Betancourt, Inc. “They want to go on a journey, and that’s how we work—it’s more of a feeling than a look.”

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Creating that feeling is a hallmark for Sherrill and architecture-trained designer Jose Solis. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Solis al-ways had an innate passion for design and art and worked with the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP before founding his own interior-design firm 20 years ago.

“We’re most interested in working on projects that are appropriate to context—like a strong architecture or location—and then adding inter-

esting elements as a juxtaposition,” Sherrill says. “With Jose’s architectural background, we tend to be very respectful of that.”

It is the company’s architectural approach to design that has set them apart and that has at-tracted clients beyond the DC area, in locations as far as the Hamptons in New York; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; and the Miami area as well as Solis’ native Puerto Rico. The firm also stays away from designing in a particular period

NATURALLY ARTIFICIALThe leaf-and-twig chandelier in the breakfast room plays off the references to nature in the adjacent garden room.


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PRIMARY COLORSSherrill furnished the Lancz residence with antique painted furniture and used a palette of celadon and lilac.

or historical era, instead preferring to mix a range of styles. For example, the team might combine a contemporary design scheme with antique furniture or a baroque frame to create an interesting tension between elements. “We don’t go for shock value,” Sherrill says. “We believe there’s energy in things and that a little tension can be great.”

The firm also believes in layering, calling the concept of blending finishes, cabinetry, hard-ware, and furniture into an entire design package an essential part of its philosophy. For example, Solis Betancourt will introduce materials that add contrast and texture—such as iron with wood, shiny fabrics with nubby ones, or a 17th-century credenza with a 1970s sculpture. “For us, it’s a layering of periods, fabrics, architecture,

“Clients don’t want us to create someone else’s interior. They want to go on a journey, and that’s how we work—it’s more of a feeling than a look.” PAul sherrill, Cofounder

and building materials,” Sherrill says. “It’s a com-plex mix, but it’s done in an easy, quiet manner.” Art also plays a big role in all Solis Betancourt interiors—whether the firm is selecting a piece for a client’s space to help start a collection or simply adding to a client’s existing assortment of works. In fact, the firm’s unique style philosophy regarding art as a centerpiece has resulted in a book dedicated to their work, Essential Elegance: The Interiors of Solis Betancourt. It features 14 proj-ects where artwork is the focus of the interior design. “The projects range from rustic to glam-orous to elegant designs and homes,” Sherrill says.

“The book celebrates each project’s uniqueness and design/art elements.”

The Lancz project is just one featured in the book—a classical-style home whose interior

Top Design Elements ofthe Lancz Project

1. Wall Coverings: Tea paper painted with a mural of birds and flowers was lightly sanded for age, dis-tress, and patina.

2. Painted furniture: delicate, painted antique furnishings in soothing col-ors help maintain the light, elegant feel of the home.

3. Wrought-iron railing: Connecting the four floors of the house, the railing leads up a circular staircase that follows the sculptural lines of the home.

4. Entry walls: Scratch Marmorino plaster walls in the home’s entry and stair hall give a less formal feel and a limestone-like texture to the masonry.

5. Living-room plaster: Additional Marmorino Venetian plaster that is highly-polished and more formal is also more substantial and helps give texture and age to the newly-built house.


CALMING HUESThe neutral hallways stand apart from other rooms. Sherrill sees the home as

“light, peaceful, and tranquil.”

A MESSAGE FROM STARK CARPETStark specializes in luxury, custom-designed carpeting, fabric, furniture, wallcoverings, and paint. Founded by the late Arthur and Nadia Stark, who traveled the world exploring carpet history and contributed the knowledge and art of re-creating some of the most beauti-ful rug masterpieces and handmade rugs of the centuries, the firm is now headed by their sons, John and Steven Stark. Most recently, John’s daughter, Ashley Stark, has joined the company as the creative director. Stark is represented in 30 showrooms throughout the United States and Canada as well as in London and Paris.

Sherrill calls “light, peaceful, and tranquil.” The space features delicate painted furniture, an open, airy feel, and a color palette of celadon and lilac, all of it framed around a Chinese mural with flowers and birds.

As the firm looks ahead, it has also begun using its expertise to launch design products. Current offerings include a lighting collection distributed through Holly Hunt Showrooms, and there are future plans to add upholstery, case goods, car-peting, and wall-covering designs. “We work with clients who want quality, style, and aesthet-ics,” Sherrill says. “They want to experience things and make decisions, and we help them assess, build on that, and make suggestions.”

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COLOR CONTRASTIn the dining room of the Pacific Heights Glamour home, the high-gloss macassar wood and black-and-white photography help ground the otherwise light and airy palette of mother-of-pearl shell tiles and silk window treatments.


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kendall Wilkinson Design & Home Today, Kendall Wilkinson is one of her region’s top interior designers, yet

more than two decades ago she was in another industry altogether. At the

time, working in development at a Hollywood film studio, the young profes-

sional felt unfulfilled. but when she returned to her native San Francisco

for dinner with her mother (an interior designer), an epiphany struck.

A HINT OF FLASHThe living room at Pacific Heights Glamour displays a fairly mono-chromatic scheme of soft saltwater blues and taupes, focusing on silky textures and incorporating ebonized-wood accents.


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W hat she did as a designer intrigued me so much,” Wilkinson says. “I loved the idea of making people and their surround-ings both aesthetically and functionally pleasing because it’s such a big part of our lives.”

That realization set Wilkinson on a new path. She went and received her second degree, traveled abroad, and returned to open Kendall Wilkinson Design & Home in 1992. In the nearly two decades since, Wilkinson has emerged as a leader in her new industry. Contributions to the San Francisco Decorator Showcase, awards from California Home + Design, andw ap-pearances on HGTV have helped solidify her reputation, and Wilkinson’s company has gone from a hot start-up to a boutique studio to finally a retail store today. Wilkinson continues to be well received in the industry—in 2010, she was featured in Luxe Interiors + Design, Elle Decor, Gentry, and House Beautiful magazines along with websites such as Williams Sonoma Home, 1st Dibs, Decorati, One Kings Lane, and Ronda Carmen’s “All the Best” blog.

Wilkinson credits her success in part to the inspiration found in her youth. “I was always surrounded by very creative women like my mother,” she says. “I had a knack for design and was encouraged to be creative.” Her travels in Europe brought more inspiration. “I fell in love with the history of architec-ture and how it fills your senses,” she says. “It is important to me to be in a place that feels inspiring, and I want to do that for my clients.”

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Kendall Wilkinson Design & Home is a full-service interior-design firm. Wilkinson helps clients pick fixtures, finishes, tiles, stone, lights, colors, draperies, carpets, and all other materials. She also designs furniture and offers her own custom line of home furnishings. The approach, she says, is to fill a canvas (floors, walls, and ceilings) with the right treatments while

“perfectly addressing space-planning and scale.”

Designers often develop a signature, and Wilkinson is no exception; she is known for pulling all elements together in a fluid way to give a space or house better continuity among items such as wall color, furniture, art, and photography. That talent, along with an eye for color (Wilkinson often designs her own palettes) serves clients well because it addresses all areas.

Part of Wilkinson’s success comes from her ability to make a space both timeless and fulfilling. “Timelessness is about not being trendy,” she says.

“A space should be unique and sustain itself through decades. That has to do

Pacific Heights Glamourdesigned to reflect classic Hollywood elegance, Pacific Heights Glamour was also made for entertaining. Wilkinson toiled to provide a space plan that would work equally well for a group of four or 40. Chairs that face the fireplace pivot to join other seats, and nesting tables unstack to ac-commodate other guests. An oval dining-room table seats just four but easily expands to host an entire dinner party.


ALL AGLOWThe combination of an antique mirrored vanity and a Venetian mirror create a delightful powder room in the Seacliff Southern home.

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Top Design Elements of Seacliff Southern and Pacific Heights Glamour

1. Designing around the client’s interests: Spaces at Pacific Heights where people can congregate and where kids can play allow the client to entertain guests.

2. Sparkle: Touches of crystal, mirrors, and glass at Pacific Heights add life, energy, and glamour.

3. Bringing the outside in: A color palette of blues, dusty oranges, and terra cotta at Seacliff Southern mirror the stunning views of the bay, Golden Gate bridge, and beyond. Also, a crisp white is accented throughout to create a brightness that balances the gray tones of the San Francisco sky.

4. Mixing old and new: Juxtaposing lacquered pieces with 19th-century antiques from the client’s hometown contemporizes the space at Seacliff Southern.

5. Color: A saturated color palette contrasts with the cool exterior at Seacliff Southern. Painted ceilings add warmth to a home with large windows.


LIGHTENED LIBRARYThe library in Seacliff Southern is done in light blues and browns, and classic wall paneling channels a vintage atmosphere. Also, the zebra rug creates a chic vibe below the traditional sofa.


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Seacliff SouthernWilkinson’s sophisticated design of this home in an area known for dramatic ocean vistas takes advantage of natural hues. Her palette of melons and turquoise complement strong oranges (from Golden Gate bridge), greens (from the inland mountains), and blues (from the Pacific Ocean) that filter in through many oversize windows. Ample natural light makes the space playful and bright, and a sunroom and lounge done in blue and white is especially striking in the way it works with the adjacent seascape. At night, an antique Parisian fireplace in the living room takes center stage.

with the classic-ness of a design even when a space is modern or contem-porary.” Many great designs are based on established traditions. A beauti-ful English Arm sofa, Wilkinson says, never goes out of style and can be updated with various fabrics. Listening closely to clients helps her provide fulfilling spaces. “Each person has specific functional and aesthetic needs that a designer must respect,” Wilkinson says.

At Seacliff Southern, a home in a high-end San Francisco neighborhood, Wilkinson provided a design matched perfectly to her client’s lifestyle and personality. “The client has very strong southern roots and wanted to bring that to San Francisco,” She says. Wilkinson selected a color palette of melon and turquoise that guided the selection of furniture and fab-rics. Because the house overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge, the views are daytime focal points. Wilkinson avoided window treatments and designed remote blinds to shade the sun. She traveled the world to find antiques in Atlanta, New York, and Europe, including an imported Parisian fireplace that became the home’s evening centerpiece.

A second project, Pacific Heights Glamour, shows Wilkinson’s versatil-ity. The house was designed for a client who wanted a “Hollywood glam” feel—but with muted colors. Wilkinson chose smoky hues of grey, blue, platinum, ivory, taupe, and black and filled the space with Art Deco mir-rors, glass, and Lucite pieces. Tone-on-tone designs, she says, require

texture for dimension. She accomplished that depth through varied fabrics and Venetian plaster.

