Family-friendly Los Angeles home
With its crisp white walls and generous expanses of wood and stone, the house provides convincing proof that clean lines and spare details can be marshaled in the service of comfort and warmth.
In the living room, the fireplace was made of concrete, while reclaimed-oak beams frame the glass walls and salvaged-pine siding lines the ceiling; the pendant lamp is by Treasurbite Design, the artworks are by Alison Van Pelt, and the throw is by Hermès.
Among the works of art in the living room is an aerial photograph by Richard Misrach; the cocktail tables are by BPS Designs by Byron Stripling, the vintage teak-and-woven-leather chairs are from JF Chen, and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Super White.
More salvaged siding sheathes an intimate living/dining area.
A Gaggenau hood creates a dramatic focal point in the kitchen, which is outfitted with a Viking cooktop, ovens by Miele, and a refrigerator and full-height wine cooler by Sub-Zero; the vintage French pendant fixtures are from Obsolete, and the stools are by DM/DM.
In the study, a midcentury armchair from Blackman Cruz is grouped with a vintage glass-top driftwood table and a custom-made sectional by Molly Isaksen Interiors upholstered in a Wyeth linen.
Outside the room, a small terrace overlooks a reflecting pool with a water wall.
Framed artworks line the hallway leading to the master suite.
A vintage Eames chair and ottoman sit next to the custom-made walnut bed in the master suite, which is distinguished by reclaimed-oak ceiling trusses; the half-dome hanging light is by JF Chen, the large painting is by Van Pelt, and the watercolor portrait to its right is by Kim McCarty.
An ottoman and armchairs by Barbara Barry Realized by Henredon are arranged before the hearth in the couple’s bedroom; the collection of art includes pieces by Chuck Close, Julius Shulman, and Jock Sturges.
A JF Chen globe lantern hangs above a Waterworks tub with a burnished-nickel finish in Kayne’s bathroom; the fittings are by Lefroy Brooks.
On the rear terrace, Summit Furniture armchairs are upholstered in a Perennials outdoor fabric.
Landscape architect Pamela Burton conceived the grounds.
Photography by Roger Davies. Article featured Architectural Digest.
Contemporary Residence
Located in a neighborhood bordering Washington, DC, this suburban site has the advantage of being located adjacent to woodlands. A contemporary house surrounded by mature trees and manicured gardens anchors the site. A new swimming pool, stone walls, and terraces located behind the existing house organize the rear yard and establishes a dialogue between the existing house and a new pavilion. New paths, trees and structured plantings reinforce the geometry.
The new pavilion, intended for year round use, is strategically located to provide a threshold between the structured landscape and adjacent woodland. A low-pitched, terne coated stainless steel roof floats above a dry-stacked slate wall and mahogany volume. Five steel-framed glass doors along with frameless glass walls and mitered glass corners enclose the space, creating an environment that is surrounded by views of the structured landscape, pool and the adjacent woodland. The doors pivot to open the space much of the year while a large Rumford fireplace and heated floors provide a cozy counterpoint in winter months.
The interior contains a stainless steel kitchen component with seating, along with a small living space anchored by the fireplace. The blue stone flooring, stone and mahogany walls, and Douglas-fir ceiling create a warm, natural space. This new pavilion is intended to provide shelter from the harsh natural elements while simultaneously allowing the occupant to enjoy both the beautifully structured garden and the native, natural surroundings.
Architect: Robert M. Gurney. Photography by Maxwell MacKenzie. Article from Contemporist.
Black-and-White New York Apartment
Designer Gilles Mendel and Kylie Case’s Graphic New York City Apartment
The signature colors of J. Mendel shops are black and white, and Mann, working in collaboration with his associate William Clukies, followed that palette here. The foyer’s walls and crown molding are covered in charcoal velvet; its baseboards and doorframes are sheathed in black leather. Other walls are white, but nearly all of the furnishings— the wall-mounted Poul Kjærholm leather sofa, the lacquer chandelier, and the marble-top tables—are black. Ditto the window casings. “At night black blends into everything else,” Mann says. “I’m trying to dissolve the parameters of space.” For that reason, only the bedroom has shades. The dramatic living room windows are like a giant movie screen.
In the living room, painted in Ralph Lauren Pocket Watch White, an artwork by Rodney Dickson hangs above a custom-made sofa clad in a Pollack velvet; the floor lamp is by Arredoluce, and the fox-fur pillows and calfskin rug are by J. Mendel.
