The first project I've included is a major renovation of a 1960s house in Santa Monica Canyon. I was brought into this project when construction was underway, early enough to design most of the cabinetry, work on finish and color selection, and light fixtures. My clients are mainly using furniture they already owned, but we're working on some new pieces as the next step.
Above: We had the light fixture over the stairs custom made from rope and wire. The new bookshelves run the length of the open living and dining room.
Above: In the kitchen the dark cabinets are balanced by the white walls and counter. The full height storage on the right allows for minimal open shelving on the left.
Above: This room functions as a cozy place to read or watch TV when it's not being used as a guest room.
Above: Bookshelves in the daughter's room.
TOPANGA CANYON
The project below is a tiny house in Topanga Canyon. The client cares deeply about the smallest detail, and so it's been a wonderful process of refining each decision. The house is a cottage style house, but we've taken a modern approach to the renovation.
Above and Below: When the old fireplace was removed to replace it with a new swedish model, the contractor discovered about 18" of wasted space behind the fireplace. We were able to enlarge the dining area as a result, and achieve a better circulation flow and a cleaner design.
Above: I designed the simple cantilevered bookshelves, but the metal worker made them wonderful. We lowered the fireplace opening, and installed a stone hearth flush to the floor.
Below: The BEFORE view of the fireplace area. We had to leave the beams where they were, but by darkening them they've become more sculptural, and tied in to the bronze colored metal work. We replaced the fir floor with a white oak floor.
Below: The fireplace flue travels up through the second floor. In order for it not to intrude into the room I designed a desk around the flue, and faced it in wood to make it part of the furnishings. We were able to cut back the vertical section as a result, and it's not as deep as it was before.
Above and below: I used the same slim rolled steel shelves as downstairs to design the desk and shelves with. White oak veneer covers the flue, and provides a pencil drawer. There was a low wall surrounding the upper floor and I continued the metal along the top to protect the edge of the wall as well as creating a harmonious line across the room, and linking to the metal work below.
Above and below: My client had decided to purchase a Henry Built kitchen before I got involved with the job. Once I was on board I helped them make decisions about which cabinet pieces they would use, what type of wood, as well as persuading them to relocate the sink so that it would face the garden instead of the street. I also worked with them to select the Concordia honed schist countertops.
We took a very custom approach to the window treatments. We didn't want to break up the wall with a valance or a blind that would rise high enough to allow the windows to open, but the standard window coverings wouldn't fit properly on the narrow window stiles. I designed a small metal hook that would hold a metal bar inside a flat drapery panel. I kept it flat by installing thin wood rods in the bottom hem. I had just set it in place when I took this picture...the bar needs to be moved just slightly to the right!
Above: We replaced the closed cabinets with open shelves.
Above: In the master bath we combined three materials...pale blue tile from Heath, Teak, and limestone, to achieve the character my clients wanted...modern, clean, and warm too. We considered every joint carefully. The shower is done without a curb and without a visible drain. The water drains along the 4 edges into a lowered section. The whole floor has a mechanism to lift it up and access the drain if needed.
Above: I designed the tub deck to turn the corner and become a surface and a shelf along the side of the room. Both the teak and the tile are set flush into the wall as it gives a slightly enlarged sense of space.
Above and below: The master closet is pulled together through the regular rhythm of the lines in the paneling. It creates a soothing feeling of order. The antique runner provides warmth and character. I used the same window panel as in the kitchen. Behind the doors are his and her closets, shoe shelves, drawers, and a washer/dryer, a hamper, and a folding counter.
OJAI
Unlike the previous projects, the next project is mostly finishes and furnishings. When my clients purchased this house, the main house in their compound in Ojai, they thought they'd use the main house temporarily until they were ready to re-build. They've been so comfortable there now that it's furnished they may not build after all. Currently all the renovation is outside...major landscaping is underway.
Above: We selected this Swedish Gustavian antique chest for the entry. It brings a sense of history and weight as you first come into the house. We mixed that with a pair of Italian mid-century perforated sconces. The mirror creates a focal point and brings outdoor light inside.
Above and below: In the dining area we mixed an old farm table from Maine with leather mid-century chairs. My very talented client fabricated the wonderful lighting fixtures herself in accordance with the look we wanted. The blinds soften the strong afternoon light. You can see an antique entry table we re-purposed to become a kitchen island in the background. The black color balances the piano at the other end of the room.
Above and below: In the living room we've mixed the neutral element of a deep comfortable sofa with more sculptural pieces...a pair of mid century lounge chairs from Brazil, a rustic coffee table, and an antique mahogany cabinet. We found the light fixture as a basket and had it wired for a light fixture. It's looped and hung from a hook to locate it where we wanted it. A thick Moroccan carpet makes the space feel inviting.
Above: To separate the living area from a small library area behind it, we had a net curtain hung from a rod. It allows light and view to filter through, but gives a sense of separation.
Above: A detail of the drapery we selected for the master bedroom.
SANTA MONICA
This project is in Santa Monica, near the beach. The most distinctive feature of the house are the front windows which slant out. This project involved a complete kitchen gutting and renovation, as well as re-furnishing as needed. My client had lived in Hong Kong for ten years and brought back an extensive collection of furniture. She no longer wanted to live in a museum like setting of her pieces, but wanted to mix many of them in with more modern furnishings.
Above: In the front window corner I selected a sculptural mid-century chair and ottoman by Adrian Pearsall, and reupholstered it in a textured watery colored fabric, using one of the Chinese side tables in the mix.
