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KITCHEN
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SPRING 2013 WWW. CUSTOMHOMEONLINE. COM
The art and craft of home design
Custom
Home
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www.customhomeonline.com Spring 2013 / Custom Home 19
Room Study
OPEN
SEASON
An open-plan kitchen ofers
multiple options, but denition
in the design is essential.
Three examples ofer guidance.
BY AMY ALBERT
A
s interior design goes, the open kitchen is a relative
youngster. Its a modern idea, and with it come
challenges. Even in homes with traditional styling,
clients want open kitchens and all that they deliver:
the cooking space as the center of the action, with clear
sightlines to everything thats going on in and around it.
The kitchen as wide-open continuation of the living space (rather
than tucked-away scullery) brings its own set of questions, such as
clear and sensible spatial geometry, denition of function, sufcient
wall space for big appliances, and lighting. The hardest part is
visibility. It becomes more than just working space, because everything
is on stage and exposed, says Tom Shafer, a principal of Grunsfeld
Shafer Architects in Chicago. For a couple who wanted to stay put in the P
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20 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
Room Study
High Ideals The loftlike ceiling in this lodge-style Texas home provided
lighting challenges for the open kitchen. A custom-crafted chandelier
made with parts sourced from a flea market works in tandem with task
and ambient lighting, illuminating the room in layers.
C
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1950s ranch house they had come to love over many years, Shafer did
an extensive remodel, designing the entire houseincluding the open
kitchenby following the homes existing lines. They wanted
to keep their memories and use the house with the next generation,
their married children and grandchildren, Shafer says.
Several elements in this open-plan area separate the cooking space
from the living area while keeping the kitchen an integral and clearly
dened part of the room.A work island of oiled English brown oak
became the centerpiece, notes Shafer, who adds that he and the clients
wanted it to be a magnet. The island serves as bookshelf, storage area,
work surface, and room divider. Its a great product for use around
water and food, says Shafer of the oiled oak workspace, which includes
an undermounted sink.
The home itself was quirky, as described by the architect, with
a high wood ceiling of Western red cedar.To give the kitchen a needed
sense of denition and intimacy, Shafer designed a dropped ceiling.
This delineates the cooking zone and houses recessed halogens on
dimmers that can serve as task and ambient lighting.The white dropped
ceiling bounces light into the cooking area, too.With its large, metal-
framed windows, the entire space living looks west to the pool, providing
the Palm Springs, Calif.,vibe that was desired (the house actually is
located outside Chicago). For the clients, the scale of the kitchen works
for all occasions and has become the epicenter, Shafer says. It has
changed the way they use the house.
In Austin,Texas, architect Paul Lambs client wanted a kitchen
where she could be in the center of the entire oor plan. Sure enough,
in this L-shaped house, the kitchen is nested in the right angle of an L.
An added challenge was that the client wanted the replace and seating
area to be facing the kitchen so that family and guests didnt have their
backs to her while she was working in the kitchen.A limestone wall
with a generous archway cuts through the rst oor so the kitchen
and living area are separate yet together.
The house has a family-lodge kind of style, with a 12/12 roof and
an 18-foot, double-height ceiling of Douglas r beams and planks,
so an open kitchen wasnt such a stretch.Those soaring ceilings made
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22 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
Room Study
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Old and New Even in homes with traditional styling, people want
open kitchens, says architect Julie Hacker. When that modern idea gets
partnered with Arts & Crafts materials, one result is a multitasking room
like this, which can go from brunch for four to cocktails for 40.
lighting tricky, but Lamb designed a large chandelier, starting with
a circular steel tube 13 feet in diameter that serves as a lighting track.
MR16 spots throw light everywhere we needed it, says Lamb, while
old English lanterns sourced at a ea market provide ambient glow.
Undercabinet illumination provides additional task lighting. Even the
stove is a light source,with work lights that glow through a glass-fronted
vent hood. The challenge of an open kitchen is keeping it human,
says Don Crowell, general contractor on the project. Even though this
one has a lofty ceiling, the experience of the kitchen is a cozy place
where youd like to hang out.
