Brownstones

Working with owner Bruce Shafer, who acted as contractor, architect Olson Kundig’s “gizmolo- gist” Phil Turner fashioned a 12-by- 26-foot steel-framed window wall that opens the structure to the out- doors. “We can feel the evening breeze move through the house, - Tehachapi Mountains, California Dwell Magazine : November / December 2017

More than 60 plant species were used in the layered design.

In the couple’s bedroom, a back corner window that had been straightened by the previous owner was restored to its original slant, and an interior clerestory was uncovered and used to brighten a bathroom on the other side of the wall. The vintage teak bed with built-in headboard and side tables is from Vintage on Point in Los Angeles. A signed Andy Warhol screen print hangs overhead.

Summary harnesses the power of prefabrication to create a set of compact homes on a breathtaking site.

The entryway had to be reconfigured to accommodate the new lower level and its deck, while the existing upper deck was given shade from the sun.

The maroon-tiled, walk-in shower has two showerheads and is well lit by a skylight from above.

The sunken living room features a built-in sofa and loveseat.

Bedroom

Front Facade Night

Library

Front Facade

Library Bathroom

Use this as a guide to finding the right architect for your new home or renovation—and what to expect during the process.

At one end of the space, which is topped by a barrel ceiling, a hammock offers a tantalizingly cozy place to nap.

Architect Benedetta Tagliabue was intrigued by the crumbling homes in her neighborhood in Barcelona and took to sprucing up an 18th-century flat. What makes her space unique are the countless period details that were not restored, but rather left to breathe as is and continue as is in their deteriorating state, adding character to the home. However, the walls were slowly peeled away, revealing a number of significant elements like a Gothic capital with an angel, and a frieze of vivid 18th-century decorative murals—with the original sketches for them on the wall of the adjacent room. Immersed in natural light, the rooms form a circular layout around a central patio. Diagonally placed rectangular patches of tined cement tile accentuate the effect, reflecting the sun’s rays. In the pool house, a shallow lap pool and wood burning fireplace present an urban oasis under ceramic, barrel-vaulted ceilings.

On the top floor, a Cumberland chair by Thos. Moser faces a Room & Board ottoman, a Twiggy lamp by Foscarini, and a vintage sofa upholstered in cowhide.