Table of contents for March 2013 in Dwell

Inside Voices —Hermann Muthesius, The English House (1904) When Hermann Muthesius, a German scholar and architect who greatly influenced the pioneers of modernism, wrote those words at the turn of the last century, he was commenting on the need for architects to respect the power of interior design and vice versa. By praising the value and difficulty of creating an “artistically distinguished interior,” his point rang true and reverberates today—smart architects admire and are inspired by good interior design. We wholeheartedly agree with this philosophy—that the best homes demonstrate a unified vision for both inside and out. In this issue, we celebrate the notion by featuring incredible architecture made stronger by interior landscapes blending hue, texture, fabric, and form. Each residence is as different as its inhabitants, but the end…

ROOMS WE LOVE Project: Haifa House Designer: Pitsou Kedem Architect, pitsou.com Location: Haifa, Israel “All houses done by our office are designed around the library,” says Omer Dagan, an architect in Pitsou Kedem’s eponymous Tel Aviv, Israel, firm. It’s a boldly bibliophilic conceit, and an idea that makes an especially strong impact in Kedem’s 2011 Haifa House. A system of tall white shelves helps ground a vast double-height living room, a zone that’s both a spatial connector—the dining room, pool, second-floor balcony, and office all converge here—and a hub for relaxation. If the local vernacular (Kedem was inspired, in part, by the Bauhaus buildings in the neighborhood) and Israeli sunlight organize the space itself, the Italians hold sway when it comes to the furniture: The Soft Dream sofas are by…

A Devisor shelving by Christopher Jenner christopher-jenner.com • B Ombre rug by Kelly Wearstler for The Rug Company Wearstler, one of America’s most well-known interior designers, has been working with The Rug Company since 2008. Here she gets graphic, depicting gradient squares in hand-knotted Tibetan wool. therugcompany.com • C Penta-base Bookrest with cast-bronze base by Joseph Magliaro for TOC Studio tableofcontents.us • D Balance 2.0 floor lamp by Mieke Meijer mieke meijer.nl • E Curva sofa by Defne Koz for Derin In addition to its sinuous, uninterrupted shape, the tactility of Curva’s upholstery fabric is the most important feature for the Turkish designer: “It’s not just about the texture of the top surface but also the plushness of the first layer down.” derindesign.com • F GT Rocker by Gus* Modern…

We love bright hues, whether the color scheme references mid-century tastes or nods to a more contemporary palette. We’ve collected six brilliant objects that work together or apart. A O10 light by Guillaume Delvigne for Spécimen Éditions design.specimen-editions.fr/en • B Azzurro wallpaper in “Ponza” by Élitis Vinyl gets a bad rap as far as materials go, but it’s stain-resistant, washable, and in this case, easy to hang. elitis.fr/en • C Doll table lamp by Ionna Vautrin for Foscarini ylighting.com • D Mayor sofa by Arne Jacobsen from & Tradition Jacobsen designed this canape in 1939 for the city hall in Søllerød, Denmark, and it has never been produced for the retail market. Its Danish modern form is updated with bright yellow upholstery (though it’s also available in gray and black…

A Summer and Spring pendant lamps by Eva Zeisel for Leucos One of the last projects completed before Eva Zeisel’s death at age 105, this is also her first-ever lighting collection. In addition to the pendants, both silhouettes are available in table and sconce versions. leucos usa.com • B Carved Ogee wallpaper by Karla Pruitt for Hygge & West hyggeandwest.com • C Day Bed One with Naturalmat mattress covered in Scottish wool by Another Country anothercountry.com • D Cupboard of Secrets by Jean-Michel Frank for Hermès To launch its home division, the venerable French fashion house reissued a collection designed by minimalist 1920s decorator Jean-Michel Frank. This nesting-box side table sports an intricate yet restrained finish of natural rye straw marquetry. usa.hermes.com • E Foldo lamp by THINKK Studio thinkk-studio.com…

As told to Erika Heet Photos by Karina Tengberg A decade ago, musician and vintage furniture purveyor Greg Wooten began looking for a quiet place where he could escape from New York City. He found a five-acre parcel upstate in the town of Milan and called upon architect William Massie to create something unique. Massie—currently head of the architecture department and an artist-in-residence at Cran-brook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan—answered with what he calls a “site-driven, 90-percent-prefab social environment, built with Greg’s collection of eccentric, beautiful modernist furniture in mind.” As such, the 2,300-square-foot layout is open (with plenty of floor space for guests who wish to crash there) and enveloped in warm wood panels that embrace Wooten’s well-edited furnishings. “Every piece had to really matter,” says Wooten.…