Seacliff Southern and Pacific Heights Glamour are two very different proj-ects, which is not unusual at Kendall Wilkinson Design & Home. “We do traditional, modern, contemporary, and everything in between,” Wilkin-son says. “The important thing is that our designs are as unique as our cli-ents.” Great design evolves when clients have strong visions and designers implement them well. When that happens, the client walks away with a truly timeless and fulfilling space.

BLACk, WHITE, AND RED ALL OVERThe arTful design of a condo aT The plaza TaKes jeffrey hiTchcocK To The Top

TexT by susan flowers — phoTos by scoTT frances

BLACk, WHITE, AND RED ALL OVER

For the Plaza Hotel residence, Hitchcock chose living-room cur-tains with his own custom stripe design, with fabrics by DONGHIA (donghia.com) and fabrication by Maison de France, New York (maisondefrance.com).


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T he best part of being a designer for Jeffrey Hitchcock? The entire creative process, from start to fin-

ish. “I love selling my ideas, I love construction meetings, I love designing something unique for a client, I love the installation, when the whole project comes alive,” Hitchcock says. The 53-year-old designer has long had a love affair with the field, dating from his beginnings as a 19-year-old apprentice.

“It just seemed so natural,” he says. “I didn’t grow up in a family where I had a lot of exposure to fine art, but in my 20s, I was like a sponge, soaking up books and magazines and art. I also had the good fortune of working for some great designers in Newport Beach [in California] and Los Angeles.” By age 30, he had founded Jeffrey Hitchcock Enterprises Inc. Based in his native LA, the firm has prospered, doing multiple proj-ects for high-end clients in cities including New York and Tokyo.

This geographic diversity was not by design. Hitchcock’s clients are often so pleased with his work that they request his services time and again, trusting him to create the interiors of

BATHED IN BLACKDark walls line one of the Plaza Hotel residence’s five bathrooms. Mirrors set up on opposite sides of the room cre-ate the illusion of extra space.

SEEING RED The largely daylit dining space was painted a deep red to offset it from the rest of the home, which is done in a two-tone palette of cream and black. The curtain is painted silk fabric by CLOTH and PAPER fabricated by Maison de France, New York.

HOME CURATINGHitchcock conceived a neutral palette of creams and blacks that highlights the owners’ personal art collection, pieces of which hang on walls and stand on tables throughout the home.


their second, third, and even fourth homes. The designer says client service sets the firm apart. “I really listen to my clients,” he says. “I really in-terpret what they’re looking for, and I fine-tune it. I know within the first five or ten minutes what they want and what’s right for their life-style—Do they have kids? Do they entertain?—and I’m able to hone in on it immediately, show-ing them things that they were never thinking of. They know I go the extra mile, and I give them 150 percent. I’m so detail-oriented, and I give my clients a great deal of attention.”

Hitchcock’s two assistants are just as adept at providing top-notch service. “I can only be as good as they allow me to be,” he says, adding that customers have such confidence in his team that several ask for one of his assistants rather than the designer himself when calling the office.

Of course, while such service is essential, out-standing design is the real key to repeat busi-ness. A recent project at New York’s Plaza Hotel illustrates the quality of Hitchcock’s work. Overlooking Central Park, the 3,600-square-foot apartment features three bedrooms and five bathrooms. Originally intended as a second home, the apartment became the client’s full-time residence halfway through the project.

With 12- and 13-foot ceilings, the home provides the perfect showplace for the client’s substantial collections of art and European antiques. Hitch-cock used a neutral palette of cream and black in much of the home to highlight various works, with a splash of color— influenced by French deco—in the dining room.

While Hitchcock’s focus is always on design, his involvement with a project is normally from the initial groundbreaking through installation, and he works closely with architects, builders, land-scapers, and other professionals throughout each phase. The firm currently takes on around 10 projects every year.

The designer and his team believe in working hard. Installation, when furniture is delivered, art is hung, and a home is made ready for its owners, is a near-round-the-clock process. For-tunately, his assistants’ talent for organization turns what is normally a logistical nightmare for many firms into a smooth process for both Hitchcock and his clients.

As his firm looks ahead to future projects, Hitchcock says he is seeing increased interest in green practices and materials from his clients, despite the fact that availability and expense are

Bl acK, white, anD ReD all oVeR

PLUSH PLAZAIn this space—one of three bedrooms in the 3,600-square-foot Plaza Hotel apartment—the windows overlook Central Park. The clients liked the home so much they made it their primary residence.

challenging in many instances. But Hitchcock welcomes such obstacles as inevitable stops on the path to great design. Although recent proj-ects have included a log house in Sun Valley, Idaho, and retreats in Aspen, Colorado, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Hitchcock hopes to continue increasing his presence in New York, where the awareness of design and art is a match for his sensibilities.

A MESSAGE FROM JJ CUSTOMCollaborating with Jeffrey has always been enjoyable. We value working with designers who contribute their creativity and ideas to produce fine furniture. With his innovative vision and our craftsmanship, we have produced many exciting projects. during our 40+ years in business, we have prided ourselves on the strong relationships we have formed with various talented designers. Our long-lasting partnerships focus on a commitment to quality construction, professional service, and dependability for designers like Jeffrey and their clients.

GALLERY SPACEHigh ceilings lend a mu-seum atmosphere to every wall display, and the home’s cream-and-black motif carries on into the grand hallways between rooms.

A SLEEK CONNECTIONNEIL M. DENARI ARCHITECTS CREATES A CONTEMPORARY HOME FOR A GROWING FAMILY

TEXT BY ZACH BALIVA PHOTOS BY BENNY CHAN

52 luxury home quarterly june 2011

F or more than two decades, Neil M. Denari has taught and prac-ticed architecture. In 1988, he moved from New York to Los

Angeles and started Cor-Tex Architecture, which was renamed Neil. M. De-nari Architects (NMDA) 10 years later. Now, Denari splits his time between academic and office settings—teaching at UCLA while designing with his boutique firm.

Teaching and research are connected to Denari’s professional projects in many ways. “An academic setting opens a world of experimentation and ideas,” Denari says. “Some paper projects are never built, and our designs aren’t for everyone, but we look for clients with a shared sensibility.”

The architect found a great match in Eric Alan and Rhonda Voo, two media and design professionals who commissioned NMDA to double the size of their 1,000-square-foot Los Angeles home. Denari’s Alan-Voo house was sensitively built in response to its occupants’ specific needs. Alan is a film and television marketer who wanted Denari’s design to help “rebrand” his family. “My clients

CONSTRUCTED FOR QUAKESBecause Denari replaced so much of the home’s exterior support structure with glass, other reinforcement strategies were implemented to fortify the dwelling in earthquake-prone Los Angeles. The designers used V-braces and steel col-umns that resist lateral loads.

luxuryhomequarterly.com

are into communication and wanted the house to amplify their identities and be a place where they could connect with their three daughters,” Denari says.

“Architecture should help a family connect.” He transformed a small, cluttered prewar dwelling into a light and happy house where the family of five can interact peacefully.

However, the Alan-Voo house was not built as a refuge from the city—it was built to connect occupant and environment. “Most people want stability, but these clients wanted a space hovering between the physical and the immaterial.

The design, then, uses abstract forms and surfaces,” Denari says. He there-fore chose to avoid wood and other elements from a fixed house and instead turned to two defining materials—plaster and glass.

An exterior of fine-grain plaster and articulated joints is interrupted by large, curved windows that capture light to produce an “embracing feeling.” The interior spaces and their geometry replace the traditional shapes of safety and security with varying contours and hard lines that work together to evoke an alternative sense of comfort and sensuality. Drywall, concrete, glass, and

54 luxury home quarterly june 2011


“USE OF GLASS AND LARGE SHAPED WINDOWS ISN’T JUST A STYLE CHOICE—THEY ARE FUNCTIONAL MOVES.”NEIL M. DENARI, FOUNDER

acrylic keep the aesthetic fresh and light, and cantilevered steel tubes hang from a wall to form a staircase that leads to a second level.

Meteorologically tame environments such as Los Angeles make the extensive use of glass easier. “We don’t get snow, and we don’t get much rain, so the thermal and performance considerations of glass are less,” Denari says. The material does, however, present other issues in a region known for its seismic activity, so a house with large gaps in the exterior wall must employ other supportive devices. At the Alan-Voo home, Denari used two V-braces and steel columns that resist the lateral loads of earthquakes.

A NEW IDEA OF HOMEIn the Alan-Voo home, the standard interior-design ele-ments that often provide spa-tial familiarity were replaced with curved windows, hard lines, and dramatic contours that evoke an alternative sense of comfort and a cer-tain degree of sensuality.


Floor-to-ceiling glass walls at ground level create a jewel box and bring the interior and exterior spaces closer together to promote use of a once-ne-glected backyard. “It was a world the family never engaged [with]; now they are free to explore it,” Denari says. Plus, surrounding trees and hedges reach a height of 15 feet to provide just the right amount of shade and privacy.

The master bedroom, also on the addition’s second floor, is a small, simple space designed to hold little more than a bed. There, the large window is shaped and pointed toward an enormous 70-year-old coral tree. The beloved tree also connects the inside with the outside and is visible from another shaped window in the kitchen as well. “Use of glass and large shaped windows isn’t just a style choice—they are functional moves,” Denari says. The mate-

a sleeK connection

A STUDY IN WHITEDenari avoided the warmth of wood and maintained a monochromatic theme to match the cool exterior.

rial makes the house feel bigger than it really is. Inside, four solar tubes over the kitchen create dazzling coronas that provide even more atmospheric light, and three motorized skylights help control temperature.

Denari instructs his students to think carefully about the people who will eventually use their buildings. He often writes fictitious backstories for university projects that are never built, inventing biographies and details that drive design choices. Denari’s approach helped him interpret—through perceptive design—the Alan-Voo home’s mission of family rebranding. “I’ve learned to think very specifically and develop ways to respond,” he says.

“Then I got the Alan-Voo commission and was able to respond to the clients’ agenda in the same way I had taught and practiced.”


F rank Harmon fondly recalls many childhood days spent exploring the brooks and meadows around his Greensboro, North Carolina, home. “An architect can be influenced by the landscape he grows

up in,” Harmon says. “Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture was shaped by the Wisconsin hills. Mies van der Rohe lived in a more urbane European environ-ment of carefully tended landscapes. Most of what I know I learned playing in streams when I was a kid in North Carolina, and I’ve spent the rest of my life giving that back to others.”

