LED Task Lamp, $49.99. Deam + Dine reinterpreted traditional forms for this LED lamp, which joins a powder-coated steel base and an acrylic light diffuser.
Side Table, $89.99. Comprising a molded plywood tray top and a trio of powder-coated steel legs, this table was “designed to make it seem like the top is floating,” says Deam.
“You can get a really nice cross-breeze,” says Debbi Gibbs of her home, situated to capitalize on its lakefront parcel. “If you open the sliding doors on both sides you really feel like the whole house is open.”
Copper Shade Pendants by Tom Dixon over the island contrast the room's light palette, while a white Flos Skygarden lamp over the dining room table blends into it.
The decidedly modern dining and kitchen areas open to the backyard through a floor-to-ceiling steel-and-glass door, fabricated by Optimum Window. One of the owners’ favorite features of the home is the “ability to connect the inside to the outside seamlessly,” Bangia describes. The living area serves as “a place for the kids to dance or ride a skateboard, a casual space that reflects the way they live.”
Though the front of this 1880s home in Adelaide, Australia, maintains a traditional facade due to strict heritage laws, the rear is modern eye candy at its best. See more of the home.
To impart a high-design feel to the space, architect Mike Jacobs wrapped cabinetry from Ikea with a marble countertop and designed built-in bookshelves around the kitchen and study to help unify the area. Trips to shops in Palm Springs yielded the red side chair and metal magazine rack. The brown suede chair is from MidcenturyLA.
Sitting Pretty
The ground floor was originally two rooms; now it’s been transformed into one continuous space. To compensate for a low ceiling, Kiely’s team dug into the ground to create a true sunken seating section leading to the garden. Built-in sofas, an Eames rocker, a stool by G Plan, and concrete tiles outfit the space. Kiely chose a neutral charcoal finish for the Malm fireplace to balance the green linoleum floor and her own Rhododendron wallpaper in Sunflower.
Light My Fire
“I didn’t want to compromise the Victorian nature of the house,” she says. Although the original fireplace was in good shape, the flooring needed to be replaced. Kiely didn’t want to use new wood, so she sourced the weathered ebony-colored boards from an architectural salvage yard. “I wanted the floors to really feel like they were part of the house,” she says. Kiely found the rug at Heal’s and the chandelier and art are vintage.
In the light-filled bedroom is a vintage teak coffee table and a Danish modern floating bed.
The interior combines modern and more traditional elements, such as this oriental rug.
Eco-friendly features like solar panels and rainwater catchments keep this retreat's environmental footprint small. Immediately to the right of the entry is the main living space, which features a Jetmaster 700D wood-burning fireplace with a tiled hearth.
Haines House by Christopher Polly in Newtown, Australia
In the home of Dwell founder Lara Hedberg Deam, her child's room features Maija & Kristina Isola's Sola bedding for Marimekko.
White lighting elements, finishes, furnishings, walls, and moldings create a feeling of modern openness to this traditional floor plan in New York. Architect Stephan Cassell helped the transplanted couple see past the "43 layers of paint" to the modern potential within. “These old buildings always have interesting layouts that work well,” Cassell notes, “and have a certain elegance to them." See the transformation.
The Black and White Apartment by Crosby Studios.
The antenna of Claude Vasconi’s TDF television tower is visible through the Velux skylight architects Caroline Djuric and Mirco Tardio added to a family house in France. “It’s very French, very angular,” Djuric says of the renovation. The light fixture was found at a brocante, or vintage market.
“Conceptually, all of the spaces in the house are connected to the kitchen and dining area by the stairwell, the second-floor catwalk, or through the glass in the living room,” said Rasselet. The dining room’s walnut table and chairs are by Atelier LC2, and the Cliff light fixture is by Lambert & Fils.
Windows in the roof monitor let in natural light and ventilation.
Light floods the living and dining rooms, meaning Schneider rarely needs to turn on a lamp during the day.
The house’s stacked floors progress vertically from the communal basement, through the mixed-use mezzanine, to the private bedroom. Its staircase responds to these functions. Perforated folded steel steps between the ground level and mezzanine allow for greater access to sunlight. Between the mezzanine and upper level, solid folded steel stairs and partitions serve as the bedroom’s acoustic barrier.
The tin panels lining the stairs are original to the house.
The designer took his inspiration for the minimal staircase from traditional Polish “duck stairs.” Since they’re narrow, they’re ideal for smaller spaces. The couch was purchased from BoConcept.