Photos by Justin Fantl Project: Gans Turin Residence Architect: Kallos Turin Location: San Francisco, California Architect Abigail Turin does not live in the house that she had imagined. After coming back to San Francisco from London—where she had worked in David Chipperfield’s office—and marrying financial services executive Jonathan Gans, she set out to buy a contemporary house with pretty bay views atop Pacific Heights, the city’s loftiest address. What the pair found instead was a three-story, 1925 Italianate home with Douglas fir crown molding, arched leaded windows, and partial city views. But it had a great floor plan, a lovely silver-dollar eucalyptus enveloping the back facade, and a tranquil backyard designed by landscape architect Topher Delaney. “What tends to happen in San Francisco with renovations is that people divide up…

The products, furniture, architects, designers, and builders featured in this issue. 25 In the Modern World Kitchen cabinets and handles by Poggenpohl; countertop by Caesarstone; refrigerator-freezer, MasterChef oven and speed oven, Futura Series dishwasher, induction cooktop, and CombiSet barbecue by Miele; 15-inch wine refrigerator by Sub-Zero; Precision Super Single Bowl sink, Alta Soap-Lotion dispenser in Satin Nickel, and Purus II kitchen faucet in Satin Nickel by Blanco; all from Poggenpohl nymidtown.poggenpohl.com Pitsou Kedem Architects pitsou.com Soft Dream sofa by Antonio Citterio for Flexform flexform.it Grande Papilio chair and ottoman by Naoto Fukasawa for B&B Italia bebitalia.it Library shelving and ladder by Porro porro.com Christopher Farr christopherfarr.com David Weeks Studio davidweeksstudio.com Ralph Pucci International ralphpucci.net Gander International Airport ganderairport.com Fogo Island Arts Corporation artscorpfogoisland.ca 56 My House William Massie massiearchitecture.com The…

5 TWEETS @OrganizeNY: Really enjoyed the November 2012 issue of @dwell. “Wood Works,” “Let’s Get Small” & “Top Drawer”—fab designs & stories! @SaintlyNYC: I can’t pull myself away from the @dwell Pinterest. I can’t get enough. Excellent design is like sugar to me. @StudioModish: The weekend is here! Time to curl up with the new issue of @dwell. @et_sine_nomine: Reading the new @dwell and plotting world/condo domination. @calebthefox: And then @dwell retweeted me, and I felt so much love moving through my skin. Love, love, love the Small World issue (November 2012). We are empty nesters in the process of simplifying our house, life, and belongings. This is an exciting time for us, and I appreciate the ideas included. I especially liked the home in Malibu (“Up and Away”). I…

A Abstract Malachite Rug by Christian Lacroix for Designers Guild designersguild.com • B Helix powder-coated aluminum light by Marc de Groot marcdegrootdesign.com • C Quarry bookshelf by Shawn Henderson The Manhattan-based interior designer scaled down this oak bookshelf, punctuated by perforated metal dividers, to fit into a nook or entryway. “I love the subtle texture the wire-brushing lends to the wood finish,” he says, “particularly when paired with the refined metal bookends.” shawnhenderson.com • D Hexagon wall tiles by Form Us With Love for Träullit traullitdekor.se • E Vessel 3633 by Carl Auböck shop.cooperhewitt.org • F Sylis Bench by Elemental Living shophorne.com • G Sumo Drum Table by Room 406 Troscan Design cofounder Dierdre Jordan, along with her woodworker husband, makes pieces like this white oak table topped by a…

How did this episode, “The Day the Earth Stood Cool,” come about? I’d been kicking around an idea for a couple of years about the Simpsons moving to Portland. The show’s creator, Matt Groening, is from there, and over the years, we’ve taken a lot of influence from his hometown—many of The Simpsons’ characters’ names are taken from Portland street signs for example. So we started with the question: “What would Lisa see as a utopia?” What is it about Springfield that isn’t passing muster for Lisa? Springfield has an inherent bias toward ignorance, tackiness, and 1—everything Lisa hates. So we juxtaposed that against Portland, which we think of as enlightened, pure, and quirky. Our story centers on a sophisticated couple, owners of a fancy doughnut business, who find a…