In Chicago, Stuart Cohen and Julie Hackers clients craved
a home with bungalow character and detailing, right down to the
mortise-and-tenon joinery on the kitchen island. But they, too,
wanted a large, open kitchen that could handle informal gatherings
with friends as ably as it could big dinner fundraisers. The architects
designed an open room divider that separates the family room from
the kitchen while it joins the two spaces, allowing sightlines of Lake
Michigan from clear across the kitchen. The divider serves as a wine
storage area, work space, and display shelving for pottery. In dening
the room, it gets a graceful assist from a continuous band of crown
molding that wraps around the entire kitchen, crossing the divide
between kitchen and family room. The divider is sitting in space,
but its locked in by the trim, Cohen points out. Floor materials
underscore the difering functions of each space: antique French
limestone in the cooking area and 6-inch-wide white oak planks
in the sitting space.
Cohen and Hacker design mostly contemporary spaces, but even
with an open kitchen that has traditional ttings and materials,
the questions remain the same.As for the main challenges, Hacker
sums it up with a question of her own: When you have a room thats
one big space,what are the architectural ideas that allow you to have
the room perceived as a big open space but have dened functions
and sub-spaces within? she asks. Its like solving a puzzle. CH
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Spring 2013 / Custom Home 29 www.customhomeonline.com
James Trahan graduated with multiple
honors from Louisiana State University
and is a past recipient of the AIA Young
Architects Award. The up-and-coming
architect began his career at a small rm
in Phoenix designing mostly light commercial
projects. Trahan enjoyed the work, but was
frustrated by frequent communication
disconnects with contractors. Rather than
complain about the problem, he decided
to x it by becoming a licensed contractor
and starting his own design/build rm.
I actually took the residential licensing test
by mistake, Trahan admits, but hes glad
he did because it was a house that launched
his edgling rm into the stratosphere
of Phoenixs construction elite.
I originally intended to only build
projects we designed, Trahan explains,
but we won a competition with a house
we did and suddenly all of these prominent
architects were asking us to build their
designs. As the rms client list grew,
Trahan began hiring, but he sought out
recent architecture graduates rather than
experienced contractors. The strategy was
to avoid communication issues by selecting
people who could already interpret plans
and be taught the rest. I hired staf with
architecture backgrounds, Trahan says,
so theyd understand what I or another
architect were talking about in our designs.
Each new employee at 180 Degrees
goes through intensive training. The
program is similar to an apprenticeship,
but covers all steps of producing a building
from conception to completion.The staf
member who designs a particular project
follows it through construction, serving
as architect, project manager, client liaison,
site supervisor, craftsperson, and more.
In addition to teaching each employee every
job, this arrangement means that the person
who knows the project best also is the one
building it.
The training creates better builders
because they understand the concepts
behind the design. It also improves their
architecture skills because they know how
things go together. The approach creates a
group of designer/builders who are capable
of creating highly complex projects. The
company incorporates extensive 3D modeling
into their designs as well as projects where
they act only as the general contractor.
We do our own drawings even when we
get construction drawings from architects,
Trahan says. We basically go back and
rebuild a project with three-dimensional
drawings so we know exactly how it works
and goes together.
James Trahan
Founder/Owner
180 Degrees,
Phoenix
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Cool Craft Staff from 180 Degrees served as
architects, builders, and artisans for this interior
renovation of a modern residence originally
designed by architect Ned Sawyer.
Custom 2.0
Suddenly all of
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Trahans training philosophy generates
perks for clients as well. Because the
employees have all built something, they
all know exactly what things cost from
a custom detail to an entire house. The
company is widely respected for its ability
to complete a project on time and within
budget. It helps with cost estimates that
a lot of fabrication is done in house, which
also yields higher quality and ability to
handle complex designs. We have about
a 4,000-square-foot warehouse where we
do custom design and fabrication of furniture,
cast concrete, glass installation, and specialty
nishes, Trahan explains. He adds that
many architects choose the rm because of
its hands-on approach to training employees
and building houses. We understand the
complexity of modern architecture and how
the infrastructure must be awless for the
nal nishes to be awless.
In 2008, Trahans company received the
Arizona AIA Contractor of the Year Award
proof that although his career path has
changed slightly since graduation, Trahan
hasnt stopped putting award-winning efort
into his work. shelley d. hutchins
180 Degrees
www.180degreesinc.com
Type of business Design/
build
Years in business 12
Employees 14
Annual revenue $5 million
Projects per year 4-6
Projects 75% residential
vs. 25% commercial; 50%
design/build vs. 50%
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32 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
A Long Island house brings order and inspiration
to a multitrack family life.
