Hillside House No. 3
All-vinyl siding on the original shell was replaced with natural plywood T1-11 cladding. The second story features engineered brushbox wood plank, as well as Batu decking for the railing and lanai (a sheltered, open-sided patio).
Fritz explains, “The primary inspiration was Dutch International Style design. The clients have roots in Holland and it started out looking more De Stijl than it does now, but ultimately, they wanted something that drew as much from their present in Hawaii as their past in Europe.”
The dining room table is made from recycled teak railroad ties from Indonesia. The blue armchairs were a Craigslist purchase. IKEA pendant lights contrast nicely with the dark wood.
The existing partitions were tongue-and-groove redwood. To update the interior, each panel was painstakingly removed, refinished in a darker hue, and replaced. The centerpiece, a four-strand rattan couch, is complimented by other wooden pieces, like this original Cherner chair, also a Craigslist purchase.
To accommodate a second story, the ground-level had to be completely reconfigured in favor of a more open floor plan. A vintage 1930s Belgian desk acts as a versatile table for the downstairs.
The bathroom’s glass block partition is just one example of the extensive list of repurposed materials used for this project. The sinks are from IKEA and bathtub is from Home Depot.
Inspired by a Julius Schulman shot of the Los Angeles Case Study House, the upstairs seeks to embody a sense of expansiveness. Another second-hand piece, a red Gispen chair, is a classic 1930s Dutch piece bought by the homeowners from a flea market in Amsterdam.