In the dining area, a black-lacquer chandelier hangs above a custom-made marble-top table and vintage J. L. Møller chairs from Belkind Bigi with Spinneybeck leather seats; the bronze sculpture at the window is by Leopoldo Nóvoa.
The kitchen includes a Sicis mosaic-tile backsplash, a Samsung ultrathin LED television, and a Sub-Zero refrigerator with bespoke lacquer panels.
In the bedroom, the headboard is made of panels of camel-color cowhide; the linens are by Frette, and the badger-fur throw is by J. Mendel.
Photography by Joshua McHugh. Article featured in Architectural Digest.
Amazing Manhattan Loft
Joan Krevlin of BKS/K Architects, who oversaw the renovation of the loft, hung a swing in the main living area and furnished it with 1950s pieces.
Colorful Eames shell chairs surround a table in the dining area, which is separated from the living area by a cabinet that hides the entertainment center. Drop ceilings, log columns and rough-hewn beams help define discrete spaces.
“The open nature of the loft requires furniture to become part of the architecture, as delineations of space,” Krevlin says. A curved panel sets off the breakfast nook and plays against the beams, “the main organizing element of the loft.” Sub-Zero refrigerator.
A leather-tiled floor and low ceilings “suggest a more intimate area near the fireplace,” says Krevlin. The 1950s furniture includes a pair of egg lounge chairs and an ottoman by Arne Jacobsen and rosewood chairs by Osvaldo Borsani. B & B Italia sofa.
Krevlin designed the loft “with kinetic elements that would allow to adjust the space to the changing needs.” A table rotates to provide work space in the kitchen, which is faced with maple cabinetry. Viking range; soapstone farm sink from Waterworks.
A honeycomb Lumasite panel inserted in the master bedroom creates a screened exercise and work area “without losing the scale of the overall room,” remarks Krevlin.
“We used a variety of materials in a refined way to maintain the essential spirit and adventurous nature of a SoHo loft,” Krevlin points out. Varied surfaces—white-tiled and blue-sponged walls, a concrete floor—add visual interest to the minimal bath.
Photography by Scott Frances. Article featured in Architectural Digest.
A Contemporary Los Angeles Villa
In one regard, this epic project, 13 years in the making, is quite straightforward. Lehrer’s clients—he’s a retired businessman and a sculptor obsessed with the sensuality of stone, she’s a former landscape designer and avid gardener—wanted a light-filled dwelling that would feel as though it were part of the setting, a sheltered piece of land replete with old-growth trees. The couple had been living in a 1950s tract house on the property since 1976; they’d undertaken two renovations over roughly two decades before they discovered Lehrer’s work during a fortuitous local architecture tour in 1999. The pair liked what they saw, and in short order they contacted him about the possibility of expanding their dining room. That request led to talk of building a larger kitchen, and from there the commission snowballed into what Lehrer characterizes as a “13-year conversation,” the last five years of which were spent in construction following the demolition of the original house.
Retractable glass walls distinguish the tranquil living room of a Los Angeles house by Lehrer Architects LA, with decor by JoAnne Brosnahan of Unique Custom Interiors. A Kravet occasional table is encircled by custom-made chairs in a Jerry Pair leather; the cocktail table is by J. Robert Scott, and the painting is by Ernö Tolvaly.
Alhambra limestone from Walker Zanger extends from the living areas out onto a capacious terrace shaded by a Chinese elm.
The horizontal-grain maple paneling and the kitchen’s cabinetry, stainless-steel hood, counters, and sinks are all by Bulthaup, the cooktop is by Gaggenau, and the ovens are by Wolf; Bontempi Casa chairs surround a custom-made dining table, and the sofa is covered in a Donghia cotton.
A gravel courtyard with a stately cork oak offers access to the residence on three sides; walls of glass, at left and right, flank a steel-troweled-stucco façade.
Massive flagstones lead guests from the front garden into the dining room, which in turn leads to the living room and another garden beyond; the dining table and open-back chairs, upholstered in a Jim Thompson silk, were designed by Unique Custom Interiors.
Italian-onyx counters and a maple vanity.
A tub with a picture window.
The indoor/outdoor shower, surfaced in honed limestone and marble, with Hansgrohe heads, Dornbracht controls, and Kohler WaterTile sprayers.
The master suite’s bed, nightstands, and chaise were all custom made; a Jim Thompson silk was used for the headboard, duvet, and shams, while a Kravet fabric covers the chaise.
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