BY BRUCE D. SNI DER
PARALLEL PLAY
www.customhomeonline.com Spring 2013 / Custom Home 33
Design Studio
www.customhomeonline.com 34 Custom Home / Spring 2013
E
very custom home responds to a clients
unique program; thats what makes it
custom. But Sams Creek began with an
unusual combination of requirements.
Its owners, the parents of two young
children, also are a classic New York
power couple. Hes in nance; she runs
a 60-person PR agency. Shes really
a multitasker, says architect Paul Masi.
They have parties of 20 children and
entertain 30 adults at the same time, some of whom are clients. To
help manage their overlapping family and professional lives, Masi
and his partner Harry Bates designed the new house as a grouping
of connected pavilions, each serving a specic set of functions.
Theyre almost like separate buildings, says Masi of the open-
ended boxes that make up the building. Theres a connection
between them, but theyre allowed to be separate. Oriented toward
the north and southand screening out neighboring houses at the east
and westthe interlocking volumes open onto sheltered courtyards
and hedge-bordered lawns. Despite a relatively tight neighborhood
location, Masi says, youre really just looking out into the landscape.
A high, glass-walled living and dining pavilion stands at the
center of the composition, linking the kitchen and family room to
the east, and family bedrooms to the west. A transparent gateway
between the formal entrance and the main patio, the central pavilion
accommodates large gatherings that ow comfortably onto the main
patio and into the kitchen without disturbing the houses more
private zones. A pair of two-bedroom guest quarters, at opposite ends
of the house, mirror each others compact oor plan. The pool house,
conceived as a detached fragment of the main house, serves as
a fth guest suite. Theres denitely an efciency we were trying
to achieve, keeping the house as small as possible with this number
of bedrooms, Masi says.
An abbreviated palette of rich materials unies the loose-jointed
oor plan. Mahogany exterior siding wraps into the house, where it
covers walls, oors, and ceilings. Travertine pavers form an unbroken
plane from the entrance walk, across the living room oor, and into
the backyard hardscape. To keep the number of materials down, we
even carved the stone to make grills in the oor, says Masi, referring
to the HVAC. His rm also designed the houses interiors.The resulting
integration of architecture and furnishings reects the architects goal
of letting it be about the geometry rather than about the materials.
Where a material moves to the foreground, it does so with authority.
The replace that divides the living and dining room, a steel-framed
structure clad in slatted bronze plates, asserts a strongly sculptural
presence. Builder Stephen Breitenbach points out that the assembly
also conceals mechanical equipment, a coat closet, and a structural
moment frame that provides rigidity to the entire pavilion. Rather than
gas jets, the hearth holds a troughlike alcohol burner set in a bed of
brass BBs. Thats a ueless replace, Breitenbach says.The hood above
leads to a skylight, he explains, so instead of smoke wafting up, during
the daytime, light comes down that shaft over the replace.
The kitchen works a similar trick, with a rooftop monitor that pours
light into a recessed counter area lined with travertine.The back wall
of the recess borrows its lapped pattern from the buildings exterior,
where the same detailalso in travertineaccents the window
walls. We had special stainless steel wire clips fabricated for that,
Breitenbach says. Elsewhere, the room draws from the houses core
palette, with hinged mahogany panels concealing the refrigerator,
storage cabinets, and a wood-burning brick pizza oven.The consistency
of materials gives the kitchen the sense of being another entertaining
space, Masi says.
But every party ends eventually, so the house reserves a few visual
treats for its owners alone.The master bedroom centers on a built-in
bed whose high headboard repeats the replaces cladding pattern, but
in leather rather than bronze.The master baths focal point is a vessel
tub, bracketed by the rooms etched glass shower and toilet enclosures
and backed by a panel of narrow ceramic tiles.The custom light xture
above, with its dangling curtain of bead chain, echoes the tiles rainlike
pattern. It has the same efect as water, Masi says. CH
Selective Focus The houses interlocking,
open-ended forms direct views toward
landscaped yards, screening out neighboring
houses at both sides.