Harmon’s company, Frank Harmon Architect PA, had an opportunity to do just that with the Strickland-Ferris Residence. The Raleigh, North Carolina, home sits perched on a lot whose 45-degree slope is covered with mature hardwood trees. Harmon had to employ a host of strategies to fit the dwelling unobtrusively into the surrounding environment.

Harmon’s two clients guided the process and design with a few requests. “They wanted a house free of all restraints including cultural and conventional,” the architect says. Using expansive windows, especially on the north side, Harmon opened the home to nature and the beauty of the steep hillside loca-tion. The north windows reach nearly 30 feet in height at their apex while the south façade is opaque with a line of windows only along its top. The solid wall protects the occupants’ privacy while the narrow line of glass con-tinues to capture light into the cold winter months. “How an architect places a house on its site is the single most important design decision he makes,” Harmon says.

AMONG THE TREESFRANK HARMON’S MODERN DWELLING CONNECTS FORM &NATURE WITH SWEEPING VIEWS

TEXT BY ZACH BALIVA INTERIOR PHOTOS BY JEFFREY JACOBS EXTERIOR PHOTOS BY TIMOTHY HURSLEY


MODERN ACCOUTREMENTSThe living space showcases the owners’ collection of B&B Italia (bebitalia.it) furnishings and original art by Raleigh, NC, art-ist Gerry Lynch (gerrylynchart.com). These generous common spaces flow together and create welcoming areas where people can interact with one another while surrounded by nature.


Top Design Elements of the Strickland-Ferris Residence

1. Truss system: The trusses allow water to flow beneath the house. Harmon wanted the house to “rest as gently on the hillside as a maple leaf.”

2. Entry: A bridge leads into a second-floor foyer, where large windows dramatically pull in outside scenery for guests descend-ing into the grandly spacious living room.

3. Interior beams: Laminated columns and engineered beams with unfinished touches give the home a handcrafted feel.

At Strickland-Ferris, Harmon was especially careful to limit his impact on the environment. “The hillside is very fragile, and we did not want to dig footings that would disturb hydrological flow,” he says. The entire house sits above the ground on trusses, which allow water to run underneath, and a butterfly-shaped roof directs water to one point and gathers it for irrigation. A raised bridge at the top of the hill takes guests into the home’s second floor, where they can descend stairs into a large open living room.

The open floor plan was important to Harmon because it helped him provide the freedom requested by his clients. “The entire house has only about four doors,” he says. “Most of it is one big room because a house is a place for

enjoying other people. A big, wonderful space makes that possible.” Industrial-grade beams and exposed steel columns work with smooth cherry floors and concrete countertops to create a worn, comfortable, and sophisticated feel. In fact, Harmon left the factory markings intact so the products would remain natural. “Buildings today are anonymous,” he says. “We like handmade pottery because we get the sense that it was actually made by someone. Architecture should be the same way.”

Although the south-facing wall provides privacy from the road, Harmon took a few extra steps to make sure his clients never feel overexposed by their over-size wall of windows to the north. “Living in a glass house is thrilling,” he says,

WIDE OPEN SPACESMetal stairs descend from the entrance level to the living, din-ing, and kitchen areas. Cherry flooring and the owners’ col-lection of art and fine modern furniture warm the otherwise stark interior. The kitchen is tucked under the foyer, and beyond it is a guest bedroom.

A LIGHT IN THE DARKSeen at twilight, the house’s wall of glass seems to light up among the trees. The windows face away from the nearby road for privacy. The cleverly shaped but-terfly roof extends views north to the creek and guides rainwater toward a single point for collec-tion and reuse.


“but I wanted to contrast openness with more sheltered spaces, so I wanted to add some snug and quiet spaces, too. Life, after all, is about contrast.” A study and master bedroom have lower ceilings and more walls than the common space. The rooms also feature windows along one wall instead of three or four.

“It’s important to have both elements of light and dark,” Harmon says. “You can’t appreciate light if you don’t experience shadows.”Most of the house, though, does capture light from at least three sides because of Harmon’s thin, long design. “Light on two sides makes a room good, but light on three can make it great,” he says. The downside to such illumination

causes some architects to hesitate—the brightness reveals every mistake in detailing. But Harmon and his design team have the craftsmanship to pull off the challenging task without a hitch.

With Strickland-Ferris, Harmon used only the necessary materials and tools to create a simple and elegant home that allows its owners to be as close as possible to the beauty of their surroundings. The glass house isn’t a typical project for Harmon’s firm—but that is because nothing is. “We don’t do typi-cal,” Harmon says. “Our projects reflect their occupants, not their architect.”

amonG the tRees

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE BOTH ELEMENTS OF LIGHT AND DARK. YOU CAN’T APPRECIATE LIGHT IF YOU DON’T EXPERIENCE SHADOWS.” FRANK HARMON, ARCHITECT

STRAIGHT SHOTA dark steel wall separates the master bedroom from the master bath. From this corner, the own-ers can see all the way through the home’s upper level to the eastern elevation’s glass wall beyond the foyer. The vast ceiling is unadorned and, as the owners requested, still carries the marks of its maker.

VANTAGE POINTAt the northwest corner of the main level, the steel staircase touches lightly on the cherry floor, and the window’s steel beams frame views of the natural landscape outside.

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THE GLASS PAVILION STEVE HERMANN’S CAREER OPUS IS FIT FOR HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY


the Gl ass paVilion

THE GLASS PAVILIONLocation: Montecito, CASize: 14,000 square feetLot: 3.5 acresProject duration: 6 years

The Glass Pavilion includes five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, and a kitchen with a wine cellar. The living room is surrounded by glass. “You are entirely ensconced in the outdoors as you sit comfortably in your own living room,” Hermann says. The Glass Pavilion also houses a large gal-lery where the owner of the home displays his vin-tage car collection; the room’s walnut-lined walls can accommodate an astounding 32 cars. despite its relatively simple conceit, the home’s minimalist, seamless appearance required meticulous plan-ning and attention to detail, according to Hermann.

“We spent hundreds of hours thinking about the fit and finish of the house and how the details would interact with the finishes,” he says. “We wanted to make sure it was perfect.”

T alk about transparency: In Montecito, California, on a three-and-a-half acre site, Steve Hermann has built a home almost entirely from glass. “The site was so beautiful and private that I thought it would be a shame to have any walls blocking the

views,” says Hermann, the founder and owner of Los Angeles-based Her-mann Design & Development.

The 14,000-square-foot home took over six years to build. (Hermann originally planned to keep the house for himself but changed his mind dur-ing the process, in part due to the birth of his daughter.) While glass wraps around the whole structure, reinforcing steel beams hold the roof in place and give it a sturdy but weightless appearance. The home stands juxtaposed with the surrounding oak trees and rolling green landscaping, a contrast that highlights the deeply modernist nature of the design. The driveway winds elegantly to a garage situated under the home, and a path of white stone leads visitors inside. Even though it was such an aesthetically ambi-tious design project, Hermann says he was careful about ensuring that style didn’t trump functionality.

“I’m a developer as well as a designer,” he says. “As a developer, I’m a busi-nessman. As a designer, I’m an artist. The artist in me was interested in the overall style, but the businessman in me knew that the house had to be

FREE PARKINGSituated directly beneath the home is a display gallery that can hold as many as 32 cars.

livable and contain all the features that a luxury estate of that size demands. I believe that I accomplished both.”

In a typical home, coordinating color palettes from room to room isn’t something an exterior designer would concern him- or herself with. But because the entirety of the Glass Pavilion (as the home is known) is visible from the outside simultaneously, a cohesive color palette was important. Hermann, a fan of midcentury modern interior design, also decided on a mix of new, vintage, and custom-designed pieces for the Glass Pavilion’s interior. “If a house has all new pieces, it seems like it is missing a bit of history and can end up looking like a designer showroom,” he says. “But if it’s only vintage pieces, it can look like a flea market. The mixing of the two creates a sophisticated setting where great design can flourish.”

Hermann’s designs have earned him many fans throughout Los Angeles. He tends to concentrate on high-end properties in Hollywood Hills, and his clients include celebrities such as Courtney Cox, Frankie Muniz, and

the Gl ass paVilion


Christina Aguilera. His work has been featured on the television show Beau-tiful Homes and Great Estates as well as on MTV and the E! network.

Hermann has said the Glass Pavilion is his “opus,” the highlight of his career. “But I hope that my next project will become the highlight of my career as well,” he says. “I am very passionate about the work I do. I put all of my energy into each project. I am never satisfied with anything I do, and I continually strive to make what I do as good as possible. With each project, my abilities grow, and so do my expectations of myself and what I want to achieve.”

COLOR MATCHING Because virtually the entire home is visible from the exte-rior, a cohesive color palette was applied throughout.

the Gl ass paVilion

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THE PLANSA showcase of sleek, modern architecture —and the blueprints that started it all

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Miró Rivera Architects

M iguel Rivera, AIA, and Juan Miró, AIA, the owners of Miró Rivera Architects, see their profession in a much larger con-

text than simply designing houses. “We see the architect as a citizen, which includes what you do within the community and the environment,” Rivera says. “Responsible architecture is func-tional, beautiful, and well built.” This socially responsible philosophy, combined with the tal-ent and dedication of the firm’s staff, has allowed Miró Rivera to achieve considerable success as well as national recognition after just 10 years in business.

With a background that includes architectural school in Rivera’s native Puerto Rico and Miró’s native Spain, plus graduate degrees from Colum-bia for Rivera and Yale for Miró, the two have a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to

FINE ARCHITECTURE GOES HANd IN HANd WITH SOCIAL RESPONSIbILITY

any project. The pair met after grad school while working at the prestigious Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects. They went from friends to family members when Miró married Rivera’s sister Rosa, who today serves as the firm’s presi-dent. Miró left New York for an extended stay in Austin, Texas, in order to take on a major Gwathmey Siegel project, the home of Michael and Susan Dell. And Miró and Rosa loved the city so much they decided to stay, persuading Ri-vera to join them in 2000. The firm was founded the same year.

