Dwell - January February 2024

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January/February 2024
“I’m a gay of a certain age. I want dimmers on the closet lights.”
John Cameron Mitchell, resident
CONTENTS
DWE L LI NGS 52 62 72
COVER
Hiding in Plain Occult Following Pas de Deux
Architect Yashar Yektajo (left) Sight Actor, writer, and Dreams inspired an artist
smiles with Ellen Odegaard producer John Cameron to turn an empty medieval
In Baja California Sur, a
and Ernesto Gomez in the Mitchell turns a New building in Provence into a
chef cooks up new digs.
home he designed for the Orleans building with a home filled with creativity.
couple, described on page 52. TEXT
colorful history into TEXT
PHOTO BY Duncan Nielsen a home with an equally
Fernando Marroquin Paola Singer
PHOTOS multihued present.
PHOTOS
ABOVE Fernando Marroquin TEXT Alex Crétey Systermans
John Cameron Mitchell sits Madeleine Davies
in his cheekily decorated
New Orleans home. PHOTOS
PHOTO BY Chantal Anderson

Chantal Anderson
7
What makes an icon?
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42
CONTENTS
82
86
D EPAR T M E NT S
11 Editor’s Letter 23 Modern World 38 Conversation 82 My House

Technology is everywhere in Nifemi Marcus-Bello tells how The duo behind a beloved
homes these days, and, let’s face his move home to Nigeria and Brooklyn design store make
it, most of it is pretty ugly. So we a community of recyclers there a new home in Maine.
found devices that actually look inspired his latest collection. TEXT BY Debra Spark
good and will complement your TEXT BYErandi de Silva PHOTOS BY Greta Rybus
95 Sourcing personal style. PHOTOS BY Lakin Ogunbanwo
See it? Want it? Need it? Buy it! TEXT BYAdrian Madlener 86 Off the Grid
PHOTOS BY Heami Lee 42 Backstory Airstream living takes a
96 One Last Thing STYLING BY Heather Greene
An architect discovers that couple across North America.
Textile designer Arati Rao renovating a dream home can TEXT BY Duncan Nielsen
shares an Indian weaving tool 34 Essay be better than building one. PHOTOS BY Mathew Scott
that reminds her of the Smart-home tech promised TEXT BY Ameena Walker
importance of heritage skills. to make lives easier and more PHOTOS BY Francois Dischinger
TEXT BY Lauren Gallow efficient, but the hassle of
PHOTO BY Ian Loring Shiver app-controlled ice makers and 46 Interiors
robotic kitty litters may be more Circular seats and a sculp-
trouble than they’re worth. tural sink give shape to a San
TEXT BY Dan Nosowitz Francisco apartment.
Get a full year of Dwell at ILLUSTRATIONS BY Colin Bigelow TEXT BY Laura Mauk
dwell.com/subscribe
PHOTOS BY Nicholas Albrecht
9
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editor’s letter
Back in 2021, recently vaccinated but not yet

dining indoors, I came across a listing for a house
in New Orleans. It looked like a typical shotgun from
the late 19th century, a wooden box with some
gingerbread filigree. But it was huge, as if someone
constrained the proportions in Photoshop and
dragged a typical home to four times its size. Swiping
through photos, I realized that it contained a massive
ballroom where a normal living room might be.
It got even weirder. The kitchen had a curved arch-
way. And was that an omega symbol in the wallpaper?
Some kind of signet or sigil in the parlor? The house
became a bit of an obsession. What was this place?
But as with many a Zillow romance, I cast it aside
with barely an alert set.
I always wondered who bought it, however. Then,
a couple of years later, I found out. John Cameron
Mitchell, the creator of Hedwig and other culture-
defining characters, had acquired the home, which,
I learned, was formerly a church and then the local
headquarters of the storied occultist group the OTO—
sigils, go figure. (He told me he and the previous
owners closed for $666,000.) Cameron Mitchell was
in the process of renovating it (p. 62), though, as you’ll
see, some of its more esoteric details stayed.
When I visited in late October, the front door was
open and neighbors were dropping in. Some were
actors and entertainment-industry types, but others
were woodworkers, stained-glass makers, designers,
builders, DJs—creative people from around the city
united by curiosity and a very strange, very welcom-
ing place. In a city choked by gentrification, the house
might have been sliced into a dozen short-term rent-
als, but Cameron Mitchell plans to keep it a gathering
space, as it has been for at least a century,
Similarly, all of the homes in this issue represent
a spirit of treating historic structures as material to
be artfully reinvented but respected. In Todos Santos,
Divine Mexico, a chef reoriented a brick structure (p. 52)
around an outdoor kitchen for entertaining guests.
A three-story concrete addition, a mini tower, really,
Interventions is completely concealed from the street but allows

views of the ocean and spectacular sunsets. Meanwhile,
in southern France, an artist turned an imposing,
1,000-year-old stone fortification into a home and
studio (p. 72). The walls are landmarked, so indirect
natural light perfect for painting filters in through a
series of carefully placed skylights in the roof.
Though they’ve all had creative updates, each of
these homes retains something of its past life while
providing a canvas for new ideas that I hope would
work in any home, historic or otherwise.
PHOTO: BRIAN W. FERRY
William Hanley, Editor-in-Chief

william@dwell.com
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 11

Dwell Editorial
Editor-in-Chief
William Hanley
Executive Editor
Kate Dries
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12 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL MEDIA

Variety is the
Spice of Life.
Be authentic.
Stay independent.
Discover your stay at

AuthenticPalmSprings.com
contributors
Ameena Walker
Writer
“Great Minds,” p. 42
Born and raised in New York City, Ameena Walker
began her writing career at a start-up called Culture
Trip, covering quirky corners of the city and art exhibi-
tions, before becoming an editor focused on design,
real estate, and architecture at Curbed. For this issue,
she explores the home of architect Rick Cook,
PHOTOS: KAMYIIS MCLEAN (AMEENA WALKER); CORBAN GOBLE (MADELEINE DAVIES); TRACY L CHANDLER (CHANTAL ANDERSON)
who remodeled a 1970s house originally designed by
local architect Charles P. Winter. On her visit, Walker
noted Cook’s personalized art pieces, like a custom
wall installation composed of an uncle’s woodworking
tools, and the detail that went into the 20-year-long
makeover. “It was important to him to not just come in
and make it a clean slate,” says Walker. “He really took
time to ask questions for each space.”
Madeleine Davies
Writer
“Occult Following,” p. 62
During the pandemic, Madeleine Chantal Anderson
Davies, previously an editor at Eater Photographer
and Jezebel, swapped New York City “Occult Following,” p. 62
for New Orleans to pursue a master’s Chantal Anderson has had a camera in
degree in historic preservation at her hand since she was seven years old,
Tulane. This issue saw her taking a sending care packages to her commer-
break from academic assignments to cial fisherman father to document the
dig into the history and recent reno- family’s home life while he was away.
vation of a 19th-century building Now, she’s a Los Angeles–based pho-
owned by actor, writer, and producer tographer who captures everything from
John Cameron Mitchell. Renovations celebrities to cold-water swimmers in
“can frequently go really bad when Iceland. “I love to figure out what makes
dealing with historic materials,” says people tick,” says Anderson. “What
Davies. “Even though I’m very new are people obsessed with, and what’s
to the historic preservation field, it exciting about being alive?” She photo-
made me warm and fuzzy inside to graphed John Cameron Mitchell for
see how hard they were working this issue at his New Orleans home and
to keep the spirit of this home while “queer art church” while he hosted a
also making it John’s.” salon. Fitting, since his home’s renova-
tion was about “creating this amazing
community space,” says Anderson. “And
it was an intimate, fun experience that
felt in line with the New Orleans spirit.”
14 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

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comments
“Beautiful, breathtaking home and expert renovation.”

David Rodgers via dwell.com
After stumbling on Philip

Johnson’s (almost forgot-
ten) Wolf House, Jiminie Ha
and Jeremy Parker restored
the midcentury home and
gave it new life as a cultural
center [“The Next Chapter,”
November/December 2023].
I am frankly bewildered and that, but the decision to highlight while he was ahead. The Newburgh, city needs to help formerly
disturbed by the decision to have a this house is a mistake on the part New York, project you feature is a incarcerated people reenter life in
feature article on a Philip Johnson of Dwell. There is no need to shine perfect example. the world outside of jail or prison.
house [“The Next Chapter: A Philip a light on any of this architect’s EUGÈNE ELY, AIA EMERITUS Having worked with this popula-
Johnson house in upstate New York work, except to acknowledge how tion over many years, I know what
grapples with the architect’s legacy selective memory can be in the Re: “Coming Home: The Ben Smith a good start can mean to finding a
and looks to the future.” November/ case of powerful white men. Welcome Home Center in New successful life. Accessing services,
PHOTOS: DEAN KAUFMAN (“THE NEXT CHAPTER”); BRIAN W. FERRY (FEATURED COLLECTION)
December 2023]. I was not aware of Dwell magazine can select any of Orleans provides a well-designed finding work, getting a cell phone
his history, so the vague hints in the a number of houses to showcase safe space for formerly incarcer- can be daunting when you’ve been
article motivated me to read more without further perpetuating ated men as they start new lives.” out of the world for any length
about his past. I was disgusted admiration for someone who November/December 2023 of time. Building this thoughtful
to read about his involvement in applauded the invasion of Poland This is fantastic, just what New and human environment is key.
Nazism. Johnson was quoted as and the destruction of Jewish lives. Orleans and every other American @ROBERT VIA DWELL.COM
stating that he can never atone for I hope you will consider this
this part of his life, but when did he critique and your obligation to your
try? It appears that after disavowing readers and history.
Hitler and the Third Reich, he went LEAH NECAS Featured Collection
on to a successful and lucrative
career as an architect and curator The moral failings of Mr. Johnson
Renovations
for the Museum of Modern Art. are well documented and somewhat
In the article, there is a distinct ironic given his background. The
apologist tone by even suggesting fact that anyone celebrates him as a
that Johnson must have progressed designer is beyond comprehension.
from his abhorrent views by He didn’t have an original bone
creating a house for a Jewish couple in his body and eagerly jumped
named Wolf. Did he do this house from bandwagon to bandwagon.
Our online readers
for free? The author would have Modernism, postmodernism,
love this collection of
been more accurate in describing Blobitecture—you name it, he
renovations, which
Johnson’s creation by saying he copied it. And generally not well. includes Worrell
built the house for a rich couple. Early modernism was simple Yeung’s conversion
The artists who found the house enough to grasp; hence his Glass of a Hudson Valley
and rehabilitated it to its former House is celebrated as probably dairy farm into a
glory are within their rights to do his best work. He should have quit sleek, modern home.