VIEW ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF THIS PROJECT AT CUSTOMHOMEONLINE.COM
Project Credits: Builder: Breitenbach Builders, Bridgehampton, N.Y.;
Architect: Bates Masi + Architects, Sag Harbor, N.Y.; Structural engineer:
Steven L. Maresca, Hampton Bays, N.Y.; Photographer: Bates Masi +
Architects; Resources: Cabinetry: Ciufo Cabinetry; Countertops: Corian;
Decorative hardware: Accurate, Emtek, Hafele, Johnson; Disposal:
Insinkerator; Faucets/Fittings: Kallista; Paints/Stains: Benjamin Moore;
Sinks: Julien, Kallista; Windows: Arcadia
Spring 2013 / Custom Home 35 www.customhomeonline.com
36 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
Spring 2013 / Custom Home 37 www.customhomeonline.com
Material Witness Clockwise, from left: Bronze
plates clad the fireplace that divides the living
and dining areas. Its vertical element contains
a coat closet; the chimney leads to a skylight.
In the master bathroom, a custom light fixture
fabricated with bead chainone of several
that Bates Masi + Architects designed for this
projectechoes a panel of narrow vertical
wall tile at the tub. A ceiling-height room
divider creates a sheltering surround at the
master bedrooms built-in bed. The headboard
repeats the fireplaces slatted pattern, but in
leather instead of bronze. The kitchen island
is faced with the same mahogany that covers
the buildings interior and exterior walls. The
stainless steel counter includes a recessed
drainboard with a cutting board insert. The
kitchens breakfast booth enjoys a widescreen
view of the yard.
www.customhomeonline.com 38 Custom Home / Spring 2013
Design Studio
www.customhomeonline.com Spring 2013 / Custom Home 39
A deft remodel opens up a venerable
northern California cottage.
BY BRUCE D. SNI DER / PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTHEW MI LLMAN
LIGHT TOUCH
40 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
Spring 2013 / Custom Home 41 www.customhomeonline.com
A
rchitects and interior designers
can be less than the most willing of
creative partners. But when equally
gifted members of these not-
always-allied professions work as a
team, the results can be impressive.
Witness this Victorian-era cottage
in the northern California town of
Larkspur. Interior designer Carol
Knorpp bought the house with her
real estate developer husband, Jon, and hired architect Ken Linsteadt
to design a top-to-bottom remodel. I had worked with Ken before,
says Knorpp, who calls the architect one of the most creative people
Ive ever come across in the business. Their seamless collaboration
here yielded a residence that is both historically grounded and fresh,
personal yet quintessentially Californian.
Knorpp says the house drew her, in part, because it hadnt been
touched in 50 years. But its historic designation meant that any
exterior alterations would be subject to review board approval. Its
congurationa single-level plan with a semi-nished basement and
an unnished atticposed additional challenges. Including nished
and unnished areas, the house ofered the potential of more than
4,000 square feet of living space, but it wasnt very user friendly,
Knorpp says.The main levels elevation, nearly a full story above grade,
was an especially high hurdle, Linsteadt notes. For a lot of people, that
would have been a deal-breaker, he says.
Because the rst order of business was to connect living areas with
the outdoors, Linsteadt lled an open corner of the buildings footprint
with a large, elevated deck. Given the houses regulatory constraints,
most of our other moves were internal, he says. Gutting the lower
level yielded space for a two-bedroom childrens suite and a guest
quarters.A 1960s-era garage addition became a recreation room with
direct access the backyard pool.Three discreet dormers and two new
staircasesone for general use and one for secondary egressopened
up a gemlike space at the attic level. Upstairs, youre almost in a nest.
Its three stories up, so it gets extraordinary light, Knorpp says. We
grabbed that for the master suite, Linsteadt adds, which left the main
oor for living spaces.
Structural edits and repurposing of existing rooms at the main
level updated a choppy Victorian oor plan, locating formal and private
functions at the front of the house and casual spaces at the rear.
The heart of the house is now moved to the back, says Linsteadt,
who linked the kitchen, family room, and deck in a carefully composed
sequence of living spaces. One of the bigger decisions we made was
disconnecting the family room from the kitchen. But the resulting
plan, with its choice of indoor and outdoor circulation paths, ofers
a richer experience than would a great-room layout. It makes this
interesting loop, he says. At its huband at the center of family life
is the kitchens breakfast bay, whose deceptively oversize windows ofer
a treetop-level view of Marin Countys iconic Mount Tamalpais.
One good thing about being up so high is we have wonderful light,
Knorpp says. Her kitchen capitalizes on that resource with abundant
glazing and a pale palette of subtly textured materials.The walls and
ceilings are tongue-and-groove wood paneling with joints that show
random unpainted gaps.The oor is salvaged white oak with a hand-
scraped surface; the same material, left rough, covers the range hood.