Two of Miró Rivera’s recent projects testify to the quality of the firm’s work. Rivera’s own home, the Patterson residence, was a renova-tion of and addition to a house originally built in 1912 in Austin’s historic Clarksville neigh-borhood. What was originally a 1,100-square-foot bungalow became three bedrooms, and

the plans

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The Patterson ResidenceFor the Patterson residence, the firm chose glass and aluminum sliding doors from Fleetwood (fleetwoodusa.com), flooring from Porcelanosa (porcelanosa-usa.com), marble kitchen counters made of pietro de cardoza stone, a metal roof, and white siding.

a 1,500-square-foot addition included all the public rooms—a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a playroom. Miró Rivera’s design also blends beautifully with the surrounding older homes and a nearby park. Another renovation, the 1414 residence, in-volved a home built in the 1940s. In addition to three bedrooms, a guest room, and four and a half baths, the newly remodeled home now also features a swimming pool. Sliding glass doors allow light into what was once a gloomy interior, visually connecting the inside with the pool and backyard.

These homes were designed to work in harmony with their traditional surroundings, and Rivera says the firm takes a contemporary approach with these and other projects. Without necessar-ily incorporating a modern look, Miró Rivera’s creations still take full advantage of modern technology and materials. Rivera also notes that he, Miró, and their staff of 14 are careful to

APATTERSON RESIDENCE

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3 dinning/Living room

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approach each project without preconceived no-tions. “Every project that we do is new,” he says.

“We don’t have a rubber stamp with ideas that we repeat. We take each project as a new one.”

Conscious of its construction’s environmental impact, the company also focuses on green practices and technology. Rivera is passionate about eco-friendly architecture and notes that it is an area that requires considerable clarifica-tion and communication from architect to client.

“There’s a lot of confusion out there,” he says.

The 1414 ResidenceFor the 1414 residence, Miró Rivera used wood siding on the outside and installed Ipe wood in the guest room and playroom. A fireplace and French doors in the family room were replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows to maximize day-lighting. The old pool in the three-patio back-yard was replaced with a heated-saltwater lap pool, and the garage was remodeled to include an exercise room with a yoga wall.

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“There’s more to this than rainwater and solar panels. The best thing a client can do is to make their home as small as possible.”

Named one of Architectural Digest’s Top 100 firms in 2010, the company has won more than 40 awards. But even after more than two decades in the field and a wealth of achievements to their credit, Rivera says there’s little chance that he, Miró and their staff will become complacent. In fact, Rivera says the firm’s five-year plan in-cludes a push for additional commercial projects,

which today make up only around 20 percent of its business.

“There’s always something new, always a new challenge and a new way of dealing with a situ-ation,” he says. “We have a core group of people who have been with us for a long time, and they share the same commitment we have to respon-sible architecture. We think that you need to care and have some passion to succeed. It’s not easy, what we do. You can always be lazy and not try, but we continue to push for excellence.”

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In appreciation of Miro-Rivera Architects

Promoting Fine Architecture in a Beautiful City

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Anne Decker Architects

U nlike some firms, Anne Decker Ar-chitects doesn’t have a signature style. Instead, the company draws on an existing structure’s lines and design

cues to create complementary effects. “We take a rigorous approach to design and detailing and al-ways want to be sensitive to the home’s scale and surroundings,” Decker says. “The key is to make a beautiful home that’s also comfortable. Often we’ll take design cues from the house itself if it has good bones. Our goal is to create places that are beautiful, comfortable, and of high quality.”

Anne Decker Architects specializes in the design of well-crafted homes and additions that enhance their surroundings and sense of place. Nationally recognized, Decker’s award-winning projects have been featured in Period Homes, New Old House, Architectural Digest, Residential Architect, and Custom Home magazines. With over 20 years of experi-ence, Decker and her team closely collaborate with each client to realize their visions of home.

TAKING INSPIRATION FROM CLIENTS’ ExISTING bUILdINGS RESULTS IN TIMELESS dESIGN

The designer focuses on high-end custom homes in the Washington, DC, metro area—but she doesn’t shy away from commercial projects. “A number of my residential clients have asked me to design for their businesses,” she says, noting such names as Seth Goldman, owner of Honest Tea. The firm is also designing the offices of a local law firm and renovating a French cooking school and an animal hospital.

Typically, Anne Decker Architects has about 30 projects on the books at any one time, ranging in size. Decker forges strong relationships with her clients, and most of her business comes from referrals from previous projects. “That’s why I need to do very little advertising,” she says.

The full-scale architectural firm provides ev-erything from initial feasibility studies to con-struction administration. “We walk through the program with our clients, room by room, and discuss in depth how they see using each space,”

the plans

by Frederick Jerant

Top Design Elements of the Potomac Retreat Residence

1. Oversize doors: Although the 9-foot-high interior and exterior entries share the same basic elements, mirrors and other detailing add a twist.

2. Intricate stonework: It is a continu-ing motif on the walls and columns, whether indoors or outdoors.

3. Mahogany beams: These are used in the arbor, as well as in various interior elements, as a way to draw the interior to the exterior and vice versa.

4. Classically detailed stone columns: These visually reinforce the buildings and ground them to the site.

5. Oversize precast fireplaces: Two of them—one anchoring the guesthouse’s 12-foot ceiling, the other a focal point of the outdoor dining area—speak to the precast sills and lintels.

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Decker says. “We encourage them to bring im-ages of spaces they like so we can exchange ideas.

“They might not know exactly what they want, but the shared images can paint a good picture of their likes more than words can. It’s a great way to ensure they get what they want.”

When possible, Decker turns to natural materi-als such as stone, wood, and copper, much of it reclaimed. “We like to use heart pine or quarter-sawn oak flooring that [is] often found in old houses and barns,” she says. ”There’s nothing like the patina of old wood.”

Contrasting textures and finishes—shiny and dull, smooth and rough, wood and stone—ac-cent her designs. “Their juxtaposition contrib-utes to the overall look and celebration of each design element,” she says. Her clients might not note every detail, but the overall look can indeed be greater than the sum of the parts.

Completed in 2009, the firm’s Potomac Retreat project in Potomac, Maryland, was created for a busy professional couple who sought—right next door—a resort-like refuge from the hurly-burly of daily life.

The pair’s new 1,800-square-foot home includes a guesthouse, pool house, covered dining area, and outdoor living space. It features two wings—one private, the other more public—which flank the partially covered courtyard and dining ter-race and create an intimate outdoor setting. The dedicated guest area includes a living room, din-ing room, kitchenette, and sleeping area while the public portion includes a pool house with a spa, exercise area, and workshop.

The husband wanted a more traditional “aged” look while the wife preferred contemporary stylings. The result is an interesting hybrid. Stone buildings suggest Old World artistry and stability and visually strengthen the relationship

between the house and the lush landscaping sur-rounding both properties. The structures are traditional with classical (though large—doors are 9 feet high) proportions, and they create an ideal setting for strolling through the garden or entertaining large groups.

More contemporary touches include an arbor that has very simple forms and detailing, clean lines and sleek finishes on much of the interior cabinetry, and forward-looking furnishings throughout. The arbor’s expressed mahogany beams set a motif that repeats in the split West-ern Maryland stone veneer pavilions and inside the guesthouse. This outside-to-inside concept continues with large windows inset, huge ma-hogany-framed French doors, and the extensive use of stone—such as quartzite/sandstone from Utah’s Mountain Valley—on exterior and inte-rior surfaces.Creating a home is a highly personal expression of our clients’ dreams and aspirations and the way they live,” Decker says. “We try to be good listeners so we can create a house that not only balances beauty and function but also is comfort-able and reflects their lives.” On every project, the highly publicized designer takes a collabora-tive approach, working closely with her client, an in-house team of talented architects, and an array of consultants, designers, builders, and artisans. “It takes a great team to make a project sing,” she says.


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ARTFULLY bLENdING HISTORICAL ACCURACY WITH MOdERN TRAPPINGS

by Frederick Jerant

DomA Architects, Inc.

Just 10 years ago, DomA Architects, Inc. was a newly launched firm in San Rafael, California. “I had been a principal at a high-end firm in San Francisco,” says DomA principal John Dorr, AIA,

“and was negotiating to become a partner when I decided I wanted to start my own practice. Ry-ann Marlowe, a designer at that firm—and my most valuable associate—came with me, and we founded DomA.”

DomA’s early work was mainly remodels and additions on small homes. Today, the firm works almost exclusively on large high-end custom homes and renovation projects in the San Fran-

cisco Bay area. On occasion, however, the firm has worked on the East Coast. “A few of our clients maintain pieds-a-terre in Manhattan so they can have easy access to the city,” Dorr says.

“They’re so comfortable working with us that they’ve flown us there on private jets.”

The firm is known for its lack of an identifiable style, instead conforming its designs to fit the landscape and the history of an area. The staff does a lot of research to be sure the detailing, patterns, and even the hardware used in each home are historically correct and contextually appropriate. “We’re like chameleons,” Dorr says.

aRchitects PROVIdING CONCEPTS ANd PROGRAMS FOR dELUxE HOMES

The Clay Street ResidenceAfter practically gutting the Clay Street residence, domA applied substantial structural upgrades to the home’s trim, finish, and electrical and plumbing systems. Challenged by a lack of natural daylighting in the home, domA designed a massive three-floor elliptical staircase topped by a domed elliptical skylight that admits warm, radiant sunlight onto each floor. Elsewhere, a new elevator provides easy access to all levels of the home, and small upper-level windows—reminiscent of a once-popular local architectural style—were replaced with a single bay window that provides an unobstructed view of the magnificent Golden Gate bridge. domA also revamped the master suite, the kitchen, and the family room and lowered the basement floor by two feet to add height elsewhere. In the entry (above) a walnut-wood chevron pattern covers the floor. The details give the space a classic, timeless aesthetic, per the client’s request.

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“Context is immensely important to us; we always strive to fit in with a project’s surroundings.”

In the earthquake-prone California area, DomA also brings in a structural engineer at the schematic-design phase to review the firm’s plans.

“We have to accommodate the potential forces of earthquakes,” Dorr says, “like the transfer of lateral loads and [the] effects of shear.”

Client input is important, too. After completing a thorough questionnaire/checklist, clients are encouraged to bring in images from books and magazines to help focus their likes and dislikes. Afterward, every detail of the design—molding, surfaces, hardware, and more—is laid out in finely tuned drawings because specific informa-tion is paramount to the success of the firm’s

projects. “It’s rigorous,” Dorr says, “but worth it. You might think general contractors would feel constricted, but they actually love having so much precise direction.”