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love it or hate it
Strike-Through Shelves
More and more people are going beyond open cabinetry and installing
shelving that runs in front of windows. As Threads user @creepyjunk
pointed out to us, the effect is reminiscent of strike-through text, as though
While I understand
the importance of
clean, straight lines
in design, I also
understand that
function should go
hand in hand with
form. Please don’t
put a shelf in front
of a window!
Megan Reynolds,
senior home guide
editor
I’ve always loved a

I hate that I love it. You can’t clean the to display my blue ain’t blocking my continuous line shelf across a win-
@okaygardener window properly, glass collection. view. is so much more dow for herbs, etc.
you lose visibility @robj.sk @adamraiola elegant than an @foodbylizawithaz
Shelving across a and, depending on interrupted one.
window is energy- what you put on the I don’t care about Duncan Nielsen, Looks like it makes
blocking to me, shelf, light too. my view when at news editor windows hard to
though I can see @lupembechech the sink. (How long open for no good
how it would look are y’all standing reason.
fire in a specific
ILLUSTRATION: PETER OUMANSKI
Someone has to at a sink just to @ameenahkk

scenario. dust that! look outside? Are READER POLL
@jennicahelene @christine.jenson you okay?) As long An idea that needs
.scottsdale as there’s enough to be put back on
Open shelving is lower cabinetry, it
% the shelf.
already impractical.
Blocking the view
merely adds insult
to injury.
@kdeputy1
Always better to
see a clear view vs.
looking at dusty
tchotchkes.
@design.travel.life
would function just
fine.
@siafaalvin 38
Love
%
62
Hate
@albim.e
Strike this idea.

@rick1v

origin story
Art Deco Inspo. As Junya

Miyashita, author of Japanese
Signboard Architecture
Illustrated, points out, kanban
kenchiku was not the invention
of formally trained architects,
but arose from local builders’
meeting the needs of small-
scale merchants. Western Art
Deco styles were fashionable at
the time, but with limited direct
exposure to overseas architec-
ture, neighborhood craftspeople
created their own varieties,
giving kanban kenchiku its
unique, hybridized aesthetic.
Facades would deploy a mix of
tiles, brick, copper, and mor-
tar elements to create color
contrasts, with the name of the
business prominently depicted
in Japanese kanji characters or
From the Ashes. After Japan’s English. Some would even have
devastating 1923 Great Kanto - elaborate crests and Roman
Earthquake, which triggered columns carved into the mortar
fires that destroyed thousands for adornment or be capped
of buildings in and around with arches and parapets.
Tokyo and caused an estimated
PHOTOS: HIDEO KURIHARA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FROM THE ASHES); COURTESY W. DAVID MARX (ART DECO INSPO);
death toll of 140,000, the gov-
ernment rebuilt the capital with
a heavy emphasis on preventing
COURTESY ALMOST PERFECT (SECOND LIFE); HIDEO KURIHARA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FROZEN FUTURE)
future tragedies. New regulations
required shops to use fire-resis-
tant materials in their facades.
Many proprietors chose mortar,
which they would carve like
Japan’s
marble into ornate decorative
patterns and shapes. Another
popular option was copper plat-
Dwindling
ing, which patinaed into a deep
green. The term kanban ken-
chiku derived from the fact that
“Signboard”
the iconography on the facade
acted as a signboard advertise-
ment for the store.
Buildings
Within Japan’s megacities, there remain a dwindling number of early-20th-century
buildings from a time when Western influences contributed to shifting tastes away from
traditionalism and toward something a little…kitschier. Known as kanban kenchiku (sign-
board architecture), these three-story buildings employ decorative facades inspired by
Art Deco and neoclassical styles. In most cases, the first floor serves as a shop space, with
the upper floors as living quarters for the proprietor. Though kanban kenchiku buildings
have become increasingly rare as aggressive urban planning has often meant replacing
them with bland, low-rise residential and mixed-use structures, some surviving exam-
ples have been preserved and reimagined by people and brands that see them as an impor-
tant record of local craftsmanship—and an evolving Japan.
TEXT BY
W. David Marx

Curious about
the story behind
a classic design?
Ask us to look into it.
No idea is too big
or detail too small.
Frozen Future. Signboard

architecture is unlikely to see a
revival, especially as contem-
porary craftspeople no longer
possess the requisite skills to
make such facades. “Almost no
one can do decorative work
such as creating mortar reliefs,”
Miyashita notes via email, add-
ing that even among metal
craftspeople, “a limited number
can undertake detailed decora-
tive work.” Many well-preserved
signboard architecture build-
ings have already been moved
to the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air
Architectural Museum, so at
Second Life. With their history based in kitsch
least a few examples will be
design, kanban kenchiku buildings have faced dif-
preserved into the future.
ficulty achieving serious respect and attention, and
even now many are torn down rather than pre-
served. A recent example of a successful signboard
architecture renovation is the gallery/artist resi-
dence Almost Perfect in Tokyo’s Kuramae district,
situated in a 1924 rice shop. The ground level now
houses a public art gallery, while the upstairs living
quarters have been converted into a small studio
and two bedrooms for visiting artists. In Matsumoto,
Nagano Prefecture, the old kanban kenchiku stores
lining the downtown have been restored to create
a vibrant shopping district for tourists, with the
apparel and lifestyle brand Minä Perhonen taking
over an old pharmacy to house its Nagano shop.

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Adrian Madlener Heami Lee Heather Greene
Modern World
you can think of, from ordering

groceries to turning on the air-
conditioning before you come
BIRD BUDDY SMART
BIRD FEEDER back to your place. But too
often aesthetics are an after-
Harness the all-consuming
power of AI with this bird thought. Not for us. No matter
feeder that takes pictures what kind of residence you
of your avian friends and have, we have you covered with
identifies them for you.
(It also feeds them, in case
design-conscious devices that
you were wondering.) are as concerned for your decor
as they are functional. Here
are our recommendations for
a few specific types of home.

Whether you’re in the Catskills or Joshua Tree, your style lives somewhere between Kyoto and
Copenhagen. Your minimalist house or meditative cabin is just the right amount of rustic but with
clean lines, well-honed details, and only the essential furniture. If your favorite color is blond oak
or maybe charred wood, you’re probably a Japandinavian, and while too much tech is never a
good thing, some amenities are essential for well-appointed minimalism. We’ll suggest a wood-
wrapped portable speaker that works as well for NPR as it does for John Cage. Air filters keep
cedar scent in and allergens out. And sensor-activated bird feeders keep feathered neighbors
coming back. It’s everything you need for thoughtful—but not totally disconnected—living.
The Japandinavian Cabin
BANG & OLUFSEN

BEOSOUND A5
Is it a lunch box? A picnic
basket? A sleek, unobtrusive
storage solution for your various
bits and bobs? No, it’s a power-
ful speaker, cloaked in dark
oak, bright woven caning, or
aluminum mesh and pretty
enough to display with pride.

ALEN BREATHESMART
FLEX TRUE HEPA
AIR PURIFIER
Like an integrated appliance,
this air purifier is covered with
a wood panel that comes in
finishes such as oak, gray, and
espresso. The customization
doesn’t stop there; you can
choose from four filter types
to keep the nasties at bay.
GROUPHUG WINDOW
SOLAR CHARGER
Solar panels on your roof would
muck up the minimalism, but
if you want to keep your iPhone
working by harnessing the
power of the sun, this charger
sticks to a window, works like
a dream, and looks a bit like art.
GOOGLE NEST
THERMOSTAT
Fiddling with the thermostat is
not conducive to anything akin
to Zen. A mirrored-glass control
will look better on the wall, but
you won’t need to touch it—it
can operate from your phone.
PHILIPS HUE E26
SMART BULBS
Tune these LED smart bulbs as
warm (or colorful) as you wish
with the Hue app, a dimmer
switch, a motion sensor, or the
sound of your voice. With a
lifetime of 25,000 hours, they’re
practically permanent.
25
EUFY INDOOR CAM
S350
Keep an eye on what’s happen-
ing inside the home with this
Wall-E-esque security camera.
Bonus: If you see something
(or someone) suspicious, give
a shout. A speaker will let your
potential intruder hear you.
The Conspiracy
Theorist Lair
The truth is out there. And any
conspiracy theorists worth their
tinfoil know that doing the work
requires the right environment.
Maybe you have a wall of tattered
photographs criss-crossed
with string (visualizing abstruse
relationships), but digital
connections are also essential.
An untraceable, low-tech
recorder might help keep track
of discoveries, while a powerful
projector provides the ability to
present your findings to other
believers who are more than
willing to listen. Pyramid-shaped
speakers are reminiscent of the
structures aliens built thousands
of years ago but are also great
for podcasts. The best security
camera and digital lock system is
a must. You can quickly unplug
a sleek induction burner and
take it with you when they track
you down. Undoubtedly, simple
forms and durable metals are the
best options. I want to believe.
26
XOUNTS SPEAKER
Your podcast about the flatness
of the Earth sounds awfully good
booming out of a pyramid-
shaped speaker. Fabric-wrapped
and illuminated with an LED bulb,
it doubles as a floor lamp.
TEENAGE ENGINEERING
TP–7
A low-fi digital recorder that’s
small enough to fit in a pocket
is just the thing for capturing
messages from extraterrestrial
frequencies as your investiga-
tions take you into the field.
IKEA TILLREDA
PORTABLE INDUCTION
COOKTOP
Leave no trace (of your exis-
tence) with an induction
cooktop that heats quickly,
saves energy, and won’t be
hard to pack up for a quick
getaway should the need arise.
XGIMI MOGO 2 PRO

Unwind after a long day of fall-
ing down internet rabbit holes
by queuing up your favorite
X-Files episode on this mini
portable projector—because U-TEC ULTRALOQ
even the hardest-working “free- U-BOLT PRO
thinker” deserves a break. Protect your precious docu-
ments from operatives with
a keyless entry dead bolt that’s
unobtrusive but connects to
Wi-Fi so you can unlock it
remotely at the critical moment.