Countertops are Calacatta marble, except for a section of stainless
steel at the range recess. The glass-front cabinets draw on the old
butlers pantry model.
Throughout the project, Knorpp and Linsteadt sought sweet-spot
solutions that would highlight the houses historical character while
gently nudging it in a more contemporary direction. Presented with
an 11-foot ceiling height at the main oor, they raised door openings
there by more than a foot. We replaced the casings with something
more modest, Linsteadt says. Theres still detail there, but its less
gingerbready. The master bedrooms horizontal paneling, while new,
allows a hint of the former attics character to ghost through. An
eclectic mix of lighting xtures, sourced from Italy, Spain, Belgium,
and the U.S., seasons the projects enlightened nostalgia with a dash
of ironic humor. Such deft moves represent not only the fruits of
a successful design partnership, but also a kind of gift to the house
itself. It needed so much, Knorpp says. But we didnt want to take
out the history. We didnt want to take the soul out of the house. CH
Ground Control Located at the hub of
circulation among the kitchen, deck, and family
room, the breakfast bay is the most popular
spot in the house. Its deceptively oversize
windows offer views of Mount Tamalpais.
VIEW ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF THIS PROJECT AT CUSTOMHOMEONLINE.COM
Project Credits: Builder: Floyd Construction, San Rafael, Calif.; Architect:
Ken Linsteadt Architects, San Francisco; Interior designer: KB Design,
Larkspur, Calif.; Living space: 4,500 square feet; Site: 0.5 acre; Construction
cost: Withheld; Resources: Bathroom plumbing xtures: Waterworks;
Dishwasher: Miele; Fireplace: Isokern; Hardware: Ashley Norton;
Interior doors: TruStile; Kitchen plumbing xtures: Blanco; Lighting
xtures: Ameico, Hemera; Paints and stains: Benjamin Moore; Range:
Wolfe; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
42 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
Victorian Perfection Moving casual living
spaces to the rear made the houses original
first-floor rooms available for more formal
purposes. While easily accessible from the
kitchen, the dining room and its adjoining sitting
room offer a quieter setting than the familys
daily gathering places (top). Required as a
secondary means of egress, this compact stair
also provides a shortcut from the master suite
to the first-floor library (above, right).
The picturesque entry elevation is little changed
since the Victorian era. Nearly a full story above
grade, the houses main-floor living spaces offer
views in every direction (above, left). Taking
advantage of the original 11-foot-high ceilings,
the renovation included new, taller doorways
that maximize the penetration of natural light.
An eclectic mix of lighting fixtures adds
a contemporary touch that complements
the houses vintage character (opposite page).
Spring 2013 / Custom Home 43 www.customhomeonline.com
www.customhomeonline.com 44 Custom Home / Spring 2013
Design Studio
Spring 2013 / Custom Home 45 www.customhomeonline.com
A Sonoma house embraces site and sky
BY BRUCE D. SNI DER /
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTHEW MI LLMAN
UPWARD
MOBILITY
46 Custom Home / Spring 2013 www.customhomeonline.com
Inside Out A concrete floor (top) flows to the
patio and pool deck, which has a sauna,
changing area, half bath, and outdoor kitchen.
The copper-clad chimney (right) is a hat-tip to
the owners roots, in Michigan mining country.
Spring 2013 / Custom Home 47 www.customhomeonline.com
L
ocated in the hills above Californias
Sonoma Valley,Sonoma Mountain House
occupies a high,sloping site shaded by
towering trees. You climb a long,winding
drive to get to the site, says architect Richard
Schuh,then youre surrounded by these
classic California trees: rs,redwoods,oaks,
and madrones. Schuh insisted on saving
as much of that standing timberand
of the sites existing topographyas possible
in this project,designing the house as a largely transparent platform for
living,entertaining,and,most important,simply being here.
Schuhs clients, a couple embarking on post-retirement life, envisioned
a casual mode for their new home. This was to be their transition from
living in the city, a place where they could just relax and absorb the setting,
Schuh says.To accommodate frequent visitors without cramping the open-
plan lifestyle they sought, Schuh divided the program into two structures
a main house and a guesthouselinked by a linear deck that runs the length
of both buildings. The grade drops of dramatically, he says, so the deck
can bridge to the guest house. Its this spine that holds things together.
