Modern Fan Co. on Dwell

The front entry opens into a large great room that spans one entire side of the home.

The master bedroom features large glass sliders that lead outdoors.

Unit 02 Living Room

Unit 02 Living Room

Glass walls bring a sense of brightness to a bedroom and adjacent bathroom.

To maximize functionality in the original two-story home, Office of Architecture treated the residence to a complete gut renovation, which allowed for the new four-level layout.

Outdoor views fill the bedroom, which is simply furnished with the likes of matching bi-level nightstands.

The main floor hosts the open-plan living areas and a full bath. In the kitchen, black walnut cabinets are topped with counters composed of Baltic birch plywood with Fenix laminate. The floor is honed gray concrete throughout.

The bedroom maintains the simple palette with windows fabricated by the homeowner and Brazilian walnut flooring.

The main living space, master bedroom, and artist’s studio are all oriented toward views and the light of the morning sunrise. Strategically placed hallway skylights bring in more natural light and highlight the homeowner’s artwork.

Like the other buildings onsite, John Hix designed Casa Solaris to take advantage of the natural forces here in Vieques; wind, sun and rain. By creating open spaces, where basically the fourth wall is missing, John created a space that takes advantage of the trade winds that flow through the Vieques hills. By placing the open wall towards the trade winds (to the East), the room is constantly cooled, leaving no need for air conditioning. Photo by Michael Grimm.

Thanks to the efficiency of the bedroom fans by The Modern Fan Co., the Turkels can keep the Marvin lift-and-slide doors open throughout much of the year without having to rely on air conditioning. “We want to be able to keep the doors open as much as possible, yet sometimes the air movement in the desert isn’t sufficient to counteract the heat, so the fans are really a must,” adds Meelena.

Complete with not one, but two Juliette balconies, the Soleil room opens to the smells and sights of the garden below, looking out onto the Pacific Ocean.

Modern Murphy beds cleverly marry form and function. This Murphy bed with couch also features a shelf at the foot of the bed that doubles as decor and handy storage. Here's the bed transitioned from day mode to sleep mode.

This cabin has a commodious kitchen and living area that encourages family and friends to come together for meals and conversation.

Glazed garage doors by Renlita lift up to completely open the home to nature.

The combination living, kitchen, and dining area hosts a Modernica Case Study day bed, an Eames Aluminum Group chair and ottoman from Chicago vintage retailer Pegboard Modern, Artemide’s Tolomeo Mega floor lamp, and a Big Sur Small dining table from Crate and Barrel. The Duetto sideboard and cocktail table were hand-built by designer Sandra Capasso for her thesis project.

In the adjacent bedroom, decorative touches like the silver wallpaper and mirrored regency-style side table juxtapose with the exposed concrete and duct work.