efts!OurTop100 Picks

•estin NowHow to Make YourHome Warm, Bright andCozy-with Style .

ot every artist would chose to live in a house designed by amaster modernist. Of all people, artists need to remain true totheir own visual sensibilities and not feel confined by textbookdefinitions of appropriate design. Lari Pittman and Roy Dowell,who met as students at California Institute of the Arts 28 yearsago, took this into consideration when they first looked at a1953 house designed by Richard Neutra.

The two-bedroom, one-bath house-built for Neutra's secretaryand her husband-is situated on a bluff in the foothills of LaCrescenta, an outlying suburb of Los Angeles. Floor-to-ceiling

'~:f':~sliding doors run along the front of the house to take advantage of-~.;!the heart-stopping view across the L.A. basin to the Pacific Ocean.

• Pittman (at right in photo), a professor of art at UCLA, andDowell, who chairs the graduate program at Otis College of Artand Design, are full of respect for the architect who pioneeredthe use of glass walls to take advantage of the moderateSouthern California climate. Yet neither artist works in a min-imal manner, and they did not want to conform to the currentfad for decorating such houses with reproduction mid-centurymodern furniture.

Neutra houses have been considered desirable properties fordecades but rarely come on the market in their original condi-tion. This 1,350-square-foot house had never sufferedimprovement. It came with its original tiny bathroom and vintagekitchen appliances. Though modest, the house sat on six acres ofland, which, as avid gardeners, the couple could not resist.

PRODUCED BY ELANA FRANKEL AND LAURA HULL. PHOTOGRAPHS BYTIM STREET-PORTER. WRITTEN BY HUNTER DROHOJOWSKA-PHILP.

MET HOME NOV/DEC 2003 129

~

"i!i;t!dif1

IIII

:II'~'" . \

\1')1,1\,,

}

"1 !. :,III:Jiil

"

1:

'II:1rI,'II,

!IjlId.

1!Ppilythe hofu:e came with copies of the original plans. Formore documentation, Pittman and Dowell purchased vintageprints of the place taken by famed photographer Julius Shulmanin 1955. Though a latter-daycloset blocked an atrium, the housestill had its original birch built-ins and a floating fireplace of BigBear stone. The artists realized that they were in possession of agem that didn't need recutting, only an affectionatepolishing.They went about their renovation with a light hand, wanting tohonor the architect's intentions but also wanting to insinuatetheir own taste.

"I think there has been an unfortunate antiseptic revisionismin approaching these houses," says Pittman, who once workedin the showrooms of the late interior designer Angelo Donghia."vVeare respectful, but we weren't going to let the architecturedictate the decor. We were going to decide on the decor."

When it came to color, the artists went back to basics. Thehouse had been painted in the neutrals often associated withmodernism, but Pittman and Dowell wanted to know whatNeutra had thought. They drove a screwdriver into the walls anddug out samples of the original paint and returned the house toNeutra's strong tones of cocoa, persimmon and pistachio.

The new owners hired designer Michael Berman to bring theinterior up to date. He chose a soft olive fabric to cover the ban-quettes and designed a copper-based dining table of the samegolden birch used on the cabinets. The artists themselves areresponsible for furnishing the living room with strong sculp-tural furniture, both modern pieces and such unusual artifactsas an African bed used as a coffee table.

130 MET HOME NOVIDEC 2003

~ \.. -;.->'~.-' ,

\-'\

\.,

-';-"1<.

-~',- .»"'~.--------

,\..'",

'",-'"

.•.

.- ::---:;,~~:::...::.:=-~~=:acticismof the house comes naturally- ::;';'~-,,:; ~:::: 0:whom are known for using a variety of.-=--.--:,:- ~:::-~::: :l:err work. They're passionate about travel:;;-::::::?:: =":'- ';'-'0::-;; of other painters as well as pottery, stat-"'-7 :; y~:: 5~tJsj and non-Western art. To meet the~. --:;-:-'" :: ='0:':: -==-:- house, they rotate pieces, creating one

..- ", ..?'"""G '_:.:..a. ~-=:.,=,::,-::,::c!".

.-:..~-.::.~"'=::-~::=::othe house, the artists placed a vintagec=-:::' '.c <-:;:;:€': ~~~2': next to a Moroccan wedding chest that is~~:: -,,-:::: =: 52.::::'_ co mask and an antique bell. On the wall

::::.,§:'! "- :';:'~: :2:;:3o--=:; by Italian Arte Povera artist Alighiero~ =- ~'?5" •. ''':'': ::O-:XGSCOME FROM NECESSITY AND CHANCE.

"?..:: =:.::::' : :5~,":::::-oducinga level of artificiality into the decor-:;:;--:..:=----=--..::::-s ='" strictness ofthe architecture," Pittman adds.

l~

iI

I·, ,1I

I!!

IIII,i,

In the front room, which Neutra labeled the lanai, theartists display a large collage by Dowell along with santos,masks, pots and prison art. "Usually, we find things thatinterest us for their formal quality, their purpose or meaning,or just because of their uniqueness," Dowell explains. "Likemost collectors, we tend to buy things we both agree on. Welook for things that reflect our individual personalities butalso our unified personality."

The artists went against Neutra in a single architectural deci-sion: A frosted-glass panel at the entrance ostensibly offeredprivacy, but the artists decided that the remoteness of theirlocation made visits by unexpected guests unlikely. With theinstallation of clear glass, the entrance became a grand vistastraight through the house and out to the view.