A private residence on Clay Street in San Fran-cisco illustrates how DomA can accommodate a client’s wishes while maintaining design integri-ty. After the interior of a 1902 Beaux-Arts home, designed by San Francisco architect Herman Barth, was stripped to the bare studs to allow substantial structural upgrades to its trim, fin-ish, and electrical and plumbing systems, one of DomA’s major challenges was the lack of natural lighting in the house. The firm implemented sev-eral solutions to combat this. An elliptical stair-case was added, connecting all three levels of the home, and a domed skylight was installed above

the stairwell to provide immediate and direct daylighting to every floor. The home’s basement floor was lowered by two feet to attain the de-sired nine-foot ceiling height, and large openings were then added to admit natural eastern light from a side yard. Finally, the top level’s windows were reconfigured to maximize the view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Many older San Franciscan homes have numer-ous small windows,” Dorr says, “in accordance with a then-popular architectural style. We often modify the existing façade by installing a larger single bay window [and] then heavily detailing it to make it less intrusive.”

Other key features include a new elevator that reaches all levels of the home; an interior trim

aRchitects


“We do a lot of research to be sure our detailing, patterns, [and] even the hardware we use is historically correct.” John dorr, PrinCiPAl

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package with custom moldings; a revamped layout (and build-out) of the basement with a new radiant-heat floor slab; the conversion of a detached one-car garage into an attached four-vehicle structure; and a compete redesign of the master suite, kitchen, and family room.

DomA’s plans for the future primarily include more activity in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

“We’ve already designed two homes in Napa, and many other San Franciscans are building second-homes on the acres of lush rolling hills and grapevines,” Dorr says. “It’s beautiful open land there—only 45 minutes from San Francisco, but it seems like another world.” P

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MUNdANE TRACT HOUSE IS REbORN AS AN OUT-OF-THE-bOx HOME

by kaleena Thompson

Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C.

When husband-and-wife architects Beth Reader and Chuck Swartz, founders of Reader & Swartz, P.C., moved into a 1968 tract house in Winchester, Virginia, it wasn’t the mundane façade and lack-luster floor plan that inspired them to rebuild their dream home—it was the 1,800 square feet overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“You can be in town and feel connected to some-thing larger,” Reader says. “The house was so bland you couldn’t respect the architecture. So we took advantage of the soaring views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

After living in the 1968 eyesore for four years, the duo spent nights planning their grand reimagining of their new abode. “The first order of business in the remodel was to flip the original plan on its

aRchitects

UNDER COVER The addition to the tract house is covered by an inverted shed roof that extends 14 feet on the exterior. The wraparound glass permits views of more than 180 degrees of the surrounding landscape, in-cluding the Blue Ridge Mountains.

head, putting bedrooms below and opening living spaces up top with lots of glass to maximize those views,” Swartz says. The boxy conventional floor plan now comfortably fits three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor while the living areas above remain opened up.

However, Reader notes that initially some of the second-floor bedrooms had ill-fitted low ceilings, which meant they had to raise the roof. “It had very little architectural integrity, so we didn’t feel guilty about gutting it,” she says

Even though the house lacked a desired connectiv-ity, the couple was able to creatively salvage key components from the its old bones. Existing studs and gable ends on two sides were stripped and repurposed to create the structural framework

for a wall of bookshelves in the living room. A built-in staircase and vintage rolling ladder makes grabbing the hard-to-reach books easy. The old skeleton of the gable roof is still openly expressed in the shelving. “It pays tribute to the history of the old house,” Swartz says.

In conceiving the design, Reader and Swartz fol-lowed the same aesthetic and cost-effective strate-gies they use for their clients’ homes. Affordable materials such as a standing-seam metal roof, a steel structural frame, and exterior cedar cladding frame the house. The architects also chose thriftier interior furnishings, turning to cost-conscious Ikea and Lowe’s.

“The kitchen was not expensive either,” Reader says. The central hub of the home, it has all the


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MODERN FURNISHINGS The living space features leather and cloth couches by Montis (montis.nl), a steel and translucent glass table, and a shag rug made of leather scraps.

Top Design Elements of the 1968 Tract House

1. Interior roof: The 14-foot-deep, inverted shed-roof addition is made of glass, ex-posed steel, and cedar. Translucent glass is in the gable-end trusses. The addition’s clear glass permits broad views of the mountains.

2. Studs: The existing studs on the gable ends were retained from the original home and stripped. They now create a structure to support the library shelves.

3. Redesigned floor plans: The goal of the project was to make an open and fluid space and take advantage of the views of the mountains. The redesign flips the living and sleeping levels so that the bedrooms get the 8-foot-high ceilings and the living areas get the highest ceilings and best views.

4. Library shelves: The library shelves are accessed on one side of the gable by an alternating-tread staircase—on the other side, by a rolling ladder salvaged from an old telephone building.

5. Interior furnishes: The clients opted for cost-effective furnishes, such as formica Ikea cabinets (ikea.com) and cabinet pulls and hardware from Lowe’s (lowes.com).

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essentials without breaking the bank, and it is still stylish with features such as birch veneer flat-slab Ikea cabinets, open shelves, and laminate coun-tertops.

“It has a feeling of openness because it’s surround-ed by windows,” Reader says. “We can cook and watch [passersby] walk their dogs.”

Just a few years after college, these unconvention-al architects took a leap of faith and started their firm at the height of the 1990 recession. More than 20 years later, Reader & Swartz comprises a talented group of architects and has an estab-lished reputation in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and the Washington, DC, area. Sustainability being a hallmark of the firm, Reader & Swartz also has received merit awards in green design.

Experts in renovation, these partners in design recently recreated a loft—an 1880s gem in a historic district of Virginia—for an art enthusiast.

BLUE RIDGE BEAMSThe living-room addition is composed of a steel frame, glass, and cedar and has an inverted shed roof. The addi-tion affords a grand view of down-town Winchester, VA, below and the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond.


“The house was originally three apartments, and we converted it into two apartments,” Swartz says.

“We recreated the second-floor apartment into an artistic loft, which functions as a salon and private museum that houses the client’s books, art, and scientific oddities.”

The courtyard porches were redesigned and re-built, and a new structure was built over an old, existing cistern. A new kitchen, bath, bedroom, and 13-by-13-foot windowless secret library com-plete the loft. “Our client brought his keen sense of the arts to the project,” Swartz says. “The cre-ative collaboration between us, the client, and the builder was one of the best experiences.”

Few architects can so completely see and fulfill the client’s vision. However, this is not the case for Reader and Swartz, who apply the same principles and attention to detail to their clients’ home designs as they did to their own. “The people are important,” Swartz says. “We create a project that speaks to them on many levels.”


“MOUNTAIN MEETS MOdERN” IN THE MIddLE OF MINNESOTA

by Tricia Despres

Eskuche Creative Group LLC

For renowned architect Peter Eskuche, the deci-sion to take a month off from work for the sake of his private life ended up opening doors in his professional life. “I had been working for archi-tects, builders, and developers for twelve years,” says Eskuche, who spent his childhood drawing and painting in museums alongside his art-loving grandmother. “My wife and I were about to adopt two little girls, and I found out I would be traveling to Ukraine for a month before bringing them home. At the same time, I was approached with an opportunity to design a significant out-of-state project that would al-low me to take the much desired time off.”

In a blink of an eye, Eskuche became both the father of two little girls and the principal and owner of Eskuche Creative Group LLC. “It’s amazing and distracting becoming overnight parents,” Eskuche says. “Looking back, I have no idea how we did it. I was completely focused

on the entire adoption process. I wasn’t even thinking about the money coming in. It was one of those times in life when the Lord gives you as much as you can handle, and you love every minute of it.”

Since its establishment in 2002, the Minnesota-based Eskuche Creative Group has become known for large-scale homes and an emphasis on craftsmanship, design, and attention to detail. “We create continuous visuals for our clients before the project even begins,” says Eskuche, who became registered in 1996, just five years after getting a bachelor of fine arts degree. “It’s like giving the client a test drive of their project before it even begins. Through a number of quick sketches, watercolor render-ings, and computerized fly-throughs, the clients really have a sense of what they will be build-ing. It’s better to find out what they like and do not like before we begin to build it.”

aRchitects

Top Design Elements of the Palmer Point Home

1. Overhangs: “The roof overhangs protect and shelter the home and its occupants from the elements, resembling bird wings over the terrace,” founder Peter Eskuche says.

2. Varied surfaces: “Texture was very im-portant in this project. We utilized warm woods, steel cable railings, stone, and lots of grasses surrounding the entire prop-erty. All of these elements complemented one another in a rich texture.”

3. Disappearing walls: “[These] allowed for the outside to come inside. We had disap-pearing power screens that would come down when needed. We also had 10-foot tall doors and one unforgettable 25-foot glass door that made a real impact.”

4. Expansive terracing: “[This] made the main level unique, with the outdoors becoming part of the inside.”

5. Open spaces: “The homeowners were very interested in an open living concept. In fact, there were few formal, closed-off living areas in the entire home. It made for true modern living within the home.”


The firm was approached with the 8,500-square-foot Palmer Point project by an existing remodel client, a five-member family that dreamed of having a four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home on Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka. But the dream involved locating a hypothetical piece of land that Eskuche admits he wasn’t sure they would ever track down. “I helped them shop for land and was shocked when we actually found it,” he says. “The shape of the property resembled a big fan, being 35 feet wide at the street and sev-eral hundred feet at the waterfront.”

With over 180 degrees of waterfront views surrounding the house and expansive, 20-foot overhangs to protect it from the elements of Minnesota’s ever changing climate, the home

INSIDE-OUTA vaulted ceiling runs the length of the interior. Outside, the wooden planks extend another 20 feet.

aRchitects

“Part of what makes it both fun and a good business move is taking projects of all shapes and sizes, from tiny cabins to legacy homes,”PeTer eskuChe, PrinCiPAl

resembles a resort of sorts. “It’s Palm Desert living in the heart of Minnesota,” Eskuche says.

“The wraparound stone terrace combines with abundant natural wood, steel, and glass, provid-ing a very distinguished style where mountain meets modern.”

The builder, Denali Homes, ended up finishing the entire project in just seven months. Thanks to extensive fly-throughs, the owner saw every part of the house and made only a single design change order after construction began.

With only three employees, Eskuche and his team are able to balance distinctive quality with practicality. “Part of what makes it both fun and a good business move is taking projects of

all shapes and sizes, from tiny cabins to legacy homes,” he says. “That passion pays off, too, considering we have designed nearly 30 homes just in 2010 during these tough economic times. Loving what you do creates a good problem of keeping up with the work, not finding it.”

