WITH…

its skyward reaching arches, emphatic beams and impressive stone floors, a newly built family home in the California suburbs is truly a cathedral for living. About twenty miles west of downtown L.A., it’s flooded with sunlight by day and suffused in the evening with the mellow rays of sunset over the nearby ocean.

 

 

IN THE…

great room, as elsewhere, principals Shannon Wallack and Brittany Zwicki veered away from color but went bold on proportion, shape and texture. A suite of assertively shaped upholstered pieces, a square coffee table and a raw wood console are arrayed on a rug of natural fiber in front of the built-in fireplace wall. Add a towering potted tree and little else is needed.

 

 

APPROACHED…

through a series of towering vaulted walkways, the dining room gets its strength from simplicity. Texture comes from nubby upholstered dining chairs and a wood table with pronounced grain and butterfly detail. Conical pendant lamps from Rose Uniacke, suspended from chains, march in a line across the table, an example of the way Studio Lifestyles establishes visual rhythm through repetition of form. Beyond the dining room’s steel and glass sliding doors, a brick patio with fire pit awaits.

 

 

AS ELSEWHERE…

in the house, the entry foyer and other in-between spaces embody the early modernist dictum ‘less is more’ – a console, a mirror, a bench, all with great clarity of form, are sparely deployed almost to the point of Zen.

 

 

 

BRASS…

patina on a cozy bar imparts glamour in an unexpected corner with easy access to the patio.

 

 

THE FAMED…

California indoor-outdoor lifestyle is evident in the wood-beamed family room, open to the pool, where long, low furnishings with soft coverings invite relaxation. Stahl and Band armchairs swivel from the TV to the outdoor scene; an upholstered ottoman slides under the custom coffee table when not in use.

 

 

THE SPA-LIKE…

bath suite, lined with cedar slats recalling Japanese bath houses, includes a sauna, an integrated stone vanity and narrow floor tiles from Clé.

 

 

THE LIBRARY’S…

ceiling is more intimate in scale (but still requires a ladder to reach the uppermost shelves!) There’s a daybed for lounging as well as a pair of whimsical velvet-upholstered barrel chairs.

 

 

 

AGAINST…

a dramatic architectural feature like the curvaceous stair rail, the elemental subtlety of a round travertine table tucked in a corner produces a harmonious effect.

 

 

 

ON A POOLSIDE…

loggia, white upholstered furnishings, large-scale abstract art and natural materials, including the woven fixtures from Cuff Home, continue the interior design themes and make for a seamless transition from indoors to out. When design is so masterfully executed, less is more than enough.

 

 

Design: Studio LIFE/STYLE