Viral dances, feta pasta, wiggly candles,
checkerboard rugs, colors that clash with
something close to intention—you’ve done
it all from a studio apartment. The vibes are
fun—the progeny of Lisa Frank and Ettore
Sottsass—and the aesthetic born of the
internet. At your place coziness goes hand
in hand with playfulness. It’s a colorful,
wacky space full of nifty gadgets that make
life a little easier. A pink-hued kettle with
exaggerated lines is perfect for making a cup
of cinnamon spice tea, while a curvy air fryer
nods to the trend without flying too close
to the sun. And a fun-loving, round speaker
is precious without being twee—and loud
enough to blast Olivia Rodrigo’s latest while
your friend paints a sinuous spiral of lime
green on the bathroom door.
The TikTok-Memphis
Apartment
LOFTIE LAMP
Your nightstand is no place for
harsh lighting, so let Loftie’s
even glow set the vibes instead.
Cycle through a variety of
brightness levels designed to
improve sleep hygiene (and
your morning mood).
STUDIO NEAT
MATERIAL DOCK
Made of solid walnut and
molded cork, this objet de
home decor just so happens
to charge your iPhone,
AirPods, and Apple Watch.
COSORI MINI AIR FRYER FELLOW STAGG EKG

At just over eight inches wide, ELECTRIC KETTLE
this air fryer would fit in even Give the stovetop a rest and
the tiniest galley kitchen. Throw heat up your matcha water in an
some salmon into its basket, electric kettle with a precision
set it, forget it, and in 10 min- pour spout and exact tempera-
utes’ time, assemble a rice bowl ture control. If peachy pink isn’t
that’d make Emily Mariko proud. your thing, choose from one
of the other 11 colorways.
HATCH RESTORE 2 APPLE HOMEPOD MINI

Waking up to the shriek of your Meet the cutest little speaker
phone’s alarm starts the day you ever did see, which comes
off on the wrong foot. Hatch’s in every color you could want
subtle glow and wake-up and integrates perfectly with
sounds—from birdsong to wind your every desire, from watch-
chimes—will do the opposite. ing TV to listening to music to
answering the phone.

The Crypto Bro
Bachelor Pad
Money never sleeps, but sometimes even a crypto bro needs
to, and you can rest easier once you’re optimizing with the
latest home gadgets. Your office setup includes magnetic
mounts to ensure the most important devices are available at
all times. A smart timer keeps you moving between different
tasks. A top-of-line blender makes necessary nourishment
as efficient as possible, and cleaning gets done with a
programmable robot vac so you can focus on surfing the
queasy ups and downs of alternative currency. Simple forms
and grayscale hues—mostly black—are all you really need.
With home taken care of, you’ll be well prepared for talking
up Solana to strangers at the next cocktail party.
BEAST BLENDER
When Soylent just won’t do, this
blender will whip up a protein
shake in a jiffy. You won’t even
need a cup; just detach and drink
straight out of the pitcher.
30
OPUS CONICAL
BURR GRINDER
It’s time to put down the
Red Bull. From cold brew to
espresso, this coffee grinder
will handle all of your needs,
ensuring that the single-
COURANT MAG:2 origin dark roast tastes its
ESSENTIALS absolute best.
CHARGING STAND
A little charging stand for your
device keeps your screen front
and center—all the better for
feverishly scrolling through
r/CryptoMoonShots.
IROBOT ROOMBA
COMBO I5 ROBOT
VACUUM AND MOP
Monitoring the world’s alterna-
tive currency leaves little time
for home maintenance, which is
where the Roomba comes into
the picture: a multitasking hero
that will mop the floors while
you’re juggling investments.
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 8

Checking the weather on your
phone is time-consuming,
but yelling at Alexa via the
unobtrusive Amazon Echo isn’t.
You can also take video calls,
play 100 gecs, and manage your
jam-packed calendar.
LOVESAC SACTIONALS
STEALTHTECH SOUND
AND CHARGE SATELLITE
SUBWOOFER
Even the hardest-working crypto
enthusiast needs some R & R.
Hook this high-octane subwoofer
up to a Lovesac sofa and feel the
bass rumble through your entire
body—like a little massage while
you chill out for a sec.

The Retro
Midcentury
Ranch
You didn’t have to buy a Silver Lake
Neutra in the ’90s to spend time
and money making sure your home
looks and feels like it did in the past.
So, why clutter your interior with
contemporary conveniences that look,
well, contemporary? You still need
new electronics, appliances, and other
modern essentials, but if they can pass
for vintage store scores, all the better.
A still-in-production, low-tech alarm
clock matches your thrifted midcentury
vibe, and a record player that looks the
part but sounds new does, too. The
harsh realities of contemporary life are
much easier to deal with when they’re
filtered through a well-curated past.
SMEG AUTOMATIC
COFFEE MACHINE
No one does retro quite like
Smeg, and with this coffee
machine, you don’t have to
compromise your aesthetic
for a satisfying cup. The best
part? It takes actual beans—
none of that pod stuff.
32
BRAUN ANALOGUE
ALARM CLOCK
A classic is a classic for a rea-
son, and this travel alarm clock
from Braun stands the test of
time. (Pun absolutely intended.)
MARSHALL UXBRIDGE
VOICE WITH
AMAZON ALEXA
What looks like an amp, feels
like an amp, and delivers
any music you want with just
a simple command? Yes, it’s
this speaker from Marshall.
HOUSE OF MARLEY
STIR IT UP LUX
WIRELESS TURNTABLE
Indulge the music snob within
and treat yourself to the dulcet
tones of Steely Dan with a
POPUMUSIC POPUTAR
record player that’s beautifully
T2 ACOUSTIC
simple—just a bamboo plinth,
CLASSICAL GUITAR
a turntable, and good vibes. Indulge in any Guitar Hero
fantasies with a smart guitar that
looks analog but is kitted out
with decidedly contemporary
features. An LED fretboard and
app are designed to teach the
beginner to play like a pro.
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024

The
Dumb
Reality
of the Smart Home TEXT BY
Dan Nosowitz
ILLUSTRATIONS BY | @THEPLAYMETRIC
Our more-or-less connected gadgets have Colin Bigelow
turned out to be disappointingly dense.
I recently got one of those fancy ice stereo and the lights that line my danger- packs) or exists but turns out to be kind of
makers that make that great crunchy pel- ously uneven front stairs have an app. disappointing (smartwatches, 3D printing,
let ice, like you get in drinks at Sonic. This Other items that have apps, which I nei- holograms).
was a splurge; I already own not one but ther own nor download, include dead-bolt The concept of the smart home has been
several ice trays that are perfectly capable locks, cars, lights, toilets, sink faucets, around for quite a long time; the exact
of making ice. But I wanted the great aromatherapy diffusers, thermostats, date gets fuzzy, depending on how you
crunchy pellet ice, because I live in Los security cameras, and a weird motor thing define the term. Today, it generally refers
Angeles, which is very hot for most of the that clips onto window blinds to tilt them to appliances or other household items
year, and, look, I wanted the ice maker, so open and closed. “Took me about 45 min- that can be, and sometimes must be, con-
I got the ice maker. utes to install since I went step by step nected to the internet and controlled with
When it arrived, I unpacked it, put it on very carefully so as not to mess up,” says a phone. But the smart-home concept pre-
the counter, and filled up the water tank. one Amazon reviewer of said weird motor dates the smartphone. “For years,” wrote
At first it didn’t work, so I figured I might thing. “Discovering that the firmware was Chris O’Malley in the Tampa Bay Times in
as well look at the manual to see if there out of date was disappointing but 1999, “homeowners have been dreaming
was any preuse cleaning or anything I was Wonderlabs took care of that literally and reading about ‘smart’ homes that
supposed to do. overnight.” water the lawn while you’re on vacation,
In the troubleshooting section, it asked The argument for the smart home lower the heat when you open a window,
me to download an app. comes in two real forms. One is that, theo- or warm up the hot tub the second your
This app, which is called SmartHQ, joins retically, it can be accessible to those with car enters the driveway.” Prior to the cre-
several others in an illustrious line of apps impaired movement or other disabilities; ation of the smartphone, a smart home
that are attached to items in my house many smart items allow you to control often required clumsy and expensive sys-
that in many previous iterations did not them with your voice, for example. The tems that necessitated serious construc-
have apps and that continue to not need other one, I think, is that the smart home tion and a large, primitive remote control.
apps and whose apps I have downloaded has always been one of those Jetsons-style Much of today’s smart-home tech wasn’t
and then deleted. My air conditioner has American dreams that either doesn’t possible in any form. Once Wi-Fi estab-
an app, my toaster oven has an app, my really exist (flying cars, robot butlers, jet lished itself in the mainstream with the

E S S AY
35
E S S AY
unlikely to happen with mine.