IIil~I

:11

;i IIii II)

1:'1

I:111'

I.••.

MET HOME NOV/DEC 2003 133 I",

- ~~ :>-~

..;;.;~~,~';;!2

-- ..::; -:-l"'- ...~""----'-'-- -"\

. ~" ,r' t

ii

r,!"i'";:;

-~

undermount basins

freestondinq basins

integral counters

countertops &

furniture

for the bath

laminated glass

111'

VITRAFORM3500 Blake Street Denver CO 80205

Tel 877.338.5725 www.vitraform.com

novemberdecember2003

A WORD ABOUT RESOURCESThe information on the Resources pages is correctand current to the best of our ability, but thingschange fast in the design world. If you have trou-ble with a phone number or website, contactapearce@hfmus.com. Not everything in thehomes we photograph, however, is available forsale. If you are interested in a product that is notincluded here, it is likely that the piece is antique,one-of-a-kind or out of production, and thereforenot easily available.CORRECTION , _On Page 100 of the Sept/Oct issue the DonnaKaran New York bed ensemble was misrepresent-ed. Polished Glacier, ranging from $115-$625, isavailable at Bloomingdale's, 212/705-2160.C.OYERChairs: Oom Grande Swivel Lounge Chair withwalnut base; Coffee table: I Swivel U Swivel inwalnut finish; Striped rug: Reef Rug in Orange-Pink; Carved wood doors: custom Dialogica; allavailable through Dialogica; New York, 212/966-1934; Los Angeles, 310/888-0008; dialogica.com.EDITOR'S PAGE""- _

Page 36 Clothes: Nicole Farhi, 212/223-8811;Hair, makeup: Eva Scrivo, 212/677-7315.HOME FROM WORK

Unless otherwise indicated, most items shown areavailable through Dialogica, New York, 212/966-1934; Los Angeles, 310/888-0008; dialogica.com.Page 120 Chairs: Oom Grande Swivel loungechair with walnut base; Coffee table: I Swivel US-wivel in walnut finish; Striped rug: Reef rug inOrange-Pink; Carved wood doors: custom Dialog-ica; Page 121 (Photo, left) Sofa: Beldiv sofa inBarley; Rug: Polka rug in Orange; Lamp: De Moorelamp with silk shade and walnut finish; (Photo,right) Rug: Polka rug in Orange; Table: Malinditwo-level side table in walnut, Page 122,123White sofas: Beldiv sofas in Barley; Brown arm-chair: Thomas lounge chair; Round top woodenside table: Malindi two-level side table in walnut;Table with plant on top: Spin pedestal in ma-hogany; Cabinets: custom Soho cabinet in walnut;Orange chair: Oom Grande S-wivel lounge chairwith walnut base; Striped rug: Reef rug in Orange-Pink; Page 124,125 Mirror: custom Dialogica;

174 MET HOME NOV/DEe 2003

Table: Afra table with carved wood base; Chairs:Audrey chair; Curved metal floor lamp: Arcolamp through Flos, 631/549-2745; Chair fabric:Kravet, 800/648-5728; Page 126 (Photo, left) Cab-inets: custom Dialogica; Sinks: Elkay, 630/572-3192; Dishwasher: Bosch, 800/866-2022;Chandeliers: Flos, 631/549-2745; Chairs: Kartell,212/966-6665; (Photo, right) Orange chair: SplashKids; Cabinets, bed, nightstand: custom Dialogi-ca; Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids, 800/430-7373;Curtains: Gretchen Bellinger wool, 518/235-2828;Rug: Provence in orange wool; Page 127 Bed:Lana; Bedding: Dialogica Essentials bedding col-lection; Chair: Splash chair; Rug: Champagnebrown rug in looped wool.DESERT CLASSlCDesign Consultant: Michael Berman Designs,323/933-0220; Page 128, '129 Table: DesignWithin Reach, 800/944-2233; Chairs aroundtable: Shelter, 323/937-3222; Stool: African fromthe Ernie WoIfe Gallery, 310/478-2960; Chairs onright: Ethiopian from Craft Caravan. 212/431-6669; Planters: Los Feliz Pottery & Statuary,323/665-3801; Page 130,13'1 Slipper chair: Crate& Barrel, 800/967-6696; Slipper chair fabric: Dia-mond Foam & Fabric, 323/931-8148; Rattan chair:Anthropologie, 800/309-2500; Coffee table:African from the Ernie Wolfe Gallery, 310/478-2960; Pillows: Jonathan Adler, 800/657-7752;Lamp: Downtown, 310/652-7461; Page 132Chair: Donghia, 800/366-4442; Chest: Moroccanwedding chest from Jacques Carcanagues, Inc.,212/925-8110; Stool: African from the ErnieWolfe Gallery, 310/478-2960; Page 133 (Photo,lower left) Pillows: Michael Berman Designs.323/933-0220; Pillow with cross: Jonathan Adler,800/657-7752; (photo, lower right) Chairs: 1950sBert Englund through Room 107, 626/432-4867;Pillows on bench: Michael Berman Designs,323/933-0220; Stool: African from Craft Caravan,212/431-6669; Page 134, 135 Table, chairs:through Modernica, 323/934-1254; Floor cush-ions: Crate & Barrel, 800/967-6696.MAINE AN"'D•..S"'I.llIMuP::JoL.••E'-- _

Architecture, Design: Chris Raphael and Pe&,"YWanamaker, Wanamaker Raphael Design,207/326-8235, wanamakerraphael.com; Contrac-