Sometimes the best way to deal with a tall, gabled ceiling is to just add windows. A line of windows in the Floating House in Lake Huron, Ontario provides a picturesque water view. Photo by Raimund Koch.
In the bathroom, a custom ceramic backsplash designed by Meredith and Sample joins an iroko-wood tub created by their students a the University of Toronto. In spaces where the tiles don't need to be cut around corners, outlets, or other obstacles, it might even be possible to do the tile work yourself for a DIY project.
Some of the Japanese-style rooms were retained and restored.
Elements from traditional Japanese architecture such as warm wood, exposed beams, and shoji screen-style sliding doors characterize the home.
A study area on the second level looks down to the first level.
Glass takes the place of paper in the shoji screen-style doors that close and open to separate and connect the different functional zones.
Mizumoto transformed one of the original Japanese-style rooms into a garden that references the house’s past as a rice field farmhouse.
In traditional Japanese architecture, spaces are divided into "tsubos," a Japanese unit of floor area that’s the equivalent to approximately 35.58 square feet.
Staying true to the aesthetics of traditional, Japanese rural homes, architect Sumiou Mizumoto stuck with simple color and material choices. White and wood elements dominate pure, streamlined spaces.
Overlooking the Hudson River, Allan Shope’s nearly 3,000-square-foot sustainable home features handmade furniture and an undulating floor, all crafted from the site’s felled black walnut trees.
In the living room and hallway are Joseph Cornell–style collages made by Jonathan’s maternal grandfather. Here, Jonathan looks at his collection of toys, including soldiers, Transformers, and—the most architectural—Polly Pocket dioramas.
Architect Jonathan Solomon and city planner Meg Gustafson had experience designing houses, but not together, which made renovating their late-1800s home in Chicago’s Uptown all the more exciting—particularly when you consider their style is anything but traditional.
A 1930s Welsh blanket adds color to the master bedroom.
The couple purchased the living room’s H.W. Klein chairs with the house. Another existing piece was the mezzanine’s daybed, designed by Peter Hvidt and Orlando Mølgaard Nielsen. An original floating staircase leads to the mezzanine and then up to the second floor. The open, straight-forward spaces speak to one of Christian’s guiding principles: “Simplicity is the key,” he says.
"The plaster's imperfections are part of what gives the house its unique character, in the same way the concrete floor shows swirls and the timber has natural knotting,
Isaacson and his best friend, Mary T. Hatch, snack at a dining table by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller in the eat-in kitchen.
The main entry, located off the front courtyard is more practical than grand. The door opens onto a PK15 chair by Poul Kjaerholm and built-in coat cabinets that direct movement to either side of the hall and into the living area.
The library is lit by the front courtyard. The chartreuse vent, originally painted vermilion, is the one architectural color inside the house. Two Cantilever Cane chairs by Mies van der Rohe face Isaacson as he rests upon a Pernilla easy chair by Bruno Mathsson.
Down the hallway from the main living areas awaits a spacious media room, which also features bespoke shelving and pop-out details.
In addition to providing direct outdoor access, the primary bedroom also offers a large bath, complete with several original fixtures, including a pink sink, tub, and pop-out weight scale.
The airy chef's kitchen features long countertops, new appliances, and custom cabinetry.
Designed by architect Richard Crowther, this 1957 home features handcrafted woodwork and floor-to-ceiling glazing from front to back.
The “deconstructed plaid” custom mural on the walls is by Kelly Zeller. The 2020 Pink luminatin art piece in the hallway is by Letitia Quessenberry for BLSH 13. The BluDot bed is flanked by Bocci 28S wall lights.
The dimensional wall is covered in leftover walnut scraps so as not to waste any material. A BluDot Strut table in walnut is lined with vintage Lowenstein Pedova rush chairs, with Tom Dixon Wide Pendants overhead. All rugs are provided by Anabel's Rugs in Louisville, Kentucky.
The brass backsplash was a risky experiment carried off by Natalie, who started with unlacquered 4x8 foot sheets, then gave them patina by covering them in vinegar, ketchup, and salt, and leaving them out in the sun. The resulting pattern was aligned as carefully as possible, and the surface sealed. “We just had to essentially cut the topography into a way that felt really great,” says Natalie.
The kitchen cabinets are made from a pressed wood-fiber product. The countertop and backsplash are Caesarstone.
The spacious great room is anchored by a wall of reclaimed wood, which also features a custom-designed steel fireplace/media cabinet.
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