The main houses L-shaped plan orients its private wing upslope,where
it digs into the hillside. It gives you the sense of tucking into the site, Schuh
says. Its kind of the opposite of the guest house,which hovers above the
site. The topography falls away along the entry wall of the houses great
room wing as well, permitting on-grade access to the garage below. Schuh
located the kitchen and dining areas at the hinge of the L,where they open
onto the linear deck and a pool terrace at the houses northeast side. Like
the house itself,the pool meets the grade at its uphill side,Schuh says,but
then it shoots out into the landscape.
Schuh heightened the tree house atmosphere inside with a shed roof that
oats over a tall,glazed clerestory.Tubular steel struts shorten the efective
span of the rafters,which also benet from the cantilever efect of the roofs
12-foot overhang,permitting the use of relatively small 6-inch-deep,wide-
ange I-beams. We used steel because we wanted to keep the framework
as light and airy as possible, Schuh says. Laminated r decking boards span
the 8-foot bays without purlins,so we were able to keep the roof prole really
thin. And while the ceiling planes skyward trajectory draws ones gaze out
into the treetops,the roof structure asserts its own sculptural presence.
Most of the walls dont go up to the main roofjust two interior walls
doso theres always this sense of it hovering over the space, Schuh says.
A similar roof tops the two-story guesthouse,whose upper level shares
the oor elevation of the main house. It has a living room upstairs and
bedrooms downstairs, Schuh says, but theyre not connected inside,
which allows the guest living area to serve as an overow living space.
Despite their close connection, however, the two structures ofer subtly
diferent experiences of the site.The main house is grounded by its board-
formed foundation walls, which extend outward from the building to
become site retaining walls. In contrast, the guesthouse perches lightly
on a scafoldlike steel framework.As the building rises into the forest
canopy, Schuh says, the site just ows through underneath. CH
VIEW ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF THIS PROJECT AT CUSTOMHOMEONLINE.COM
Project Credits: Architect: Nielsen: Schuh Architects, Sonoma, Calif.; Builder:
The Gray Co., Sonoma; Structural engineer: Jankovsky Engineering Services,
Cloverdale, Calif.; Landscape architect: Nielsen : Schuh Architects; Project size:
3,350 square feet (main house), 850 square feet (guest house); Site size: 10 acres
Imagine a deck that can withstand waves of family fun and
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www.customhomeonline.com Spring 2013 / Custom Home 57
Outdoor Products
1
1. SWISH SEAT
Verner Pantons cantilevered
stacking chair, designed in 1960,
may be the best seat outside
the house. Sturdy, comfortable,
and easy to clean, it consists of
a single piece of flexible, integrally
colored polypropylene that wont
fade over time, making it a classic
choice for outdoor dining. Vitra.
212.463.5750. www.vitra.com.
BY CHERYL WEBER, LEED AP
www.customhomeonline.com
2 3 4 5 1
58 Custom Home / Spring 2013
2. SLOW BURN
Billed as the most efficient cooker on
the market, this luxury charcoal grill
is made with a two-layer insulating
sandwich of refractory cements and
an airtight lid seal. Its design reduces
air flow, conserves fuel, and allows it
to maintain a 230-degree temperature
for up to 85 hours. The larger of the two
models weighs 588 poundshefty,
but not more than a code-built deck can
hold. The glazed ceramic grills come
in more than two dozen colors. Komodo
Kamado. 424.270.1948. www.
komodokamado.com.
3. SWEDISH BAUHAUS
Artistry and utility meet in these eco-
friendly Bauhaus rugs, shuttle-woven
in Sweden. The thick, hypoallergenic
mats are made from 50 percent
recycled plastic strips and withstand
moisture and mold. They can be hosed
down outdoors or washed in a machine,
and their jacquard weave makes them
reversible, with opposite colors on
the front and back. Magdalena York
Collection. 203.254.9293. www.
magdalenayorkcollection.com.
4. PIZZA PIZZA
The GUSTO portable wood-fired oven
combines sleek Italian design with
engineering that allows it to maintain its
heat for 1 hours, while consuming five
times less wood than a traditional brick
oven. Made of cast iron and stainless
steel, it features an interior light and
convection fan, and a multilevel chamber
that cooks everything from pizza
and bread to meats and vegetables.