Some of these devices are, of course,
slightly useful, if misguided. There are
smart backyard irrigation systems that
connect to a weather service and pause
watering when it rains or increase the
amount of water when it’s especially hot
and dry.
Smart air conditioners allow you to run
them only at certain times or turn them
on remotely before you get home so the
house will be cool. Also useful! Of course,
good insulation can save more energy
and money than a smart thermostat:
According to the Energy Star program
run by the EPA and Department of Energy,
consumers can save an average of 15 per-
cent on heating and cooling costs by air-
sealing homes, adding insulation in attics,
and using other basic, cost-effective tactics.
Smart thermostats save, according to the
same Energy Star program, about 8 per-
cent on average. Insulation is more annoy-
ing to install, sure, but more to the point:
Building shoddier, less insulated homes
provides greater profits to construction
companies, and then selling quick-fix
thermostats provides nice profits to elec-
tronics companies. This is not a step
forward.
One thing that The Jetsons did not pre-
dict, at least in my memory, is that smart-
home devices would turn out to be
The smart home has always been one of those valuable tools for tracking their users.
Jetsons-style American dreams that either doesn’t These devices are collecting an astounding
amount of data, ranging from millions of
really exist…or exists but turns out to be kind of hours of voice recordings to video footage
disappointing. of your front door to all the personal data
you grant access to in order for these
Apple iBook in 1999, the hardware and or schedule it to turn on and off or turn its devices to work, kind of badly, together.
software required to wirelessly connect unnecessary lights on and off. (It does, Amazon’s Ring system of security cameras
devices evolved rapidly. Today’s Wi-Fi though, offer a feature called Flavorly AI, and doorbells has been colossally worry-
transmitters are incredibly small and which provides recipes created by Google’s ing, with, as Max Read puts it in New York
inexpensive; with the decreasing price of artificial intelligence. I typed “ice” into it, magazine, “sloppy security practices,
components, any appliance company can as this is the only food my ice machine secretive police partnerships, and many
cheaply add Wi-Fi to its device and theo- makes, and it suggested several dishes the potential privacy violations.” As of June
retically charge much more for the pre- ice maker is not capable of creating, 2023, Ring must pay millions of dollars in
mium of a smart-home appliance. including an ice cream sundae.) FTC settlements over privacy violations
Devices use a huge number of different It’s easy to criticize the fact that most with these products.
apps, which vary dramatically in quality. smart-home devices are just kind of dumb The fact that the ice maker has a really
Buying a smart plug from a company and pointless. As I write this, I’m cat- dumb app is not a major problem in my
called something like Aoycocr or Crestin sitting for a friend of mine, who texted me life. I deleted it from my phone and very
or Dewenwils (these are real examples, and to say that his cat’s robotic litter box alerted much enjoy crunching on the ice. But keep
highly rated ones, from Amazon) requires him that the litter needed to be changed. an eye on the news for articles about how
the download of an equally anonymous app My own cat’s litter box, which is a plastic much data you’re giving to truly terrible
that is not likely to feature an elegant user bin that cost seven dollars, also alerts me corporations and militarized police forces.
interface. Even my ice maker’s app, which when the litter needs to be changed, by Take a look at your Dewenwils app and
was made by one of the most venerable being stinky or having visible cat poop in it. see if it’s actually, like, good. The doubts
corporations in American history, sucks. His cat’s robotic litter box, when I visited, you have about whether the smart home
The app is largely superfluous: Basically, had frozen and needed to be restarted, and is actually a positive in your life—don’t
it lets you turn the ice maker on and off the litter was inaccessible to the cat. This is ignore those.

C O N V E R S AT I O N
In 2023, Nifemi Marcus-Bello remade

the moon. At Design Miami last December
he showed a series of seating and sculp-
ture made from rough, sand-cast alumi-
num. The pieces evoked celestial forms
but also, as he notes, traced the path of
materials migrating to and from Africa.
The Nigerian designer’s work regularly
poses questions about the complexities
of global production systems and con-
temporary West African experiences by
exploring centuries-old metalworking
techniques and synthesizing abstracted
forms taken from multiple sources,
including a show about folktales told
in lunar light.
Tying multiple threads together is
an important part of Marcus-Bello’s
approach. After studying design in the
U.K., he moved across Africa pursuing a
desire to focus his practice there, first to
Nairobi, then to Kigali, and finally return-
ing to his birthplace, Lagos, where he set
up nmbello Studio. We spoke with him
about finding inspiration in the local re-
cycling culture and how moving home has
reframed what he values about design.
TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @LAKINOGUNBANWO
Erandi de Silva Lakin Ogunbanwo
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
A wrecked car and a scrapyard prompted the
Nigerian designer’s latest collection, which
displays new forms created with old techniques.
Photos: John Muggenborg
Custom OM Studio Design, NY 42044
A Collaborative Custom Home Design Process
Dune Falls, MI 41944 Avalon, MI 41845 Hestia, TX 41664
Aris Georges is the architectural design professional behind the mid-

century modern-inspired houses in Lindal’s OM Studio Design portfolio.
Contact your local Lindal representative at lindal.com/dealers to
connect with Aris and create a unique custom home or modify an existing
floor plan from the OM Studio portfolio: lindal.com/om-studio-design.
lindal.com I sales@lindal.com I 800.508.1833

Lifetime Structural Warranty I Family Owned I Founded 1945
What did you present at Design Miami with this community, so I engaged them how you’re applying it to your work?
last year? through creating objects together. Each person has their own oríkì, a sort
Tales by Moonlight, which is part of my of poem which is spoken and memorized
Oríkì design series and features an eight- What did you make with them? to be told to the next generation. The
piece sand-cast-aluminum furniture We made five vessels, a single seat, a objects in this series archive a story that’s
and object installation. It was produced bench, and a moon. The name Tales by passed on from one generation of maker
in one of the biggest scrapyards in Lagos, Moonlight comes from a television series to another through their materiality, tech-
which I learned of because I purchased that was broadcast each day after school, nique, and the object itself.
and shipped a secondhand car from where an elder sits under a tree, telling In 2019, I started a research project
America. It had been in an accident, so folk stories to children. The work presents called Africa – A Designer’s Utopia, where I
I had to repair it myself. My cousin took new typologies that explore the multifunc- archived anonymously designed objects,
me to the scrapyard to look for parts, tionality of objects and how a modern-day for example the wheelbarrow-like meruwa,
to a place called Owode Onirin. The car African would want to sit and how they which is used to transport water, and the
is a Mitsubishi, which is uncommon in could interact with material or form. kwali, a structure used by street hawkers to
Lagos, yet I found what I needed in five I wanted these designs to be obtrusive, sell small items such as snacks. It opened
minutes there, which fascinated me. because design in Africa is obtrusive—it’s my perspective to how design could be
Afterward, I would just go there, some right in front of you. practiced around West Africa: community-
Saturdays, to observe the small-scale led and open-sourced. It’s not pretentious,
sand-casting using melted scrap—people This work is the second installment but it’s in your face, true to materials, the
making door handles or window frames. in your Oríkì design series, which you user, and every single stakeholder.
I got told off for trying to take photos, but started in 2022. Can you describe the Similarly, I approach my work for the
despite that, I wanted to have a dialogue practice of oríkì in Yoruba culture and galleries as an archival practice. My
“ Even though Africa has become

a continent of consumers, things are still made here.
I’m seeking to celebrate that.”
NIFEMI MARCUS-BELLO

previous work for Marta gallery in Los

Angeles in the Oríkì series, Friction Ridge,
investigates the age-old material tech-
nique and technology of bronze-casting.
Did this collaboration with the Owode

Onirin community cause your approach
to design and production to evolve?
The Tales by Moonlight objects are largely
unfinished, which reflects how we interact
with materials here, where we appreciate
the rawness. That’s a change.
There’s something specific about a lot

of production in West Africa and the
wider region that embraces what
the West might call “imperfection.”
Design priorities are different here.
Exactly! I’m relearning that through mak-
ing here, which allows me to be true to
how perfection is understood within our
way of living. My mindset has shifted
quite a bit as I’ve been getting in touch
with cultural nuances and the evolution
of materials here.
You also designed Omi Oyo., a reflective

boatlike, sculptural installation that
holds salt, releasing it in a pile below,
over the five days of Design Miami.
What inspired that?
This work is about young Africans risking
their lives to cross the Mediterranean
because of the socioeconomic hardships
that result from systemic inequity and
lack of opportunity. I was visiting the
Venice Architectural Biennale, and I had
a conversation there with a Senegalese
migrant who told me his story, and it was
Designer Nifemi Marcus-
just heartbreaking. The only thing he Bello worked with a
joked about was that when he got to Italy, group of aluminum sand-
he didn’t want to have anything with salt casters to create his Tales
in it for a very long time. He said, “All by Moonlight series. It occupying smaller flats, compared to
includes a bench and
I could taste was salt in my mouth.” That previous generations who lived in larger
“moons” (above) as well
inspired this five-foot half-sphere that as vessels and a seat houses. This creates a space to begin a
releases salt to the ground, echoing the (p. 38). Marcus-Bello lies dialogue around new, everyday typologies
capsizing of a boat. on blanket-covered pro- and forms. For example, Tales by Moonlight
totypes (opposite).
presents multifunctional pieces that have
You went to school in the U.K., and been designed to work as seating, a table-
you’ve set up in Nigeria. In both envi- top, or even storage. Their use can be
ronments you have access to certain adapted based on the scale of the space.
technology, certain material, but there When I eventually moved back to Lagos,
are also boundaries around the type of people in Europe would suggest that I
production that you would do in each return because they didn’t believe that I
place and the access you would have to could design from West Africa. I consid-
particular things. What do you see as ered it, but when I opened my third eye,
the advantage of producing in Nigeria, I realized that design shouldn’t be unat-
conceptually but also technically? tainable because it’s everyday, especially
Conceptually, there’s a shift in how mod- on the continent. It’s not documented, it’s
ern-day Africans live, with more people not spoken about, but it’s ubiquitous.

