Favorites

The post-and-beam frame extends beyond the home's envelope.

A George Nelson Cigar wall sconce joins a Crate & Barrel dresser in the master bedroom.

Bob’s office has a teak wall unit by Sven Ellekaer for Albert Hansen, a 1960s chair by Ib Kofod-Larsen for Selig, and a vintage Nelson Ball clock.

In the master suite, there’s an Ipe accent wall behind the bed and the large-format porcelain tile on the floor, and the homeowners relish the preserved trees. “One of my favorite details is that when we wake up in the morning, we’ve got this gorgeous Banyan tree outside with orchids blooming like crazy around the trunk,” says Goldstein. “Just waking up to that is spectacular.”

“The nice thing about the second-floor is that it’s like you’re living in a treehouse,” says Brillhart. “It’s really sort-of a magical Coconut Grove experience.”

An outdoor lounge area is tucked into the juncture made where the new kitchen wing joins with the renovated Trip Russell house.

A view of the new kitchen wing. “We weren’t trying to mimic Russell’s architecture, but we were trying to be sympathetic to the structure and the materiality in our additions and renovations,” says Brillhart.

The kitchen and dining areas now occupy the new single-level wing and also overlook the backyard via the glass wall. Silestone countertops waterfall over walnut cabinetry, and exposed wood rafters overhead received a coat of whitewash.

“Most homeowners would tear the whole thing down and start fresh,” says Brillhart. “But it made for a much more interesting project, preserving a little bit of Russell’s legacy and then adding two new wings on each side of the building.” An Ipe fence now lines the front of the property, and the two-story wing can be just glimpsed through the trees on the left.

Before: The 1948 house was designed by Trip Russell, a well-known local architect, and sits on an 11,800-square-foot lot in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. Smaller homes such as this one are vulnerable to demolition, but Brillhart Architecture designed additions to flank Russell’s structure. "We wanted people to walk up to the gate and see the original house," says Brillhart.

The Marvin Ultimate Lift and Slide Door is available in sizes up to 48 feet wide, proving the option for expansive openings that seamlessly transition to exterior spaces.

To expand and also brighten the home, the team added a sun-filled dining space and opened up the lace side facade through the use of Marvin Lift and Slide Doors. "My team and I are big fans of Marvin products,

A soaring, wood-beamed atrium is an unexpected surprise upon entering the home. The renovated kitchen features a large marble island that visually grounds the space.

The master bath was the largest renovation project of the home. "We ended up extending the bathroom, removing the dressing area and the small original bathroom, and gutted the whole thing," she says. "This created a larger master bath with a free-standing tub and double showers." Then, they added open glass panels and had a custom concrete sink made by Trueform Concrete. On the floor lies custom-cut, chevron -atterned, gray tile and 2' by 16' glossy subway tiles that are stacked horizontally.

Throughout the home, the floors were replaced with light hardwood to make the space feel more modern and open. Baer brought in a MBH Sectional in White Linen and a Hotel Collection metal-and-stone coffee table alongside the Sams International Atlas Woolen Rug. In this space, the Raskinds added a touch of Hollywood glamour with the red velvet midcentury chairs. They finished off the look by painting the original fireplace with Cover of Night by Dunn Edwards and added hexagonal tiles at the base.

"We knew from the start we wanted to paint the front a really deep gray color with blue undertones that would be the base and would be carried throughout the rest of the house," Rebecca Raskind says. For the home, she used all Dunn Edwards paint, choosing White Picket Fence, Cover of Night, Anchor Gray, and Crest Line for the exterior. The couple also added black aluminum Milgard windows.

A new landscaped walk was added to bring pedestrians up to the house from the street, while new landscaping emphasizes the home's tree house-like feel.

The couple requested deep drawers that would make it easy to store all of their appliances and kitchenware. "We're avid cooks," Janet says.

"Henrybuilt’s finishes don’t hide the quality of the wood underneath. It's a refined matte finish that is amazingly easy to live with," Janet says. "I describe it like an amazing piece of linen fabric,—it gets better the more I use it."