How did you get started? I started making rugs in 1987. Back then, “new rug” was kind of a dirty phrase; everyone wanted antique. What kinds of rugs do Los Angeles customers want as opposed to those shopping your London showroom? The main difference is color, which relates to light. The sharp clarity of light typical of Southern California means less saturation is needed for the color to pop. In London, you need richer, warmer tones to blend with the diffused light. What advice would you give to a first-time rug buyer? There’s never been a market like there is now in terms of breadth of quality and price point. You can get incredible carpets for relatively reasonable prices. I love that West Elm is selling Berber rugs from Morocco…

POSTCARD The Grand Tour Get on the Bus During Palm Springs Modernism Week, one of the hottest tickets in town is for the architectural bus tours. Tours run twice daily and feature both contemporary and mid-century designs, so climb aboard for an open-air, double-decker view of the town’s modern mania. modernismweek.com/bus-tours Yes We Van For a private tour, you simply can’t do better than guide, historian, scholar, and general mensch Robert Imber. A staggering wealth of knowledge behind the wheel of an aging minivan, Imber offers a robust three-hour private tour for $75 per head. palmspringsmoderntours.com Phone Homes Yet another reason to stay obsessed with your smartphone is the Palm Springs Modern: Mid-Century Architecture Tours app from Palm Springs Life. With over 80 buildings listed and the chance to customize…

By Jeremy Hansen Photos by Emily Andrews Project: Wood Home Architect: Bull/O’Sullivan Architecture Limited Location: Auckland, New Zealand In the kitchen, the showstopping ceiling’s herringbone pattern is echoed by the terra-cotta tiles on the floor. Architect Michael O’Sullivan, who designed the steel-and-glass kitchen cabinets, the table, and the pendant lights (made by Lava Glass), further amped up the richness of the room by specifying an onyx kitchen island. Interior designer Yvette Jay, a collaborator and classmate of O’Sullivan, kept her material palette “tight and limited. I had to restrict myself so that everything here ties in with the architecture.” Adjacent to the main living area sits a snug lounge that looks out through mullioned windows onto a swimming pool. The room features a CH25 easy chair and a CH008 coffee…

Project: Tenuta San Giuseppe Architect: Paola Navone Location: Spello, Italy How do you turn an abandoned tobacco-drying plant that started life almost two centuries ago as a silkworm farm into a cosseting, appealing home? Andrea Falkner-Campi and her husband, Feliciano Campi, faced that question after they bought just such a place in Spello, a small Umbrian town about 90 miles north of Rome, in 2008. The couple lives in Spello because that’s where Feliciano’s business is based: Editoriale Campi, a small publishing company, which produces a stylish almanac, Barbanera, which Andrea describes as a yearbook for daily good living. It’s been a family business for over 250 years. When faced with the prospect of dealing with the old, ramshackle building, Falkner-Campi was overwhelmed. “I’m now 51,” she says, “I’ve moved…

When John Matosky hired Merge Architects to upgrade his loft, it was a pretty standard project—renovate the existing lackluster bathroom, add a second bathroom, and build a bookshelf. But Elizabeth Whittaker, firm principal and an adjunct assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, saw an opportunity to do a little material research on how to create a three-dimensional wall. “I built my practice out of making projects from non-projects,” she says. “John didn’t ask for this type of surface treatment, but we had some renderings, showed them to him, and he went for it.” For the bookshelf—essentially an oversized peg-board wall that wraps around a bathroom—Merge blends handcraftsmanship and digital tooling. These techniques are writ large through the repetition of an inexpensive, everyday object: the dowel. High-tech fabrication…

Karen Burshtein In researching the departures lounge of the Gander, Newfoundland, airport (In the Modern World, p. 25), Karen Burshtein had one burning question: “I was itching to ring up the producers of Mad Men to ask why they have yet to shoot a scene here.” Burstein’s work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveller, the Guardian, and Travel + Leisure, among other publications. Jeremy Hansen “It’s great to see an architect who’s unafraid of being expressive with a home’s interiors,” writer Jeremy Hansen says about the lavishly detailed timber design by architect Michael O’Sullivan (“Inside Addition” p. 64). “O’Sullivan is creating a type of modern maximalism that feels fresh and original.” In addition to contributing to Dwell, Hansen edits HOME New Zealand, an Auckland-based magazine that covers the country’s vibrant…