BAC KS TO RY
Architect Rick Cook (left) imagined

his ideal family home and then found
something surprisingly similar for
sale on a wooded two-acre lot in
Palisades, New York. Rick and his
wife, Ellen, collect classic cars,
like their 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Z11 (top), and are experienced
auto racers (posing in some of their
gear, above), but speed had nothing
to do with their renovation. Cost,
indecision, and the scale of the
project, which included the original
4,000-square-foot home and a siz-
able addition (opposite), all slowed
Great Minds the pace, but so did the couple’s

desire to honor the intent of the
original architect, Charles P. Winter,
who designed the house in 1972.
After drawing up a design for “It made me think about every move
we made,” says Rick.
his family home, architect
Rick Cook discovered someone
had already done it better.
TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @FRANCOISDISCHINGER
Ameena Walker Francois Dischinger

BAC KS TO RY
In 2000, after being urged by a friend The 4,000-square-foot residence had began making updates to the decades-old
to look at homes in Snedens Landing, a been designed by architect Charles P. home—but not without some guidance.
neighborhood in the hamlet of Palisades, Winter, whose homes can be found across “Charlie was still alive when we bought
New York, that’s filled with historic resi- Rockland County. They typically have one the house, and he came and met us, which
dences, architect Rick Cook and his wife, dominant view of the Hudson River, but was very cool,” says Rick. “I wanted to
Ellen, toured a four-bedroom built in the this one, a three-level glass-and-wood box, hear what he was trying to accomplish,
early 1970s. The exterior wasn’t especially captured multiple views of the sky and and we tried to stay consistent with that.”
intriguing, but then they stepped inside. surrounding woods. “Given our fascina- The original plan remains. The foyer
“I was like, Oh my goodness, this looks tion with architects like Andrew Geller provides a glimpse of soaring ceilings
like what Rick designed,” says Ellen. Rick and Horace Gifford, we saw Charlie in this punched with skylights and leads to the
had made a similar sketch when dream- context of important architects who never living room, a box of light with a patch-
ing up his ideal home, though there were had the fame of the New York Five,” says work of oversize windows. On one side
a few differences in the real building. “I Rick, referring to the group of ’70s mod- is a nook where Rick updated a brick
really liked the way the proportions were ernist designers. hearth with a gas fireplace insert, and on
tighter in the foyer and then opened up Rick and Ellen bought the house from another is a double-height covered porch.
in the living room, where you get views the family that commissioned it. Shortly Up a set of stairs from the nook is the
of the woods,” he says. after, they adopted twin baby boys and dining room, which shares the second

BAC KS TO RY
level with the kitchen and a family room.

The third level holds the primary suite
with a porch, the kids’ bedrooms, and a
gym/meditation room.
Rick, one of the founders of Cookfox
Architects, has faced his share of chal-
lenges, having designed dozens of
projects, including the Bank of America
Tower in Manhattan and Brooklyn’s City
Point, a mixed-used development. But
nothing was more daunting than renovat-
ing his own home, he says. “It’s very easy
to make decisions for other people, but
making decisions for yourself and your
family—that was really unique.”
The kitchen was especially trying. “We
probably went through, without exaggera-
tion, one hundred different layouts,” says
Rick. “But because Charlie believed kitch-
ens should be modest and didn’t like a lot
of cabinets, we kept that basic concept.”
The family stuck with the original pantry
but added new appliances and open shelv-
ing and created a breakfast nook. The
most significant change is the addition of
In the living room (above), soft-hued

seating arranged in a circle is perfect
for entertaining. On the far wall,
Sunrise Over the Hudson, by Erik
Koeppel, competes with the stunning
scenery outside. “Charlie was inter-
ested in skewered views, like looking
straight up at the sky and then out
to the woods,” says Rick. A brick
hearth designed by Winter (left) was
updated with a gas fireplace. The
couple redid the kitchen (below)
without enlarging it, in an effort to
stay true to Winter’s plan. “We were
trying to do a modern version of what
would feel right in a house designed
in the ’70s,” explains Rick.
“ Most people make these giant family room

kitchens, but we chose to redesign ours in the
same square footage as before.”
RICK COOK, RENOVATION ARCHITECT AND RESIDENT
44
BAC KS TO RY
The central stair landing (left) terrace complete with outdoor

doubles as a music room. “In many kitchen (below) sits above a new
ways this is the center of our home,” garage. The terrace’s design was
says Rick. “The entire house liter- inspired in part by New York’s High
ally circles it.” Hanging on the wall Line, says Rick, with its varied and
is a 16th-century Tyrolean wood immersive plantings, expanded
figure of Christ purchased from the steel-mesh guardrail, and lighting
original owners. A 580-square-foot beneath ipe handrail caps.
an elevated garden terrace with an out-

door kitchen above an enclosed garage.
Connected to the home’s second level by
a short bridge, it was designed by Rick
with references to Manhattan’s High Line.
Although he and Ellen had ideas for
their dream home even before purchasing
the Winter residence, creating one still
took 20 years. But in their minds, hurrying
along the process became less impor-
tant once they were committed to honor-
ing Winter’s vision. “That’s the thing
with renovating an architect’s house,” says
Rick. “I would rather have it unfinished
than done poorly.”
Woods Road N
ARCHITECT Charles P. Winter RENOVATION ARCHITECT Cookfox

LOCATION Palisades, New York
A Entrance H Garage N Terrace

B Office I Kitchen O Outdoor Kitchen
O C Living Room J Dining Room P Gym
D Porch K Landing/ Q Bedroom
H E Bathroom Music Room R Laundry Room
N
F Garden Study L Family Room S Primary Suite
G Carport M Powder Room
E D
G D Q R
L Q
D F M
E G I
P
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT
D K Q
A
E
J D
C S
B
D
Ground Floor Second Floor Third Floor

INTERIORS
Breaking the Mold
TEXT BY
Laura Mauk
PHOTOS BY
Nicholas Albrecht
Haddock Studio preserves a

San Francisco apartment’s
Victorian details while giving
its interiors a sculptural twist.

INTERIORS
Just a few years after getting married wanted a professional kitchen, and they
and settling down in Palm Springs, also longed for a powder room for guests
California, Keith Jordan and Aamer and additional storage space. A place for
Mumtaz found themselves dreaming of Aamer, an amateur artist, to paint would
the Bay Area. “We’re both urban people, be a bonus.
and we wanted to live in a city again,” As they searched for an architect, a
Aamer says. “There’s just so much going friend of a friend recommended Tommy
on in San Francisco.” Haddock—and the three clicked immedi-
They’d each lived there in the past, and ately. “Like us, he was eager to do inter-
Keith still owned an apartment in an 1880s esting and offbeat things—nothing
Victorian in Lower Pacific Heights, so they cookie-cutter,” Aamer says. “We hit it off.” Returning to San Francisco, a city
decided to return in early 2020. Perched on In the living room, Haddock refurbished they knew and loved, Aamer Mumtaz
and Keith Jordan (opposite) decided
a corner lot, the building has a gray-and- the original marble fireplace surround
to revamp an apartment they already
white facade with classic detailing, tall win- and added a new steel insert. “I’d wrap this owned in Lower Pacific Heights.
dows, and a bright red front door. Inside, whole place in marble if I could,” Keith In the living room (above left), the
the living and dining areas have original says. The architect converted a closet in black circle chairs are by Haddock
molding and ceiling medallions with icing- the dining area into a compact office Studio, the firm that did the rede-
sign. The dining room (above)
like swirls, which Keith and Aamer love— sheathed in walnut, and he turned a hall includes a 1980s Philippe Starck
but the 1,196-square-foot one-bedroom closet into a powder room wrapped in armchair. The trays, also by Haddock
lacked key features. cream-speckled vinyl. Studio, are part of a group of pieces
Since Keith, a mortgage banking profes- At the end of the hall, Haddock practi- made from old redwood boards
found in the building’s basement.
sional, and Aamer, a digital healthcare cally gutted the kitchen, removing the The rugs in the living room and hall-
entrepreneur, work remotely, they needed pantry and a large stone chimney to create way (top) were selected by Aamer
office space. Keith, who loves to cook, more space and installing a semicircular in Pakistan and custom overdyed.

