wicked creative ideas

Office of Tangible Space tapped artist Rafael Uriegas for a mural to cover the hallway leading to the children's rooms.

In Joshua Tree, Tyler Quinn built a tub—which looks like a mirage you’d stumble upon while wandering the landscape—right into the bed rock next to his off-grid house (and very first build). “I accomplished this with a concrete saw, with my cuts about four to six inches deep. I would then remove the entire layer of granite with hand tools; chisels and hammer,” says Quinn.

The brass backsplash was a risky experiment carried off by Natalie, who started with unlacquered 4x8 foot sheets, then gave them patina by covering them in vinegar, ketchup, and salt, and leaving them out in the sun. The resulting pattern was aligned as carefully as possible, and the surface sealed. “We just had to essentially cut the topography into a way that felt really great,” says Natalie.

The kitchen is composed of stainless steel, from the cabinetry fabricated by Barcelona company Timblau, to the counters and backsplash, the latter given a mirror polish for contrast to the former’s patina on the surfaces. The boxes were brought in on a crane and then the group put them together in place. “The kitchen shouldn't be a closed dirty area of the house,” says Jon. “But [rather] the heart.” Fitting, as social life in the Basque culture revolves around eating together.

One of the homeowner’s daughters, Julia, works at Unique Art Glass, a multi-generational stained glass company owned by her boyfriend’s family. The couple designed two windows for the house, including this one in the dining area.

Another shot of the kitchen, where a flea market painting has been covered by the repeating floral motif of the walls.

White paint was chosen to make the interiors brighter, along with matte-white appliances and light-toned woods like Lauan plywood and Japanese ash.

Nicolas and Emma added colorful details like a pink Home Depot carpet.

A water feature and bird bath are built into the studio’s facade.

“It extends roughly 120 square metres of the apartment. With its thickness, the material has a breathability to it, which absorbs and subtly modulates the humidity of the interior air volume, and creates a comfortable air quality in the tropical capital, says Suphasidh on the lime and earth surfaces; the handles are in Rome travertine.

The Dows loved to host and their massive living and dining room had ample space for parties. Decor came largely from Dow's designs and the treasures they collected on their travels.

Staircase with rift-sawn white oak handrails and pour-in-place terrazzo in green.

Shelves in the kitchen are built into the stone wall, using a traditional method of design and fabrication.

In the hallway, a tulip chair that was a gift from Nick's grandmother has been reupholstered with secondhand fabric. Nick also installed shelving underneath the doorway alcove to store books.