Fontana Forni. 843.615.3329. www.
fontanaforniusa.com.
5. WARM WELCOME
The DCS built-in patio heater extends
the outdoor entertaining season
with 56,000 BTUs of heat and
keeps guests toasty up to 15 feet
away. Fed by natural gas, the units
feature weatherproof stainless steel
construction and come with an optional
remote control. DCS by Fisher & Paykel
Appliances. 888.936.7872. www.
dcsappliances.com.
6. IN SUSPENSE
Outdoor illumination gets a modernist
update with the suspension-mounted
UTO pendant light by Foscarini. Made
of silicone rubber with a polycarbonate
diffuser, it comes in white, yellow, or
orange and can be used indoors or out.
Mount it in multiples for an unexpected
twist. Foscarini. +39 041 595 3811.
www.foscarini.com.
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Beautiful. Distinctive.
Homeowner Approved.
Keystone Country Manor.
More than just a pretty face.
Beyond natural beauty and elegance, its what you dont see that makes a
Keystone project remarkable. Our pin connection system improves design,
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To view Keystones complete line of innovative products and project ideas, visit us online at www.keystonewalls.com or call 1-800-747-8971.
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Greeneagle Residence,
Oakville Ontario
Direct Vent 6ft.
Designer: Guido Constantino
Photo: Domenico Roda
modern fires
Fire, Perfect
6 Fire Ribbon
Fully redesigned 6' Fire Ribbon, now with Power Venting, affords greater creative range
by achieving horizontal venting runs up to 110 and vertical runs up to 66. See our photo
gallery at www.sparkfires.com or contact us directly at 866.938.3846
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Advertising Index
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AERT/MoistureShield 48
AIA 16
Bona Floor Poly 60
Boral Stone C2
Builder Choice Call for Entries 49
Builder iPad App 17
Crown Point Cabinetry 2
GAF 18
JELD-WEN Windows & Doors C4
Keystone Retaining Wall Systems 61
Knauf Insulation 28
Marvin Windows and Doors 21
Milgard Windows & Doors 4
Moen 11
Oldcastle/Artisan Masonry Stone Veneers 56
Perennial Wood* 48a-b
Pine Hall Brick 62
PPG Industries 23
ProVia 7
Rinnai 15
Zuri Premium Decking by Royal* 16a-b
Sherwin-Williams 1
SoftPlan 6
Spark Modern Fires 62
Sub-Zero/Wolf C3
Sunbrella 59
The Home Depot 8
The Tapco Group 27
Trex 13
Trim-Tex 6
VELUX Skylights 30, 31
Weyerhaeuser/Trus Joist Engineered Wood Products 24
*Appears in regional editions
Advertiser Page(s) Advertiser Page(s)
S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N
CUSTOM PRODUCT SHOWCASE
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special advertising section,
contact Elle Ferfusson at
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Last
Detail
A close-up look at a great idea
64 Custom Home / Spring 2013
LAVISH
LEFTOVERS
Just of the main public area in this house for nine
six people plus three dogssits a family-oriented
but not too chaotic powder room.Architects Erla
Dgg Ingjaldsdttir and Tryggvi Thorsteinsson,
of Santa Monica, Calif.based Minarc, infused the
space with contrapuntal elements that blend into
a harmonic whole. A long vanity with a carved sink
was fashioned out of wood scraps leftover from the
even bigger scraps used to create the homes 17-foot-tall
front door. Supporting the sleek sink is a tile surround
that pops out a little, explains Ingjaldsdttir, so
we could insert this sliver of white glass that lets in
light from the living room. Reclaimed burnt oak
planks cover the wall and segue into ooring, adding
warmth and visual height.A gnarled piece of wood
frames the bathroom mirror.This piece was found
by the clients,who asked the architects what they
thought before buying it. It works because the back
wall is this smooth concrete wall, Thorsteinsson says,
and the mirror is like a piece of art that reects the
personality of the owner. shelley d. hutchins
A
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www.customhomeonline.com
Walk in with
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Umpqua River Lighthouse, Winchester Bay, Oregon One of four renovated
lighthouses featuring JELD-WEN
Wood.
Lighthouses are exposed to all sorts of threats. One of the most damaging is moisture, which can
lead to wood rot. Lighthouses arent alone. Wood rot is a constant threat to homes everywhere.
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