The home’s metal cladding is Pac-Clad, a material typically used for roofs.
Set high in Crestwood Hills, Richard Neutra’s 1956 Adler House underwent a faithful restoration by Tyler and Margaret Lemkin.
Lawrence Weiner sits at his daylit desk. The bare walls are perfect for tacking
up new projects, and the steel ductwork gives the space an industrious feel.
It was the surf and the artsy vibe that attracted Eric Grunbaum to Venice Beach, California, 18 years ago. An avid surfer and creative director for an advertising agency, he thrives on lively environs. So it’s no surprise that he turned to the Los Angeles–based architect Barbara Bestor to design a house for him near the Pacific. Bestor, the chair of graduate studies at Woodbury University School of Architecture, has a formidable reputation in Southern California for her bohemian modernism, and for Grunbaum, she created a 2,000–square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath home that harbors a traditional sensibility with a contemporary heart. From the deck off the master bedroom, Grunbaum looks across his front yard. Bestor designed the second story to float over the ground “like a cloud.” Grunbaum guides us on a tour of his modern surf shack.
The dining room is meant to be a flexible space for eating or dancing. “One of the most important things for me,” explains Grunbaum, “is how a house feels. It has to be a place where you don’t want to leave.” The Cyclone table is by Isamu Noguchi for Knoll and the pendant lamp is by Lightoiler.
Architect Grant explains that the recessed orange wall with built-in storage shelving is a counterpoint to the view of Boston in the opposite direction.
The living room is furnished with rattan chairs from Fritz Hansen, a Muuto side table, an Artichoke pendant by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, and a blue Living Divani sofa, one of a few color-popping accents found throughout.
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.”
A EuroStone countertop structures the open-plan kitchen and dining room, where the family will often gather and play.
When life is hard
When the bouncer kicks you out of the pool for "diving"
The best way to get to know your clients is to lay across their logo
Frame light in Mint by Iacoli and McAllister. A powder-coated steel frame gives these spare pendant lights shape via negative space. Available in three sizes and six colors.
Gregory Katz proves that three times is a charm with his trio of concrete homes, which challenge the status quo in this quiet Johannesburg suburb. The shared service at the back of each unit allows for easy access to the garage and enabled Gregory to maximize unobstructed views at the front of each of the three structures.
The house is divided into three sections connected by a series of outdoor galleries. “When I walk from one room to another, I have to go outdoors and feel the weather and nature—rain, cold, and sun,” says Sævik.
Instead of emphasizing the expansive panorama of oak, pine, and aspen trees, the house frames select views—a move inspired by Japanese design.