Collection by Jenny Chau
Renovation
In a renovated California home, the double-sided fireplace anchors the first floor as a transitional element between entry, kitchen, dining room, and living room pictured. The fireplace tile was a custom designed shape by the interior designers and was manufactured locally by Fireclay Tile. The integrated bookcase and mantle were made by Kaimade Woodworking with locally sourced walnut.
In a Manhattan Beach home, homeowner Matt Jacobson and architect Michael Lee designed the long steel-and-Ipe bench surrounding a square, concrete outdoor fire pit, which suspends from the low concrete wall in their outdoor space. Dukes relaxes on a Willy Guhl Loop chair with her German Shepherd, Major.
In the early stages of the addition concept process, Wibowo referred to a research publication from Australia, Dementia Care and the Built Environment, which underscores the importance of building a space that is as homelike as possible, with abundant light and many familiar objects in place. The architect accomplished this by creating custom shelving to hold ceramics that Ken made or collected over the years along with pieces by artist friends
In the living room, several art installations add flair, including one special addition from Anne Lindberg, an artist known for understated line drawings. Strands of welding wire with tiny sculpted wood ends were drilled into the wall near the piano so they would stick out and move with breezes from the courtyard. Its cascading lines contrast directly with the curvilinear, soft pink Swarovski crystal chandelier by Tord Boontje.
Built in 1957, Witthoefft House was designed and lived in by the architect Arthur Witthoefft. At the time, he was an architect in the Manhattan office of corporate modernists Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This recently restored 1957 modernist masterpiece features a freestanding travertine-and-steel fireplace, open on all four sides, that divides the living and dining areas.
From the front, Greg Hoffman and Kirsten Brady’s home in Portland, Oregon, bears little resemblance to the daylight ranch house that once stood in its place. Yet upon closer inspection, it is clear that the enlarged structure is actually an updated version of the same dwelling that has occupied the site since the early 1950s. More windows, a trellised roofline, a basalt privacy wall, and a flat-roofed, top-floor addition are among the most striking changes. Plantings were also added to enhance the yard. “There was zero landscaping,” says Greg, “If you look at the original photos, the house was just sitting on the ground.” All of the new features are carefully oriented so that the sightline from the street through the house to the vista beyond remains open. “The original house had a gap in the hedge so people could see the view,” Greg recalls. “We said, ‘Let’s keep that.’”









