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The LCW Molded Plywood chair is by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller.

A Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll sits in the guest bedroom.

Sandstone block walls abound in this 1963 Winter Haven, Florida, ranch house that was designed by Gene Leedy, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Sliding glass doors that lead to the patio exemplify Leedy's love of indoor/outdoor living.

Artist Christopher Florentino says his respect for Gene Leedy drove his update of the architect’s 1963 Ellison Residence in central Florida: “Being original is important to me. I don’t want Gene Leedy to come here and be like, ‘Damn, you killed my vision.’” In the living room, George Nelson’s Saucer Bubble pendant hovers over Eames classics, like an LCW chair, a Molded Fiberglass armchair, and a Molded Plywood coffee table. Christopher found the lounge, an Eames replica, in a dumpster and couldn’t let it go to waste. A Warhol print hangs from the sandstone block wall; the Ekko mobile is by Matthew Richards.

The walls are covered in waterproof plaster.

Fittingly, the brick was painted "Country Living

After: The living room overlooks the great room below. Now when you walk in the house, you can see clear out to the trees in the back—an idea sparked by an interior designer friend who commented that the most important aspect of a design is what you see when you walk in the front door.

“I don’t believe in TVs in bedrooms,” Sean says. He prefers viewing the pool and its surrounding plant life. The walls and ceiling feature a custom shade of Portola limewash called Dunes, with art by Northern California painter Jupiter Lockett.

A Knitted Dropped pendant light by Ariel Zuckerman hangs in the corner of the living room. The side chair is from Croft House, the custom couch is by West Coast Modern, and the rug is from Nordic Knots.

For the lower-level den, “Sean wanted something that felt really cozy,” says Alves. She and Echeverry covered the walls with Portola’s deep-green Timberline limewash and installed a built-in sofa to enclose a retreat from the rest of the open-plan house. They kept the home’s original hardwood floors, layering them with vintage Turkish rugs, and installed recessed shelving after discovering a hidden crawl space behind one of the walls.

wabi-sabi

The renovated kitchen features quartz counters and natural maple cabinets, and it flows easily with the rest of the renovated open plan.

Engelsman gave the kitchen an L-shaped layout with a large island workspace at the center, and pushed the tall storage into the garage, to create a wide circulation space to access the dining room and backyard.

A skylight was added to bring in more light, and the existing ceilings painted Benjamin Moore ‘Black Tar’ for contrast. The island pendant is the Schoolhouse Ray 17” Pendant and the stools are the Artek Aalto High Chair K65.

Caroline found the backsplash tile at Los Azulejos in Tecate, MX, while she was on a scouting trip for work. She texted Joel a photo: “He was like, ‘I don’t know, it looks a little terrazzo-y,’” says Caroline with a laugh. “But it turned out to be subtle enough.” The team actually had to install the backsplash twice because the first time, the red grout stained the tile surface. Joel and Caroline drove back to Mexico to purchase a second batch, with which they used white grout.

In a Portland home, Rise Boyer of Risa Boyer Architecture led a renovation that would respect the home's original aesthetic and make it easier for the homeowners to entertain.