INTERIORS
granite tabletop and new cabinets with

a forest-green stain that lets the wood
grain show through. A massive, custom
stainless-steel hood and appliances from
Thermador, Bosch, and Zephyr give the
room an industrial gleam.
The primary bathroom is Haddock’s
favorite part of the redesign. “We did this
big, chiseled sink that looks like sculp-
ture,” the architect says. There’s heated
marble flooring and marble trim and gray
ceramic wall tile. “It’s this calm little world
that feels a bit like a cave,” Haddock says.
The home reflects who Keith and Aamer
are and what they love. Aamer’s paintings
hang on the walls, and rugs made in
Afghanistan and custom dyed in Pakistan,
where he grew up, lend warmth to the hall
and living room. Keith, originally from
Guyana, collects classic design pieces,
including the Isamu Noguchi coffee table
in the living room and the Philippe Starck
dining set.
“The goal was to make the apartment
feel bigger without making it bigger,”
Haddock says. “We were frugal and care-
ful and made everything fit,” explains
Aamer—and they did so while preserving
the apartment’s Victorian details. “We’ve
had a few dinner parties since the project
finished,” Keith says. “It’s great fun to
have people over to just eat and chat—I
think that’s what life’s all about.”
Keith is passionate about cooking, so collection and designed sleek floor-
architect Tommy Haddock designed to-ceiling shelving. “After our first
an industrial-style kitchen (above) Zoom meeting, Tommy came back
to meet his needs. Aamer’s paint- with renderings that blew us away,”
ings hang throughout the apartment, Keith says. “He got what we were
including over the refurbished mar- trying to do.” The sink in the tiled
ble fireplace (opposite). Haddock bathroom (right) was hand-carved
considered Keith and Aamer’s book from a block of Carrara marble.
Jordan-Mumtaz Home N
ARCHITECT Haddock Studio

LOCATION San Francisco, California
I A Entrance
K G
B Living Room
J C Dining Room
A
D Workspace
E Bathroom
H
D F Bedroom
G Closet
C B H Patio
G F I Laundry Room
J Kitchen
E K Powder
Room

INTERIORS
“ How do we make an art gallery? How do

we make a chef’s kitchen? Those were
two very important elements in the design.”
TOMMY HADDOCK, ARCHITECT

P R O M OT I O N
Creature
Comforts
Derek and Venea Meyer use desert-inspired design

elements, indoor/outdoor architectural details, and
organic forms to envelop their energy-efficient home.
For Derek and Venea Meyer, building a new “For us, sustainability means maximizing Joel Contreras Design. Using sustainable and
house was never part of the plan. comfort and longevity of a home while mini- organic materials was especially important for
The young couple, who were looking to mizing the impact and use of earth resources the Meyers, since they share the home with
move back to Arizona after a 10-year stint in and footprint,” says Derek of their three-year their children, five-year old Abigail and two-
California, had been searching and searching build process. With the guidance of Andrew year-old Mason, as well as their dog, Lady.
to buy a turnkey home but very quickly real- Tuttle at Beckett Construction, the Meyers For the mattresses in all the bedrooms, the
ized most of the houses they even vaguely opted for wool interior insulation and ZIP couple decided on Avocado Green mattresses
liked would require massive renovations. System R-sheathing for exterior insulation, because of the company’s environmentally
However, a random marketing email from which reduces the amount of lumber and conscious and sustainable business practices,
Zillow about a plot of land suddenly changed chemicals used to protect the home from as well as how luxe and relaxing the mattresses
PHOTOS: DWELL CREATIVE SERVICES
their trajectory: “They had an aerial view of the the Arizona heat. They also used drought- are to touch. “Avocado ties into our house
lot, and you could see the sunrise, the moun- resistant plants in the landscaping to beautifully from a sustainability perspective,
tains,” says Venea. “So I had this crazy idea— conserve water as well as a heat pump water and they’re really paving the way for other mat-
what if we build?” heater and energy recovery ventilator to reduce tress companies,” says Venea. “Their entire mat-
The couple soon began construction on a their energy use. tress is certified organic by the Global Organic
3,000-square-foot, sustainability-focused The Meyers’ eco-conscious mindset is Textile Standard, which I loved as well, and it
home at the heart of the Ahwatukee Foothills, evident throughout their five-bedroom, honestly feels like you’re sleeping on a cloud.”
a small community in the southernmost part four-bathroom home, which they designed
of Phoenix. alongside Joel Contreras and Amy Williams at Read more at dwell.com/avocado.
DWELL AVOCADO
DW E LL I N G S
Artful
additions
create new
homes out
of historic
TYPEFACE DESIGN: ECAL TYPEFACES
buildings. 51
DWELLINGS
A CHEF TURNS A
WALLED-IN
PROPERTY IN A
BAJA CALIFORNIA
SUR MISSION TOWN
INTO AN OASIS
FOR FRIENDS AND
FAMILY.
TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @FERNANDOMARROQUINT
Duncan Nielsen Fernando Marroquin

Near Mexico’s Pacific Coast,
chef Ernesto Kut Gomez trans-
formed a property with two
dilapidated buildings into a
food-focused retreat. Its pièce
de résistance is a tower with
guest suites and views of the
area. Ernesto’s partner, Ellen
Odegaard, collaborated on
much of the property’s furni-
ture, including the pool lounges.
53
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
DWELLINGS
It’s a pleasant May night in Todos Santos,

Mexico, as most are this time of year in
coastal Baja California Sur. In the court-
yard at chef Ernesto Kut Gomez’s tucked-
away home toward the edge of the historic
downtown, he and his assistant are pre-
paring dinner in an outdoor kitchen. They
set dishes on a slatted-wood table, start-
ing with bean tostadas and ending with
slow-cooked lamb stew and baskets of
warm tortillas.
Before we eat, Ernesto provides a little
backstory about the environs. Established
as a mission in 1724, Todos Santos was
gradually abandoned after the missions
were secularized, but by the middle of the
century it had been resurrected by sugar-
cane growers. “People settled here because
it was an oasis,” he says.
Its fertile grounds and its history are
what attracted Ernesto to the area, which
some know better for its surfing beaches,
gringo outpost Hotel California, or bou-
tique retreats like Hotel San Cristóbal and
the Paradero. He’d been making regular
trips between Vancouver, which he calls
home, and Mexico City, where his parents
live, when, seven years ago, he stopped in
Todos Santos to see a friend. “I fell in love
with the place,” Ernesto says. “I loved the
beach and the ruggedness and everything.
And I’ve always loved historical buildings.”
On that first trip, an 1800s brick struc-
ture used in the sugarcane industry
The gallery (opposite) has a new Pinto, one of the couple’s two
whitewashed pine roof that cov- dogs, rests under a coffee table
ers the main villa, which includes Ernesto and Ellen designed.
two one-bed suites and one of The gallery is lined with original
the property’s three and a half arches (left) that lead to the
kitchens. “We think it was a little courtyard. Ernesto designed the
church before,” says architect villa’s kitchen more “for every
Yashar Yektajo. The brick was day,” he says, but the one added
stripped of plaster from a prior to the courtyard (above) has
renovation. “It was completely a professional range and par-
rotten because there’s so much rilla to accommodate groups. “I
humidity here,” he adds. “Now don’t need super-fancy equip-
the brick can breathe, and the ment,” Ernesto says. He and
whitewash brings it together.” Yektajo designed the bar stools.
55
DWELLINGS
“This is a place to host friends and friends of friends.

It’s a really magical spot—it has this aura.”
ERNESTO KUT GOMEZ, RESIDENT
56
DWELLINGS
The courtyard and open-air

kitchen are the home’s hub,
where Ernesto’s guests can con-
vene for meals he prepares using
local ingredients. “There is an
incredible amount of produce
in the area. It’s the simple
things,” he says. Ellen designed
the table and benches, which
are surrounded by plantings
added to the property.

DWELLINGS
Casa Melina N
ARCHITECT Yektajo Architects

LOCATION Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
A Entrance
B Living/Dining
C N Area
C Kitchen
D Guest Room
E Bathroom
Third Floor Rooftop F Primary Suite
G Loft Suite
H Entertainment
E Room
K I Garden
E D J Outdoor Kitchen
K Tower Bedroom
L Laundry Room
First Floor Second Floor M Mechanical Room
N Deck
K M
E
L
H J
I
B C
G
E
D F
A
Lower Level
“This is where we had a little fun one in the guest room, Yektajo
with the carpentry work,” says made wood boxes for the show-
Yektajo, referring to the slatted- ers that rise partially up the wall.
wood inserts covering the open- “We liked the idea of having a
ings in the villa’s primary suite different height for everything
(above), as well as ones in the that’s new,” he says. The tower
guest suite and loft. “You can’t has a sunken ground-floor suite
add more windows in the facade (opposite), which allows for a
of historic buildings, so that higher ceiling and helps it stay
was the only way to get ventila- cool, as does the window fac-
tion,” he adds. Ellen designed ing the pool. “The wind passes
the bed frames with built-in over it and brings in fresh air,”
nightstands for every room. For Yektajo says. “This is how pools
the primary bath (right) and the are built in the Middle East.”
58
caught his eye. “It was beautiful, but it was left over from a prior renovation, Ernesto goat cheese and topped with figs plucked
really in ruins. Like, it didn’t have a ceil- saw the potential in exposing the brick from a tree in the courtyard. “You have to
ing. It was like it had been neglected for at structure inside and out. “I said to Yashar, get to them before the birds do,” he says.
least thirty years and nature had taken ‘I think we need to have a chat,’ ” Ernesto The bedrooms, too, are airy, with soar-
over,” Ernesto says. Two impulses led him recalls now, laughing. ing ceilings and porous tornillo-wood
to purchase the building’s lot, which con- Today, the property holds five beds and doors designed by Ernesto and Yektajo.
tained another historical structure as well. six baths across four buildings, old and “I love the draft of air, but I hate mosqui-
“One was to inspire other people to pre- new. Stepping through the main villa’s tos,” says Ernesto, who put mesh screens
serve the history of the town—it’s very unassuming entry off a quiet street, you over the windows so he could enjoy
easy to destroy heritage,” he says. The sec- move through an open-air foyer and into breezes without pests. Ernesto met his
ond was to create “a place for hosting all a gallery, where the exposed brick has partner, Ellen Odegaard, partway through
kinds of friends in the food, music, and been repaired. It’s topped with a new the renovation. An architectural designer,
art industries. I wanted to have a place wooden roof that connects four broad she offered some guidance on the project
for residencies and cultural events and to arches with two suites, the dining room, toward the end and shaped a lot of the
open the door to the community.” and a kitchen that’s partly open to the furniture, like bed frames, tables, and
At first, he and architect Yashar Yektajo, elements. “It’s so Baja that the ‘indoor’ nightstands; anything made of wood was
one of the designers of the Paradero, were kitchen is still pretty outdoor,” says built on-site.
going to preserve the property’s structures Yektajo, adding that it’s one of several on The main villa shares a wall with a
as they stood. Then, when the humidity the property. Here, before dinner, Ernesto new studio suite, accessed from the gal-
and salt air peeled back a chunk of plaster serves baguette slices smeared with local lery’s concrete patio via a set of stairs.