Above: In the living area I used a sectional piece to give an architectural sense of enclosure to the room. I designed the coffee table with a bronze base and a travertine top, which has a 1960s feel. One of the Chinese tables is set off by the simplicity of the other furnishings. I had a pair of rugs made that reminded me of Japanese tatami mats, but they're actually wool, and done in subtle blues and browns that seem appropriate at the beach.
Above: In front of the window by the entry I put a rectangular planter bench, and designed it as a partner to the round living room table.
Above and below: In the kitchen we started from scratch. In the old layout it was necessary to walk through the kitchen to enter the bedroom hall. I re-worked the floor plan using the cabinet holding the refrigerator to create a new entry. I replaced all the old aluminum sliders that stopped 12" above the counter with new bronzed windows that went all the way to the counter giving a much more open feeling. I used the shiplap design in the woodwork for visual interest, and as a way of disguising all the openings.
Above and below: Using my client's Chinese table and stools in the kitchen gave it a personal warmth that a traditional island counter wouldn't have. We faced the refrigerator with matching panelling, and used a larger version of the cabinet pulls instead of a typical refrigerator pull.
Above and below: The floors were refinished throughout. In the kitchen we put in a tile that looks like burnished steel, and in the living room we refinished the wood to match a favorite Chinese console. I re-used the client's mahogany chairs at the dining table, with new tangerine colored linen upholstery, and had the mahogany dining table painted charcoal. The dhurrie rug brings together the wood and steel tones. I found some interesting ceramics you can see on the table.
This is a house I worked on for a period of 25 years, and three renovations. My client, Gil Friesen, passed away in 2012 after completing his dream movie, "20 Feet from Stardom", which just won an Oscar for best documentary. Architect Michael Paladino, (he runs Richard Meier's Los Angeles office) transformed this home from a small 1960s house with excellent lines into something sublime. I worked carefully to find exactly the right pieces to suit the scale and quality of the surroundings and the art collection. Gil was on the board of MOCA for many years, as someone who cared deeply about art and the museum's role in Los Angeles.
Above and below: Photos from Richard Meier's office of the facade.
Above: A pair of 60s chairs by Italian designer Ico Parisi give visual focus to the center of the living room. The sofas are simple neutral elements to play off of. The rug is tibetan, rich in tones but subtle.
Above: In the bedroom sitting area I selected a Robsjohn Gibbings slipper chair, and used a Jean-Michel Frank design for the coffee table.
Above: In the dining room we used chairs I had fabricated based on a 1940s design.
Above: In a second floor sitting room the small tables are Pierre Chareau designs, and the chair is the Tulip Chair, 1965, by Pierre Paulin.
MONTECITO
This is another home I worked with Gil Friesen on. This was a grand home from the 1960s, with just a few enormous rooms. Architect Michael Paladino remodeled and enlarged it, to suit Gil's wish for an Italian hillside villa with a modern turn. The high ceilings and incredible vistas needed to be made livable, and that was where I came in.
Above and below: A clean lined sectional Italian sofa anchors the living room, and allows all the sculptural chairs to play off it's simple lines. The double sided nature of the design creates a place to lounge by the fire on the left, and a place to see the view at right. Although the French chairs are traditional designs, using a bold blue fabric makes them feel modern. Repeating the same bold blue chair at diagonals holds the room together.
Above: Inspired by a Charlotte Perriand design from the 40s I had this made as a Library Table at one end of the Living Room.
Above: The dining room is made inviting with the use of a round table and a rich terra cotta wall. The chairs are made for long evenings...comfortable as well as beautiful.
Above: This is a space we called the Gallery. Really a wide hallway we made the most of, with its bookshelves on one side (designed by the architect) and a television on the other. The sofa is covered in beautiful Fortuny fabric, and the sumptuous lounge chair in a thick velvet.
Above: The family room was intended for casual living. The modern sofa in the foreground is really a double chaise. The coffee table is based on a James Mont design from the 40s. The rug is a patchwork made from old Kilims.
Above: Michael Paladino and I designed this breakfast table together. It looks simple, but it's not. I wanted a seemingly random group of columns holding up the top. In fact each wood column has a steel center welded to a steel sheet under the stone top. The Saarinen chairs are upholstered in ultra-suede to stand up to two young children.
Below: The view!
RUSTIC CANYON
I'll end this post with a project close to my heart, our house, designed and built in 1953 by Craig Ellwood. The first four pictures are from a piece in Martha Stewart Living.
Above: In our living room, as in much of my work, I've chosen sculptural chairs and smaller pieces using a neutral sofa as a foil. The house works best using natural materials, subtle colors, and pieces you can see through, like the small bronze Saarinen side table and the rope chair.
Above: Another see through piece is the Franco Albini chair above.
Above: When we moved in the house had a grey formica kitchen. The fir was chosen as an appropriate material due to the existing fir ceiling Ellwood selected. The honed Absolute Black granite counters connected to the original black woodwork around all the doors and full height windows, as well as the fireplace facing.
Above: In our bedroom I designed a new bath and closet behind this new wall. Visual interest is provided through the Brice Marden drawing, a Robsjohn Gibbings night table and an African bench.
Above and below: I designed our studio, in the back of our property, from the ground up. I hired architect Davida Rochlin to make working drawings of my design. I wanted the studio to honor the main house as much as possible given new building codes, and the different siting.
Above: In the studio the cantilevered wall of shelves provides a place for our collection of art books.
Above: A found mid-century chair fits perfectly in the corner without blocking the view. We use old lumber as pedestals for ceramics we've collected.
Above: The studio bath, faced with silver travertine. Beyond the sink is an outdoor shower.
Below: Some new photos of our home from a book just released this month by Rizzoli. Photos by Melba Levick.