And he does have advice for up-and-coming ar-chitects. “New architects really need to remem-ber to adapt to the market, work hard, and wear many hats with other firms before starting their own—and to stay away from one specific niche,” he says. “But first and foremost, you must be the kind of person who can establish real relation-ships with your clients. Listen intently to their wish list, and make as many of those wishes come true through your architectural talents.”

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TWO-TIERED STONEWORK This patio—complete with a tapered stone fireplace—was designed to connect to the main terrace at a lower level to avoid blocking the lake views from the house.


kelowna, British Columbia NESbITT ORIGINALS’ PASSION FOR PERFECTION IS REFLECTEd IN STUNNING VACATION HOMES

by Amy E. Lemen

Paul Nesbitt has a passion for exquisite de-sign, but he has an equal passion for meeting cli-ents’ requirements to create completely custom homes. The end result is a marriage of detail and style that reflects exactly what his clients want in a vacation getaway. “There’s often a discon-nect between what someone dreams up and what they end up building,” he says. “We’re the con-nection between those two key elements.”

Founded in 1981, Nesbitt Originals is a British Columbia, Canada-based design-build firm that works with a construction partner, Okanagan Dream Builders, to build everything they de-sign. Nesbitt, the firm’s owner and founder and also a registered builder, says the ability to make the connection between design and construction is huge for clients. “The builder isn’t usually sit-ting in design-side meetings, hearing the passion

Vacation homesSECONd HOMES ANd GETAWAYS ACROSS THE GLObE

kelowna, British Columbia Population: 96,288 Attractions: Short distance from Calgary, Vancouver, and Seattle; more than 200 other lakes; skiing and snowboarding; wine tastings at local vineyards; and festivals including the Fat Cat Children’s Festival and the Summer Okanagan Wine Festival.

of what the client wants,” he says. “We do both, and the client sees that they were listened to and that they’re getting their custom needs met.”

The firm—which focuses on luxurious $2-$10 million custom vacation homes primarily in the province’s picturesque town of Kelowna (see sidebar)—designs and builds just a few homes each year, and this simple yet critical philoso-phy of time and care sets them apart. “Less is of-ten more,” Nesbitt says. “Clients want to feel they’re special and that they’re getting my full attention. And, we need to ensure that the qual-ity is there; 85 percent is good enough in school, but our clients expect us to pursue 100 percent.”Nesbitt calls his firm “over the top” in its de-sign philosophy, with average sets of architec-tural drawings that can run up to 25 pages. The drawings are excessively detailed, too, including

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where drawers are located, what the fixtures in the showers will look like, and what style han-dles will go in the kitchen. “How everything fits together is important, and those details have to be figured out,” he says. “I overdraw so every-thing gets priced properly up front, and my cli-ents understand exactly what they’re getting be-cause the interior elevations of every built-in [are] drawn out.”

The resulting luxury spaces are often on the shores of Lake Okanagan, a 135-km-long lake surrounded by the mountainous Okanagan Valley that’s about equidistant from Calgary and Edmon-ton, Alberta, and Vancouver, British Columbia, on the Pacific coast. Nesbitt says his clients’ goals are to connect with nature and to recharge their batteries before going back out into the business

world again. “There is a lot of attention paid to creating peaceful, restful places to relax,” he says.

“That can happen with color, textures, water, sound, lighting, and many other factors. It’s all about adding passion and thinking differently that makes our designs originals, not copies.”

That philosophy includes the firm’s “unconven-tional space planning” mindset—like opening up spaces as much as possible so homeowners feel like they’re in a resort at home. Think high ceil-ings, an indoor environment that’s as stunning as the outdoor, and a seamless, natural flow from inside to outside. “A lot of plans are segmented, and that is not our style,” Nesbitt says. “People get excited about open floor plans; it’s not about just building boxed rooms and hoping that the roof somehow comes together.”

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FASHIONABLE COREThe Hazzard residence’s center stairwell features glass and metal artwork.

Take the Hazard residence, an 8,000-square-foot modern home on the shore of Lake Okana-gan that features a sculptural glass and metal art gallery in the circular center stairwell—with an office at the top. The home also features a lake-front dock shaped like a ship’s anchor, a nega-tive-edge pool that looks like it is connected to the lake, and multiple spaces designed specifi-cally to take advantage of the panoramic views, even through the glass windows of the master walk-in closet.

“Everything we do in the planning takes into ac-count the outside shape as well as the inside plan,” Nesbitt says. “It has to have a purpose, and

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there’s symbolic meaning in most of our archi-tecture. Our clients definitely don’t want what everyone else has, and that makes it fun.”


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Silver Beach, New Jersey RICHARd bUbNOWSKI IS CREATING TRAdITIONAL bEACH HOMES WITH A MOdERN TWIST

by Laura Judy

Richard Bubnowski loves to surf, hang out with his son, and work in his home office with his trusty Labrador by his side, so it’s no wonder he decided to set up his own operation more than six years ago. After working for various-ly sized design firms over the years, Bubnows-ki started his one-man business, Richard Bub-nowski Design, with some encouragement from his then-soon-to-be wife. He now works happi-ly from Surfers End, the modern Arts & Crafts-style home that he designed for his family in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

“I’m very happy being a small company,” Bub-nowski says. “With larger firms, there’s so much going on that you sometimes miss out on the as-pects of the job that you enjoy most.” Now, Bub-nowski works with every client from start to fin-ish, and while all his work is very professional,

Silver Beach, New JerseyPOPULATION: 5,314 ATTRACTIONS: Scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean; a shoreline boardwalk with shops, restaurants, live music, and amusement rides; and the annual Festival of the Sea, which takes place in September.

his small operation and casual environment helps put clients at ease. “A lot of my clients are barefoot when I meet them,” Bubnowski says.

“They’re spending tons of money for high-end homes, but they’re still living that casual, beachy lifestyle, and they like that I’m just a regular guy.” Most of his clients are from out of town, but when they are around, Bubnowski often takes them fishing or surfing.

Currently, around 75-80 percent of the homes that Bubnowski designs are high-end vacation homes, and much of the company’s business comes from referrals and magazine articles. “One client hired me to build an entire house based on a photo of an outdoor shower and surfboard shed I designed for myself that was printed in a nation-al magazine several years back,” Bubnowski says.

“The client told me that she liked my style and the

Vacation homes


fact that we were all surfers, and she felt it would be fun to work together.” Currently, Bubnows-ki works on two to four projects each year, rang-ing from $40,000 bathroom renovations to $3 million beachfront homes. “I give all of my proj-ects an incredible amount of personal attention,” he says.

While Bubnowski never goes into a project with a preconceived idea of what it should look like, there are certain unifying design elements that seem to show up frequently, such as the use of natural light and breezes, a pleasing flow, and balconies and screened-in porches. In the end,

each project has its own identity. “I love taking elements and inspiration from the past, especial-ly the American Arts & Crafts and Shingle styles, and then reinterpreting them for modern living,” Bubnowski says. “I think of a lot of our work as transitional. It has firm roots in the traditional but usually has a bit of a modern twist to it.”

One of Bubnowski’s most recent projects, com-pleted in the summer of 2010 in Silver Beach, New Jersey, is a perfect example. “Inspiration came from the classic Shingle style beach houses of the northeast and the southern architecture of places like Seaside and Rosemary Beach, Florida,”

Vacation homes

“I love taking elements and inspiration from the past, especially the American Arts & Crafts and Shingle styles, and then reinterpreting them for modern living.” riChArd BuBnowski, owner

Bubnowski says. The home, often referred to as the South Surf Road residence, was built for a family from Georgia. “The husband and wife originally grew up in the northern New Jersey/New York area, and they’d always vacationed along the Jersey shore,” Bubnowski says. “They wanted to design a house that would bring them back to New Jersey during the summer months and be a part of their family for years to come.”

Because the South Surf Road residence sits on an oceanfront site, designing around the view was vital. Other standout features of the home are a large, open kitchen and dining area, a

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mahogany-framed screened-in porch, and an en-closed crow’s nest (for watching storms over the ocean). “The family wanted a house that was open and inviting for entertaining but [that] would also maintain a warm, traditional feeling,” Bubnowski says. “One of the elements I’m most pleased with is how comfortably the house sits on its rather small site. As you approach it from the street, it tiers up away from you, so it’s very un-imposing at the pedestrian level.”

While Bubnowski loves designing homes, he is also extremely passionate about the other side of his business—designing heirloom-quality

furniture. His current furniture line is called the “Surfers End Collection,” after his own home. “In most cases, the furniture is ultimately an exten-sion of the architecture,” Bubnowski says. “The furniture aspect of my work had always been a dream of mine, but I never had the time to turn it into a reality. Opening my own studio gave me that opportunity.” Moving forward, he hopes to turn the furniture into a stronger part of the business, but for now, most of his focus is on cre-ating beautiful, unique homes. “I love turning a client’s dream and vision into reality,” he says. “I get to listen to their stories, and they often help mold the shape and style of the house.”

SEASIdE STYLE The Surf Road residence’s mahogany-framed screened-in porch brings indoor comfort and style to a sunny outdoor setting.


You’ve seen shipping containers on huge cargo boats or left empty at city ports. They carry everything from toys to airplane parts to household goods. However, for architect Peter DeMaria, the Lego-like steel boxes are a path to efficient and affordable housing. While the idea of living inside cargo containers may at first conjure images of destitute, third-world com-munities, DeMaria’s innovative design-build strategies have transformed the metal boxes into appealing modern abodes.

“I was influenced by my love for unconventional construction materials,” says DeMaria, the principal of Los Angeles-based DeMaria Design

DeMaria Design Associates Inc. UNCONVENTIONAL ARCHITECT dESIGNS FOR UNCONTAINEd LIVING

by kaleena Thompson

Associates Inc. “For instance, I find beauty in raw wood, stone, water—as well as biopoly-mers—and how we shape them and use them is an endless exploration for me. Therein lie new applications and concepts that are yet to be explored.” He parlayed this exploratory design skill into a career and lifestyle that ventures into unknown territory.

DeMaria Design Associates has embraced the “removal of barriers” aesthetic since 1992. It takes on a small number of high-end projects each year and focuses on “hybridism among relationship, craft, material, form, function, technology, and people,” according to its web-

DistinctionSERVING A UNIQUE NICHE IN THE CUSTOM-HOME INdUSTRY

site. The firm’s most transformed hybrids, its cargo-container homes, have received acclaim and coverage on the series This New House and on CNN.

