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Minimalist wooden kitchen cabinets from Danish company Reform bring warmth to the space. The arabescato cremo marble counter was on clearance—there was just one large piece left.

The stove is by the Italian maker Verona. Cristiana had asked her dad to shop for the appliance in Italy. The company had just done a trade show in Las Vegas and didn’t want to bring the floor models back to Europe, so they offered a big discount. “There’s a lot of Italians helping Italians out there,” she says.

The dining area lies between the open kitchen and the sliding doors to the backyard, which are often left open. The table was a hand-me-down from a friend. She was selling her matching Hans Wegner chairs to go with it; they bought dupes instead. When they had trouble finding a light fixture for the space, Joe made one; it has opened up a new avenue for his art. All of the pottery is by Joe, except for the footed vase, which is by Amikar Palacios Salas.

The fireplace is a centerpiece of the open living area. The Skobys splurged on the Heath Ceramics tiles on its front; the square hearth tiles are limestone from Ann Sacks. The painting is by artist Philippine des Richemont, and is flanked by some of Joe’s pieces. Joe’s cousin, Evan Chambers, a glassblower in Altadena, made the lamp by the window..

A Sara Genn painting hangs above the sofa. Half of a wood slab Joe used for an art show rests on cinder blocks to make a coffee table; the other half is now the mantle. The Skobys bartered artwork for the sconces by Escondido-based designer Nick Pourfard.

It was hard for the Skobys to find the right cabinetry for the main bathroom. Coyote Custom Woodwork was willing to build the custom vanities in exchange for some of Joe’s art.

Architect João Completo used a limited material palette in the house he designed for his parents, a choice he appreciates in many homes featured in Dwell. Birch plywood and concrete are featured throughout. “The language is very coherent in every space, which gives it a sense of fluidity,” Completo says. “It feels a bit bigger than it is because the materials are the same everywhere.”