DWELLINGS
The tower (opposite) was lim- The third-level bar and kitchen-
ited to nine meters in height ette (below) have four openings
(because it’s sunken, it rises to with wood coverings that slide
about eight and a half), but the away. The space is perfect for
construction style emphasizes “wine and ceviche—for enjoying
its stature. “We did the board- the sunset,” says Ernesto. The
forming top to bottom to give it table, designed by Ellen, nests
a sense of verticality,” Yektajo into concrete banquette seat-
says. “It makes the tower seem ing. To connect the bar with the
way taller.” The concrete’s top-level viewing deck, Yektajo
rough texture and brown pig- inserted a spiral staircase (right)
ment complement the adjacent with a compact footprint to
brick building, now a lounge. preserve the views.
The gallery looks out over the courtyard,

flanked on one side by the outdoor kitchen
and, on the other, the property’s second
original brick structure, a sunken space
that’s now a lounge. Next to it is the
compound’s most dramatic addition: a
board-formed concrete tower containing
bedroom suites on the first two floors,
an open-air kitchenette and bar on the
third level, and a rooftop deck with mul-
tiple vantages. It provides a bird’s-eye view
of the property and vistas of the town,
lush palms, the rolling desert, and, in the
distance, the Pacific Ocean.
At first, Yektajo and Ernesto weren’t
sure how they were going to add more liv-
ing space to the property, given that the
city and federal government limit the
footprint of new structures on historical
sites. But Ernesto was determined to build
more accommodations and, in addition,
was going to be disappointed if there
wasn’t a view. “I was putting in all this
energy, but I wasn’t going to be able to
watch the sunset or see the ocean,” he
says. On a hike, a stout variety of cactus,
known as bisnaga, gave him the idea to
build up instead of out. “I was like, That’s
what we need to do,” he says.
Despite all you can see from the tower,
it’s invisible when you’re standing on the
street in front of Ernesto’s home. The resi-
dence melds with the rest of downtown
Todos, a patchwork of cobblestone streets
with sun-faded buildings occupied by
taquerias, tiendas, and oficinas. The
home’s only tell is the freshly hewed tor-
nillo-wood front door, ready to welcome
those who know where to go.

“We made the tower’s third-level
windows the same size so you can
look to the town, the mountains,
the ocean. We didn’t want to favor
one view over another.”
YASHAR YEKTAJO, ARCHITECT
61
62
DWELLINGS
OCCULT
FOLLOWING
Actor, writer, and producer

John Cameron Mitchell stands
at the back door to his home
in the Bywater section of New
Orleans, a city he felt drawn
to as more and more theater TEXT BY
friends moved there and he Madeleine Davies
began to seek a laid-back
alternative to New York. But not
PHOTOS BY | @CHANTALAANDERSON
entirely laid-back: The house,
formerly owned by a mystic Chantal Anderson
religious society, includes a
45-foot ballroom complete with
stage (opposite), where John
hosts parties and performances.
“I always wanted a venue,” he
says, “but not the business.”
HOW JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL

TURNED HIS NEW ORLEANS HOME
INTO A QUEER ART CHURCH.

DWELLINGS
John Cameron Mitchell has always been fittingly named St. John’s. The building the Angry Inch—has morphed the space
drawn to religious iconography, largely has also served as a meeting house for into a style he’s dubbed “modern gnostic
inspired by his late mother, who would Seventh Day Adventists and been home nouveau.” Rooms are full of lush textures
travel the world seeking out visions of the to a mortuary, a Baptist mission, and, and bold colors. Floors are covered in a
Virgin Mary. “She said she had messages most recently, the secret society Ordo myriad of antique rugs. Much of the furni-
for us,” John says, looking up at his favor- Templi Orientis (OTO), which was once ture comes from the Art Nouveau move-
ite Mary statue, which he found at a flea led by notorious British occultist Aleister ment, or at least is inspired by it.
market in Bordeaux. “The messages are Crowley. Vestiges of religious practices “It’s been two and a half years since I
always very banal.” can be found throughout the building. bought the house, and it’s been through a
This bit of personal history makes it In one room, a numerology mosaic called lot of things,” John says. “It’s been through
especially fitting that John’s 19th-century the Square of Jupiter is embedded in the hurricanes. It’s been through Covid and
home in the Bywater neighborhood of tile floor; another has planetary religious inflation. Supply chain problems kind
New Orleans served as a church for several symbology painted on the walls; the of doubled everything. The whole thing
religious denominations since at least the opening to the downstairs kitchen (yes, fell apart for almost nine months.”
1930s. The ground floor of the looming there’s an upstairs kitchen, too) is a In that time, John also had to temporar-
creamsicle-colored, two-story Italianate dramatic arch that, before John decided to ily relocate to Australia to film Peacock’s
house is dominated by a 45-foot-long remodel, was covered in gold. Joe vs Carole, which meant overseeing an
ballroom, perhaps constructed in 1934 Since purchasing the house in 2021, extensive renovation from the other side of
as an auditorium for a Catholic church, John—star and cocreator of Hedwig and the world. The endeavor might not have

Against a backdrop of honey- desk, by Michael Gregorio of
colored paneling and wide- Modern on the Hudson, is one
plank floors, John and his lead of John’s favorite pieces. His
designer, Mitchell Kulkin, filled Nouveau-inspired bed (above)
the 90-year-old house with was purchased in London while
patterned rugs, tons of artwork, he was filming a series. In a
and cool lighting fixtures, like sunny corner (below) hangs
the carved flower pendants by a painting of indeterminate
Romanian sculptor Lazslo Tompa origin. “A friend said it looked
that illuminate the upstairs hall- like me, but we never found
way (opposite). The “batwing” the provenance,” says John.

DWELLINGS
been possible if it weren’t for his friends

The Temple N Mitchell Kulkin, who worked as lead deco-
ARCHITECT Studio West Design & Architecture rator, and Justin Barton, who acted as
LOCATION New Orleans, Louisiana project manager. Kulkin, who’d previously
been in theater design, became John’s
close creative collaborator.
A Entrance
F F B Ballroom Buying in New Orleans also meant
D E G E C Powder Room more room than John could afford in
D Lounge many other cities, a requirement, consid-
E Bedroom
F Bathroom ering that he wanted his residence to
K
J H G Dining Area double as an event space. For the restora-
H Kitchen tion, Studio West Design & Architecture
I Lanai
J Landing and Arch Builders were brought on as
Second Floor
K Kitchenette/ architecture firm and contractor, respec-
Living Area tively. Two half bathrooms were added
beneath the fully reconstructed staircase
to accommodate the large numbers of
F guests who might come for a musical per-
D I formance or reading. The front parlor of
B G
the house—the small ballroom—was for-
tuitously outfitted with a stage already,
E H thanks to the OTO. At John’s request,
A
C C Arch Builders partner Jacques Magne
First Floor
had the stage extended; though it can fit
a full band, it takes up only a small por-
tion of the ballroom.
The house has two full kitch-

ens, one on each floor. In the
upstairs kitchen (left), black
appliances are joined by swirl-
ing Tortuga Bay quartzite
counters from Triton Stone and
a large custom black hood.
The downstairs kitchen (oppo-
site)—the one for “the riffraff,”
jokes John—is reached through
an original pointed arch and
features blue and white con-
crete tiles from Granada Tile
and bright white cabinetry. A
selection from John’s extensive
collection of glass purses is on
display above the open shelv-
ing. “I love Murano glass and
came across these inexpensive
purses on eBay and Etsy, so
I just started collecting them,”
he explains. “Mitchell had the
idea to mount them on the wall
and make them into planters.”

DWELLINGS
67
The rear of the ballroom holds a parasitic twin.” The chan-
an early-20th-century credenza delier is from Italianbraslights
that John bought at his favorite on Etsy. John scours sites like
New Orleans consignment shop, Facebook Marketplace, 1st
Renaissance Interiors. “We’ve Dibs, and Chairish for good
made it our multifaith altar,” he deals and unique pieces. “I love
says, “with an antique meno- to haggle online and meet peo-
rah, a Balinese Perpetual Face ple who are making things,” he
Buddha, and a Spanish Madonna says. He recently held a party
with human hair and Jesus (opposite) to welcome neigh-
springing from her shoulder like bors into the renovated home.
68
DWELLINGS
“ Before I bought the house, I talked to the neighbors.

