During the 2004 renovation the Wilsons replaced the plywood siding with cedar, and used reclaimed brick to maintain the home’s classic appearance.
Ray sits at the central hearth on the north end of the comfortable sunken living area. From this perspective, you can see how the interior spaces flow into one another, passing one half-level up into the breakfast nook and kitchen and out from there onto the overgrown hillside. The various built-in furnishings have all been there since the house's construction.
The upstairs portion of the addition takes advantage of the ocean view beyond. "The second floor achieves a dynamic on its own, with large window bands and roof overhangs with detailing emulated from the original," Grueneisen says. "But despite the significant change in the massing, we believe the final composition results in an integrated and seamless sense of continuity between the different generations of the building."
Some of the cacti species available at the shop include cleistocactus supernova, pediocactus knowltonii, and thrixanthocereus senilis. "What we try to do is carry uniquely beautiful cactus that are not commercially available to the public," Help LTD. says. "But we try not to carry plants that only a cactus head would flip over—we're trying to bring these beautiful plants to the public, not pull them further away."
Designed in 1972 by local architect Edgar Waehrer, this home was renovated by creative director Ben Watson and his partner, painter Claudio Tschopp. As a later example of Northwest modernism, the home combined the clean lines and open plans of mid-century modernism with an emphasis on natural local materials and natural light. However, while the 16-foot ceilings in the home gave a sense of airiness, the plentiful wood paneling on the walls kept it dark and feeling damp, and so the couple bleached the walls to better reflect natural light.
To brighten the kitchen, which was once the darkest room, Watson and Tschopp decided on a glossy white finish, painted directly on the same rough-cut cedar paneling used throughout the house. This maintains the consistency of materials and texture, while reflecting light and enhancing the natural illumination. Stainless steel appliances and vintage bronze hardware add luster. Super White semigloss (walls) and Old Pick Up Blue (ceilings) are by Benjamin Moore.
The Fung/Blatt family enjoys the backyard of their Mount Washington home. Despite its 5,000-square-foot lot, the house is just 1,640 square feet. Michael Blatt admits, “If we could add anything to this house, it would be five walk-in closets.”
The living room flows effortlessly out to the courtyard. This unity is underscored by the living room’s blue shag rug from the Shag Rug Company.
The new spaces recall the original design with their use of natural materials like wood and stone.
Sheets of unframed glass fill the spaces between the building’s operable windows and the sloping eave of the roof, giving the house, as architect Alan Organschi puts it, “the feel of coming apart at the seams—of surfaces unhinged.”
The deck, fashioned from ipe, was built around one of the property’s many granite outcroppings. An earthen roof was planted with the same varieties of sedum that were added to the front of the cottage.
Large sliding windows retract at the corner, opening the living area onto a lawn overlooking Long Island Sound.
Designed by Anthony Wooiner, this striking residence in New York's northern suburbs blurs the line between indoors and out, flanked by dramatic glass walls that embrace the home's natural surroundings. It now awaits its next residents.
Photography by Matthew Millman
Office courtyard
Courtyard at night
This satisfyingly spare bathroom features lovely brass hardware by Roman & Williams for Waterworks. This photo came to us from Instagram via @renamalka.
The sunken bathtub in George Nakashima’s Sanso Villa mimics the shape of a swimming pool on the grounds. His daughter, Mira Nakashima, took over the studio after his death and now lives and works on the property. “A Japanese garden often has a central pond derived from the character for ‘heart’ or ‘spirit,’ and this may be an abstraction of that character,” she says of the tub’s sculptural form.
Prioritize either storage or easy cleaning. While extra storage is always nice, it is important to note freestanding vanities are also known for being harder to clean, since there are more corners and nooks where dust can hang out around them.
The Treehouse, also part of the Post Ranch Inn, features Cor-ten panels.
For the Butterfly cabin, which is part of the Post Ranch Inn, Muennig chose materials that age gracefully when exposed to the elements. He regularly uses Cor-Ten steel, a group of steel alloys that form a stable rust-like appearance when battered by wind and rain.
The interiors of many of Muennig’s houses emphasize natural building materials such as wood, concrete, and stone. Plant life and nature are intrinsic to the Pfeiffer Ridge House IV.
The sleeping loft is fitted with mahogany rails.
another diagonal view across the greenhouse from the entrance of one wing to the entrance of the other. off set wings. path connects to other wing. stairs are repurposed stairs from a winery instillation. stair to nowhere to water the plants to water the greenhouse. 20 something feet tall. or a perch. reflection spot.
view when you walk in front door. operating principle. doctor livingston you're in the jungle in the far. through the jungle there's a fire burning and you're in this night very drawn into the space. kitchen.
traditional japanese farmhouse, same organizing principle. connected to the earth. you enter at the kitchen, and then there's a raised platform and cooking fire is there. combo of where food comes in from garden, mudroom, cooking fires, remote backup where's there water in the house.
The building process was a collaborative one, with the Gambys and their architects engineering the house to meet building codes as the pieces were being installed. In the middle, a glass hallway containing the dining room connects to the kitchen.
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