In 2006, DeMaria took his unusual design concept and built a home in Redondo Beach, California. The owners, who are adventure enthusiasts, approached DeMaria and com-missioned him to build one of the first legal two-story cargo-container houses in the US.

“They were looking for an unconventional eco-conscious structure but didn’t know where to start,” DeMaria says. “I explained to them the option of cargo containers and how they are


natural building blocks, structurally superior to wood-frame construction and less expensive.” DeMaria also notes that the containers have a longer lifespan, are mold- and termite-proof, and cost 30-35 percent less than homes built using typical construction concepts.

DeMaria combined eight containers of varying length and used traditional stick-frame con-struction to create the 4,000-square-foot hy-brid home. And thanks to a white paint scheme, the steel containers have abandoned their rustic cargo-carrying roots. The home features a 20-foot-high two-story family room with tall walls of glass, allowing natural light to f low and illuminate the interiors. “On the south side, we used sheets of acrylic employed on greenhouses in Germany,” DeMaria says. “It protects the house’s interior from UV rays.”

The Redondo Beach Housedesigned for adventure enthusiasts, this 4,000-square-foot, two-story home was con-structed simply from steel cargo boxes. After seeing the architect’s own home, the clients wanted an affordable place that still explored the unconventional.

deMaria removed the container doors and installed titanic-size walls of glass. After flood-ing the space with natural light, he used LEds and MR16s for low-voltage, sustainable light-ing. The spaces between the containers hold an art studio and master bedroom. A master closet, two more bedrooms, a library, an entry foyer, a porch, and a kitchen are located within the containers.

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Airplane-hangar doors open to the family room, which is structurally configured to accommo-date an outdoor apparatus. “It has a climbing wall where the owners plan on installing a zip line down a hallway,” he says.

To ensure the house is livable and the mechanics of its engineering are sound, DeMaria has done his homework. He used a ceramic-based insula-tion—which he says is also used for NASA’s space shuttle—prefabricated metal roof panels, bullet-proof acrylic sheets, formaldehyde-free plywood, and tank-less hot water heaters to fashion a home that is both innovative and environmentally friendly. “This project is the torchbearer for a new, more affordable method of design and construction,” DeMaria says.As mentioned earlier, DeMaria is always on an

adventure for new architectural ideas. Known as the DeMaria Experiment, his own house serves as a guinea pig for new designs, concepts, and elements. He and his wife, who is the director of interior design for the firm, refer to it as a crash-test dummy. “Our house is a sacred place that nurtures our family values—a unique combination of function and aesthetics.” For instance, the Manhattan Beach, California, home is comprised of steel, concrete, and metal studs instead of the usual wood studs and wood beams.

Blurring the distinction between inside and outside, DeMaria installed concrete f loors for his boys, Luciano and Michelangelo, to ride bikes in the house. The lack of walls on the first f loor allows for seamless activity, and

the 20-foot-wide glass garage doors open the kitchen to the backyard and the living room to the front yard. However, a bamboo staircase does lead to a more traditional f loor plan up-stairs. Overall, the home seems to acknowledge traditional design while challenging it wherever possible.

DeMaria knows his experimental designs have had an impact on clients. After all, it was see-ing his house that inspired the Redondo Beach homeowners to essentially build inside a box.

“Our role is to help our clients dream big and bring their dreams to fruition,” DeMaria says.

“It prompts clients to visualize their own pos-sibilities for how they’d like to live, and our designs nurture the unique lifestyles our clients want to lead in their homes.”


For many architects, their interest in the field begins with a childhood love of construction sites. For Peter Brachvogel, it all began with boats.

“Everyone has an inspiration or a mentor,” he says. “Mine was a boat designer.” Fascinated by the work of naval architect Norm Owens, the young Brach-vogel struggled to understand how something could be put into motion when static. “Why does it move when it’s just sitting there?” he wondered.

Brachvogel’s curiosity regarding the dynamics of boats led to other questions, such as “How can a natural material such as wood be made to with-stand a punishing environment like water?” “A lot of that trickled down into designing buildings in a harsh environment like the Pacific Northwest,” Brachvogel says.

CREATING SUSTAINAbLE COASTAL HOMES bUILT TO WEATHER THE STORM

by Susan Flowers

Today, the founder of BC&J Architects is still pas-sionate about design—and about creating a lasting sustainable environment with the buildings the firm designs. “We have a particularly brutal sense of temporariness in this country,” he says. “What can you do once and have it service a number of people to provide a legacy and a richness to life? How can I get a building to last after I am gone?”

Located on Bainbridge Island, Washington, BC&J has long focused on green issues, concentrating on sustainability through design rather than solely through use of eco-friendly materials. “It’s ir-responsible not to [be green],” he says. “In the last decade, we’ve been greenwashed about a number of things. The number one thing is actually to build a building that’s the appropriate size and

BC&J Architects

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Top Design Strategies of BC&J Architects

1. Scale the work appropriately: “Nothing good comes from overbuilding,” founder Peter brachvogel says.

2. Pay attention to the site: “Tailor the building to accommodate the attributes of the sun, wind, and rain directions.”

3. Plan for all seasons: “Nothing is worse than a house that is dark and cold or too bright and hot.”

4. Research the available materials: “Often that which is marketed as green is just the opposite. determine where a product was made, how much embed-ded energy it took to deliver the product to the site, etc.”

5. Source materials locally: “[Prioritizing] this approach will deliver a project that represents the individual character of a particular region or district.”


STARTING STRUCTURES The boathouse and carriage house of this Pointe Monroe home are meant to frame a future main house. The boathouse was built within an existing structural space to limit its environmental impact.

with overhangs. And you really have to understand your environment when it comes to the building envelope; insulation from moisture is most impor-tant. In our wet but mild environment, condensa-tion accrues inside [walls]. Moving the vapor bar-rier outside adds 100 years to the life of a building.”

Two of BC&J’s recent projects serve as examples of the firm’s commitment to sustainability—and to high-quality work. For a client at Point Monroe on Bainbridge Island, the firm built within the footprint of an earlier boathouse to create a struc-ture of exactly the same size so as not to upset the near-shore environmental habitat. “We asked the contractor not to send his nail gun into the walls willy-nilly but into studs, because that’s the inte-rior finish,” Brachvogel says. While the boathouse was created for day use, the project’s client sleeps in a nearby guesthouse, also designed by BC&J. Both buildings have battered rain-screen walls and are part of a larger project that includes construc-tion of a main house at a later date. The unique assembly of the guesthouse walls allows ambient moisture to condense behind the rain screen on the outside of the building envelope. This shift of the vapor barrier allows for a dryer interior envi-ronment, which means less energy lost to heating.

A client on the shores of Puget Sound came to the firm with specific requests: being six feet and seven and a half inches tall, he needed higher-than-standard door frames. He also wanted a home that was modern but reflective of the richness of the Pacific Northwest—edgy but with traditional flair. BC&J designed a home with overhangs that was constructed with specially selected Alaska yellow cedar and other long-lasting materials. The house also incorporates state-of-the-art smart-home

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technology so that temperature, lighting, and other features can be controlled from any spot on the globe.While both of these projects were created for high-end clients, BC&J works to provide good design at all price levels, according to Brachvogel. Whether customers seek a start-to-finish high-end project, ready-to-build house plans from the firm’s new website, PerfectLittleHouse.com, or a consultation on an addition or remodel, BC&J is ready to offer assistance across a range of needs and budgets. “We don’t see this as a selec-tive kind of profession,” Brachvogel says. “We’re

interested in anyone who wants to talk to us about making their life better.”

For whatever size project, Brachvogel says that the firm relies on a few consistent concepts. Be-cause of its location’s often gloomy weather, “we have a constant urge to grab the light,” he says. The firm therefore manipulates the slope of roofs and the scale of each home to maximize the natural light.

Along with wife and business partner Stella Carosso, Brachvogel takes great pride in the team

MODERNISM IN STAGESA residence for a family of five began with this three-story guest house that the family lived in while the rest of the main home was completed.

he’s built. The staff of 8 “has a common vision about why we’re here,” he says. Each person on the team focuses on quality, service delivery, and ensuring that expectations are understood at the outset of a project.

Everyone in the firm is ultimately motivated by the idea of serving clients, according to Brach-vogel. “What clients need is the most important thing,” he says. “Clients are the reason I am here. This is about something other than ourselves; it’s about the joy and purpose of what we can provide to clients.”

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1 . 8 8 8 . 8 4 5 . 3 4 8 7 w w w . P a r i s C e r a m i c s U S A . c o m