DWELL KITCHEN Eric Ripert first approached German kitchen brand Poggenpohl three years ago with the goal of codesigning a practical workspace suited to the needs of a professional chef. “A lot of kitchens today are beautiful but they are not meant to cook in!” says Ripert, head chef of New York City’s award-winning Le Bernardin since 1994. Employing his expertise, Poggenpohl and its New York–based designer Luiza Bajkowska created an adaptable model that works equally well in a city apartment or a country home. Whether working large or small, “The principle is the same,” explains Ripert. “As a cook, you want to be efficient and avoid a mess.” Photos by Christopher Sturman dwell.com/top-chef To download Chef Ripert’s complete recipe for Cod Basquaise, visit dwell.com.…

In the early 1990s, computer-aided design (CAD) was just coming of age. For the first time, designers could construct three-dimensional architectural models outside the physical world’s constraints and beyond the medium of drafting. Virtual environments allowed experimentation with complex forms, impossible materials, and distorted spaces. Though many architects had been using two-dimensional, computer-based drafting programs since the late 1970s to produce construction drawings, three-dimensional modeling software gave designers a powerful new design tool. Cutting-edge ideas could be quickly visualized from otherworldly perspectives. The futuristic look of computer rendering inspired new graphic styles. Shin Takamatsu exploited the ability to visualize perfectly flat translucent surfaces composed against impossibly dramatic gradients of light. Bernard Tschumi used the software to render architectural elements such as stairs, walkways, railings, and trusses as ultrathin planes within…

REWIND In the early days of transatlantic travel, flights had to stop to refuel. Gander, Newfoundland, a tiny town in Canada’s easternmost province, was geographically situated to step up. Halfway between New York and London, Gander’s airport became known in the late 1950s as the “crossroads of the world.” Since anyone flying to Europe had to stop there, and because it was mostly the wealthy traveling by air in those days, Gander welcomed a veritable who’s who of 20th-century politicians, scientists, entertainers, and royalty. The Kennedys were regulars. Sinatra tried to cut in line at the bar and was told to wait his turn by fair-minded Newfoundlanders. Airport staff chitchatted with the Beatles and Albert Einstein. Marilyn Stuckless, who worked at the airport for decades, recalls that as a teen…

Work your way up North Palm Canyon Drive, and you’ll hit the highest concentration of modern shopping and dining in Palm Springs. The Uptown Design District brims over with contemporary and mid-century design, a fantastically colorful trio of boutiques from local star Trina Turk, toothsome California fare from Jake’s and Trio, and the high-design concept shop Raymond | Lawrence. Trading yesteryear’s kitsch for today’s sophistication, the savvy design shopper can’t afford to miss these few blocks. All Hale If any architects deserve credit for sprucing up the 800 block of North Palm Canyon Drive, it’s the Los Angeles–based firm Rios Clementi Hale Studios. Their 2008 renovation of the El Paseo building, a circa-1926 shopping complex, has paved the way for some of the best retail in town. NotNeutral, the company’s…

Photos by Tim Van de Velde Project: Wenes Residence and Gallery Architect: Bart Lens Location: Antwerp, Belgium Veerle Wenes has always been interested in hybrid creations, in the blending of disciplines. When she was invited in 2009 to cocurate an exhibition at Belgium’s Musée des Arts Contemporains, she opted to display “very well-known artists alongside unknown designers.” The resulting show was a revelation for her. “Design and art and architecture have had a bad relationship for much of the past 50 or 60 years,” says Wenes. “There was a time in the art deco period where they combined more easily.” To encourage more genre-crossing activity in the 21st century, Wenes, an architect by training, decided to open Valerie Traan. It was a new kind of gallery for Belgium, one that…

Project: Rue Vignon Architect: Michael Herrman Location: Paris, France The Parisian flat that American-born architect Michael Herrman shares with his wife, Cécile, and their 2-year-old daughter, Rose, had been nearly untouched since the 1790s, when it was built. “But I wanted to try and reveal some of its age in a fresh new context,” Herrman said. In his 1,500-square-foot, eighth-arrondissement space, the young architect revisited some of the same ideas Le Corbusier explored in a now-defunct 1930s Champs-Élysées penthouse and rooftop terrace built for eccentric bon vivant Charles de Beistegui. Only photographs of the work remain, but Herrman “had always been captivated by how Le Corbusier balanced the high-tech rigidity and minimalism of modernism there with the playfulness and extravagance of surrealism.” To blur the line between indoors and outdoors,…