Collection by Kelsey Keith
Designing with Ipe: Hardwood at Home
Ipe, commonly known as Brazilian walnut, is a South American hardwood that is three times harder than cedar, has the same fire rating as concrete and steel, and is resistant to humidity and mildew. Here are six examples of the hardwood at work.
The deck, fashioned from ipe, was built around one of the property’s many granite outcroppings. An earthen roof was planted with the same varieties of sedum that were added to the front of the cottage. Photo by: Mark Mahaney
On the ground level of Christine Ho Ping Kong and Peter Tan's laneway home in Toronto, the front door is tucked into an ivy-covered alcove lined with ipe, a material used throughout the house. Photo by Juliana Sohn.
Link Catlett and Butters, the dog, stroll alongside their home’s namesake wraparound porch, made of Brazilian ipe. Rolling slatted doors screen
the living room windows, providing shade on sunny days.
Above the front patio, the de-signers created a trellis of Ipe, a Brazilian hardwood. This transformed the very important function of keeping the Texas sun at bay into one of the most striking elements of the house. The sun break wraps up and then over the second story with an artist’s flair. “It does more than just shade the windows,” says Bercy.
“I simply was drawn to the notion of concrete. So much great modern architecture has made use of it,” Blauvelt says.