BOSTON CHICAGO NEW YORK PALM BEACH NAPLES GEORGIA CALIFORNIA

grey & white new Spanish marble, babylon border


Professional Ser vices & Organizations

ARCHITECTURE

argue custom homes, arguecustomhomes.com, 28-31

Bc&J architects, bcandj.com, 106-108

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, bcj.com, 23

DeMaria Design Associates Inc., demariadesign.com, 102-105

Denali custom homes, inc., denalicustomhomes.com, 95

DomA Architects, inc., domaarchitects.com, 87-89

Eskuche Creative Group LLC, timelessarchitect.com, 93-95

Frank Harmon Architect PA, frankharmon.com, 5 & 62-69

The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP, millerhull.com, 22

Miró Rivera Architects, mirorivera.com, 6-7 & 80-83

Neil M. Denari Architects, nmda-inc.com, 5 & 54-61

Nesbitt Originals, nesbittoriginals.com, 96-98

Palisade Homes, palisadehomesllc.com, 32-33

Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C., 90-92

Richard Bubnowski Design LLC, richardbubnowskidesign.com, 99-101

ASSOCIATIONS & COUNCILS

International Interior Design Association, iida.org, 15

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN-BUILD

Black Mountain construction/Development, blackmountaindev.com, 11

Culp Construction Co., culpco.com, 23

Dalgleish construction company, dalgleish.net, 83

Falcon industries, brianfurey.com, 101

Hermann Design & Development, stevehermanndesign.com, 70-77

Steve Mann and Scott Chenoweth, 22

ENGINEERING

Degenkolb Engineers, degenkolb.com, 22

Flack and Kurtz, wspgroup, 23

Rutherford & Chekene, ruthchek.com, 23

EVENTS

AIA Florida Show, aiafla.org, 16

AWFS Fair, awfsfair.org, 16

Home Textiles Sourcing Expo, htfse.com, 16

Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair, lifaf.com, 16

Southeast Building Conference, sebcshow.com, 16

ELECTRICAL

Rico’s Electric lighting & a/v controls inc., ricoselectricinc.com, 78

INTERIOR DESIGN

Dannburg interiors, dannburginteriors.com, 97

Green Gables Design & Restoration, ggables.com, 24-26

Jeffrey Hitchcock Enterprises, jeffreyhitchcock.com, 8 & 47-53

Kendall Wilkinson Design & Home, kendallwilkinsondesign.com, 40-45

Light Spot Modern Design, lightspotmoderndesign.com, 23

Marjorie cranston Design, marjoriecranstondesign.com, 33

Solis Betancourt, Inc., solisbetancourt.com, 37-39

Thurston/Boyd interior Design inc., thurstonboyd.com, 34-36

KITCHENS & BATHS

Bulthaup, bulthaup.com, 2-3

PHOTOGRAPHY

Aidin M. Foster, 34-35

Anice Hoachlander, hdphoto.com, 90-91

Atlantic Archives, atlanticarchives.com, 113

Benjamin Benschneider, benschneiderphoto.com, 22

Benny Chan, fotoworks.cc, 54-61

Carter Photographics, carterphotographics.com, 32-33

Dave Davidson, davedavidsonphoto.com, 24-27

David Duncan Livingston, davidduncanlivingston.com, 40-42

Deven Gadula, 87-89

Frederika Moller, fmland.net, 89

Gordon Beall, gordonbeall.com, 84-85

Jeffrey Jacobs, jeffreyjacobsphoto.com, 62-69

John Alex Maguire, 16

Mark Boisclair, markboisclair.com, 28-30

Matthew Millman, matthewmillman.com, 43-45

Michael Biondo Photography, michaelbiondo.com, 112

Michael Moran Photography, inc., moranstudio.com, 113

Piston Photography Design, pistondesign.com, 6-7, 79, & 80-83

Ryann Marlowe, domaarchitects.com, 87-88

Sam Oberter, samoberter.com, 99-101

Scott Frances, scottfrances.com, 47-53

Timothy Hursley, timothyhursley.com, 5 & 62-69

William McCollum, 5 & 70-77

REAL-ESTATE DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT

BH III LLC, 15

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., starwoodresidences.com, 14

SPECIALTY

vintage cellars, vintagecellars.com, 88

DIRECTORY *advertisers in blue


Products

ACCESSORIES & DÉCOR

West Elm, westelm.com, 114

ART

Gerry Lynch, gerrylynchart.com, 65

Ron Dier, studioartslaguna.com, 35

BUILDING MATERIALS

Ferguson, ferguson.com, 15

Lowe’s, lowes.com, 91

CARPETS & RUGS

Stark carpet, starkcarpet.com, 39 & 116

Tai Ping Carpets, taipingcarpets.com, 52

FIREPLACES

EcoSmart Fire, ecosmartfire.com, 112

FLOORING

Porcelanosa, porcelanosa-usa.com, 80

FURNITURE

B&B Italia, bebitalia.it, 65

Baker Furniture, baker.kohlerinteriors.com, 114

Ikea, ikea.com, 91 & 114

JJ Custom, Inc., jjcustominc.com, 52 & 53

Montis, montis.nl, 91

Poliform, poliform.it, 59

Roche Bobois, roche-bobois.com, 21

Tansu.net, tansu.net, 112

Williams Sonoma, wshome.com, 114

GLASS

Glass canada inc., glasscanada.net, 98

LIGHTING

Andromeda International, andromedamurano.it, 19

Bocci, bocci.ca, 18

Murano, muranoimports.com, 35

Niche Modern, nichemodern.com, 7 & 20

Paul Ferrante Inc., paulferrante.com, 35

Sua International, suainternational.com, 33

Velux, veluxusa.com, 59

WAC Lighting, waclighting.com, 15

METALS

copper iron Designs, inc., copperirondesigns.com, 89

STONE & TILE

Ann Sacks, annsacks.com, 14

Paris ceramics, parisceramicsusa.com, 109

Serra Stone corporation, serrastone.com, 86

The Stone Showroom, stoneshowroom.ca, 86, 98, & 113

TEXTILES

Brunschwig and Fils, brunschwig.com, 52

DONGHIA, donghia.com, 52

Maison de France, New York, maisondefrance.com, 52

Zoffany, zoffany.com, 52

WALLCOVERINGS & PAINT

Jocelyn Warner, jocelynwarner.com, 17

WINDOWS & DOORS

Fleetwood, fleetwoodusa.com, 80

Northwest Door & Sash, nwdoorandsash.com, 25 & 27

Pella, pella.com, 4

Weiland Sliding Doors and Windows, inc., weilandslidingdoors.com, 105

WOODWORK

Davenport architectural Woodworking, davenportwoodworking.com, 27

Dovetail Millwork, 540-937-7741, 92

Morgan’s Fine Finishes, morgansfinefinishes.com, 27

Olde Wood limited, oldewoodltd.com, 113

Roth Wood Products, rothwoodproducts.com, 78


Tansu.Net The Kobe is a contemporary balinese platform bed that is handmade in Indonesia from sustainable plantation teak. It features a Java-brown hand finish and has been constructed with mortise-and-tenon joinery for long-lasting durability. Exotic yet simple, the Kobe’s modern, low-profile design features strong lines and angles. Available in Full, Queen, California King, and Standard King sizes. Matching dressers and nightstands are available. ben Harvey(866) [email protected], tansu.net

products+services spotlight

products+ servicesspotlightThe Spotlight is Designed To:

showcase the top trends, innovations, and amenities

connect LHQ readers—elite custom-home builders, contractors, architects, interior designers, landscapers, and more—with high-quality products and services for their luxury-home projects

provide a resource for LHQ readers to use when presenting project ideas to clients

Formatted 1/3- or 1/6-page four-color ads are available. To learn more, contact:

Titus dawsondirector of Sales(312) [email protected]

Michael Biondo PhotographyAfter a 20 year career photographing fashion for clients such as Valentino & W magazine, Michael biondo has turned his attention towards architecture. Finding inspiration in the work of Julius Shulman, Ezra Stoller, and Lucien Hervé, Michael biondo produces award-winning photography for architects, designers, and builders.

Michael biondo(203) [email protected]

EcoSmart FireAn environmentally friendly open fire-place, the EcoSmart Fire is an Austra-lian innovation featuring remarkable design flexibility. The EcoSmart burner is fueled by denatured ethanol, which burns clean and is virtually mainte-nance free—no flue or hard connection are required for installation. Available in a variety of readymade designs, the EcoSmart Fire is also customizable in that it can be installed into any accom-modating design.

(310) 914-3335ecosmartfire.com


Thin Veneer StoneRich, Luxurious, breathtaking are just a few words to describe this Thin Ve-neer Stone that brings your home to the next level. Made from Natural Stone to ensure the quality and look you desire. Visit www.stoneshowroom.ca to view all product lines available.

John Iannotta(250) [email protected]

Special Advertising Section

Atlantic ArchivesRichard Leo Johnson has been a professional photographer for more than 25 years. His ap-proach to photography is based on a respect of

"place,” incorporating a subtle, less-invasive style in his work. His intention is to help interpret the client's objectives, whatever the case may be.

Richard Leo Johnson(912) 201-9484atalanticarchives.com

Michael Moran Photography, Inc.Michael Moran has owned a successful architectural-photography studio based in-New York City since 1985. He recently collaborated on books on the architecture of New York and Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House. Michael Moran (718) 237-8830 [email protected]

Olde Wood LimitedThe antique-hardwood flooring products of Olde Wood Limited can be more than 400 years old, constructed of 100-percent reclaimed materials. As one of the largest manufacturers of reclaimed wide-plank flooring products in the United States, Olde Wood Limited offers a variety of custom-milled and kiln-dried lumber, timber-framing, and hand-hewn beams.

Kris Young or Jill Falkowski(866) 208-WOOdoldewoodltd.com


Julie Smith

HOME IN dOWNTOWN CHICAGO, IL LIVEd THERE 8 YEARS

CHICAGO dESIGNER JULIE SMITH, FOUNdER OF JSE DESIGN GROUP, INVITEd lhq INTO HER HOME TO dISCUSS HER FAVORITE SPACE TO RELAx ANd RECHARGE—HER LIVING ROOM.

The Pieces

SOFA: baker Furniture baker. kohlerinteriors.com

at home with

LHQ: Thanks for showing us your home! What makes this room a place you want to spend time?

JS: I enjoy spending time at home because I am sur-rounded by so many things I love, both old and new. This is a really a wonderful place for me to relax and recharge after running around the city all day shopping for clients.

LHQ: How would you describe the design of your living room? What inspired it?

JS: I would describe it as a combination of high- and low-end pieces, much the way many people are dressing today. I don’t think anything should be too precious and [I] believe in layering. Layering colors, patterns, and textures is what it is all about. My in-spiration comes from mostly fashion, art, and music as well as my mother, who had great taste.

LHQ: What kind of atmosphere were you try-ing to create with the design of your living room? What elements did you use to achieve your goal?

JS: I wanted the room to be a combination of fun pieces and [to] exude warmth without being overly relaxed or too formal. Chicago has extreme seasons, and I wanted a place that in any season is bright, warm, and welcoming. One of the first things I did when I moved in was to redo the floors in a darker stain. It helps make the space feel larger and more interesting.

LHQ: How does your home reflect your per-sonal design style?

JS: I love to travel and try out new things, and this is a great room for me to experiment with. I am constantly moving things around and swapping the art and accessories out.

KATE SLIPPER CHAIR: Williams Sonomawshome.com

PH

OTO

: MA

IA H

AR

MS

KOLdbY COWHIdE RUG: Ikeaikea.com

PILLOWS:West Elm westelm.com

Nobody expects more from us than we do®

PLUMBING.

APPLIANCES.

FIXTURES.

LIGHTING.

COUNT ON US1,350 locations. All 50 states. 300 showrooms.17,000 associates.

57 years in business.

At Ferguson, it’s true that our inventory is huge with thousands of your top items in stock every day. And we fi ll your orders accurately and right away. But there is one thing we supply that building professionals have come to rely on again and again for over 57 years - our people. Our associates make certain you can count on Ferguson - where friendly

service, expertise, and a willingness to go the extra mile are never in short supply.

FERGUSON.COM

Winchester: 321 Front Royal Pike (540) 667-5775

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The New Glass House

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