Did it have a good vibe? I’m not superstitious,
but it was a somewhat occult church,
and there’s energy in this house.”
JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL, RESIDENT
Many of his friends from the New York ground floor includes the kitchen and
theater and art worlds had moved to New dining area: Kulkin and John opted to keep
Orleans, seeking out cheaper rents and the arch but swapped out the gold for
more affordable opportunities to create. white paint. A set of French doors, found
“I’ve lived all over,” John explains, but “I at an antiques store in Texas, leads to the
haven’t really lived in the South. Obviously dramatic addition of a large screened-in
this is a different kind of South, but it has back porch. Designed by Studio West,
the good elements—the friendliness, the the arched, floor-to-ceiling screens show
down-homeyness.” Though he still keeps off John’s Art Nouveau preferences with
an apartment in New York, he also wanted curved, whipcrack muntins. The backyard,
a home base that was more low-key. with a hot tub, has been newly landscaped
While the New Orleans Historic District for entertaining.
Landmarks Commission has strict rules While the house’s downstairs was built
regarding alterations to historic buildings, out with hosting in mind, the upstairs
the regulations—in the Bywater, at least— is a haven of privacy. Technically its own
apply only to building exteriors and what apartment, the second floor is a particular
can be seen from the public right-of-way. point of pride for Kulkin, who turned a
This flexibility allowed John and his team utility closet into a laundry room, thereby
to be more playful with the interior and creating extra square footage for the pri-
backyard. A major transformation on the mary bathroom. Of the dining area, John

DWELLINGS
More boudoir than bedroom,

John’s private suite has long
velvet drapes (above) and a
sitting room. “It feels like what
I imagine living in the 1920s says, “This was the most crappy kitchen.”
would be like—like, Oh, I’m in He and Kulkin have since transformed it
my bedroom parlor,” he says
with black cabinetry and appliances, along
with a flourish. The view is of
a classic Bywater street (left), with a backsplash and countertops made
with its colorful low buildings from a dynamic green-gray quartzite.
of a certain age. John’s bath- Around the corner is John’s bedroom,
room (below) is an immersive possibly the heart of the home—and not
experience in Nero Levanto
leathered marble from Triton just because of the walls’ deep red color.
Stone. Vintage French doors He found his bed, a wooden tangle of
open to a new lanai (opposite) curves, while filming the Netflix adapta-
surrounded by custom screen tion of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman
doors designed by the project
in London. The pièce de résistance is a
architect, Studio West. The
dining table and chairs put pair of custom Nouveau-inspired pocket
the “modern” in John’s self- doors—designed by Studio West—that
described “modern gnostic divide his bedroom from the sunny,
nouveau” style.
street-facing, second-floor sitting room
and allow natural light to filter through.
While the home is finally starting to
feel settled, John still has his anxieties.
The recent writers’ and actors’ strikes
made it harder to move forward with
building updates, and he worries about
the amount of money he’s invested so far.
But he asked himself a more important
question when it came to his dream
house: Do I want to die here? “And so when
I’m buying things, I’m like, this is my
death bed,” John says. “My death couch.
My death kitchen. I mean, who knows?”
The touch of morbidity adds signifi-
cance to his plans, not only for the house
but for the people who have supported
him and whom he continually works to
empower. The home may no longer serve
a particular religious doctrine, but it
remains a spiritual place. “We want this
to be useful to the community,” John says.
“It’s going to be the queer art church.”

71
DWELLINGS
Belgian artist Eva Claessens bought

a decaying, 1,000-year-old stone
structure in a village in Provence
and turned it into a home and stu-
dio. Behind her (opposite) is one
of her canvases. Below the window
is a bench Eva made using an old
wooden plank and loose stones
found during the building’s renova-
tions. The curtains were handsewn
from pieces of lace she bought at a
flea market in nearby Arles.
72
Pas de
Deux
AN ARTIST AND HER ONCE-CRUMBLING

TEXT BY
Paola Singer
HOME IN THE FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE START PHOTOS BY | @ALEX_CRETEY_SYSTERMANS
Alex Crétey Systermans

A NEW LIFE TOGETHER.
Eva Claessens’s decision to buy and photo,” she says matter-of-factly. “I always
restore a dilapidated 10th-century build- take dreams very seriously. They are so
ing in a tiny French village started with a important.” Eva was in South America at
dream. In the spring of 2020, the Belgian- the time, in the rural plains of Garzón in
born artist woke up with a vivid image of a eastern Uruguay, which has been her main
home in Provence and took it as a fait home for the last 15 years. Although the
accompli. “I bought all my houses because pandemic was still raging, she found a way
I saw them in a dream, as clearly as a to make it back to Europe.

DWELLINGS
There were some twists and turns along

the way, but Eva’s keen senses led her to an
empty building in the Var, an area in
Provence known for its scenic hilltop
hamlets. The structure didn’t look like
much at all: a rectangular “tower,” as she
calls it, three stories tall, with crumbling
stone walls, no roof, and soil for parts of
the ground floor. The building had once
been part of a fortified wall that had encir-
cled the local town. The painter and sculp-
tor, known for her ethereal outlines of
human bodies, liked that it had wide
spaces she could turn into art studios and
was undaunted by the prospect of elabo-
rate renovations, but more than anything,
she felt a visceral connection to this
Vintage Moroccan rugs are strewn on

the floor of the second story (right).
The iron railing was crafted by a local
blacksmith who once worked for the
sculptor César Baldaccini. While on a
walk through a nearby town, Eva saw an
old door that caught her eye, knocked
on it, and offered to buy it. Now it’s in
her home (below left). She found glass
jugs (below right)—onetime olive oil
and wine containers—at flea markets.
There’s a small light behind them that
turns on at night to create an installation
of sorts. “I work a lot at night and have
little lights everywhere,” she says.
“ I observed the light for weeks to find

the perfect location to invite the sun inside
so it can dance on the walls.”
EVA CLAESSENS, DESIGNER AND RESIDENT
74
unusual place. “The first time I walked by
the facade, I had butterflies,” she says.
Through a neighbor she befriended (one
of only 850 or so residents in the area), Eva
presented an offer to the property’s own-
ers, who were initially not interested in
selling. After nearly a year of negotia-
tions—there were three owners, all
French, with varying degrees of attach-
ment to this abandoned monolith and
varying financial aspirations—she was
able to purchase the building, which con-
sists of two nearly identical side-by-side
sections, plus a “mezzanine” that juts out
toward a neighboring structure. Then
N
began the reconstruction of the almost
10th-Century Tower Turned Into Living in Sculpture
3,800 square feet of interior space, with
DESIGNER Eva Claessens
LOCATION Mons, Var, France
Ground Floor First Floor Second Floor
C G J K
B F
E
A D H L
I F M
A Entrance H Yoga and

B Kitchen/Dining Area Meditation Room
C Ceramics Studio I Storage Room
D Guest Kitchen J Sculpture Room
E Painting Studio K Primary Suite
F Bathroom L Terrace
G Guest Bedroom M Mezzanine
In the sculpture studio on the top floor

(above), Eva turned an existing open-
ing into a decorative nook. The fabrics
on the bench are antique nets used for
olive picking. “They have all these olive
stains that are gorgeous—they are like
pieces of art,” she says. A 1930s screen
by Jomaine Baumann shields a duct
from view (right).

An opening in Eva’s closet looks into
her bedroom. The photograph she is
adjusting was taken by her friend and
fellow artist Julian Lennon. “He is the
only person I take design advice from,”
she says, adding that the circular open-
ing was his idea. On her bed are Rose
and Lili, the mother-and-daughter pair
who have traveled the world with Eva.

DWELLINGS
Eva designed new, curved stairs with a
smooth plaster surface that contrasts
with the roughness of some of the
exposed stones. A few of her ceramics
fill the niche under them, and skylights
bring in sunshine from above. The table,
bought locally for about 20 euros at a
garage sale, is made of olive wood.
77
DWELLINGS
Eva fulfilling the roles of architect and

designer. “When I see something, I already
see it finished. Otherwise, I don’t start,”
she says. “Everywhere I look has to be
beautiful and to feel soft—nothing
aggressive.”
Finding a contractor to undertake this
kind of project was not exactly easy; some
didn’t have the experience needed to
repair walls more than two feet thick, and
others came with unwelcome suggestions
about revamping the space. Eva made
some inquiries and found a builder whose
crew knew how to work with natural The primary bathroom (above) is deco- to her bedroom above but changed her
materials like stone and chaux, the French rated with found stones, a handmade mind. “I told the workers, ‘Leave the
porcelain candleholder, and other small stairs,’ ” she says. “Then I started to
word for lime plaster. She used chaux to objets d’art. In the guest suite (below) put some stones and pieces of leftover
cover nearly every interior surface, save is a staircase that goes nowhere. Eva chaux. It’s full of objects that aren’t
for a few walls where the original stones initially wanted to connect the space really anything.”
78
Outside, Eva planted wildflowers,
grapevines, and other flora along the
perimeter of the home. Inside, a sitting
area by a Skantherm fireplace (above)
is a nice spot to cozy up with a book.
were left exposed. At night, when the

workers were gone, Eva would come in
to work on these stones by hand, using
a hammer and other tools to carve them
just so, making crevices where she
planned to place votives and objets d’art.
“It feels fresh, harmonious, and natural. “It was an amazing collaboration,” she
I’m at home a lot, and I’m always creating.” says of the renovations, which involved
more improvisation than most. “This was
EVA CLAESSENS
for me like an artwork, like restoring a
piece of art.”
Eva directed the crew to create cement
staircases connecting the three levels and
to add a series of rectangular skylights,
some stacked on top of each other, to
bring in as much sunlight from above as

possible. (The exterior, which is land- something dreamed up by the offspring of By a window (above) sits a black
ceramic sculpture by Eva and a white
marked and can’t be altered, doesn’t have an architect and an alchemist. “The way I
clay one—the first sculpture she ever
many windows.) She decided to keep the want to live is not about luxury but about made, at age 16. The pillows on the
two main sections mostly separate: One a certain aesthetic,” she says. bench are covered in textiles from ML
houses a kitchen with a dining area, a par- Eva’s relationship with the residents of Fabrics in the Netherlands. The home’s
lor, a painting studio, and a sculpture stu- this little corner of the Var, where she hilltop perch (opposite) provides long
views of the rolling French landscape.
dio, and the other has a primary suite, a now lives part-time, is a work in progress.
guest suite, a kitchenette, and a ceramics Some hail her as a kind of hero for having
studio. A passage on the top floor between restored this crumbling old tower, she
the two sections completes the layout. says, yet more-traditionalist locals disap-
Nooks and crannies abound. prove of its new appearance. She’s still
It’s an alabaster-hued hideaway that’s learning, from inside her sanctuary, what
both cozy and mysterious, filled with sin- it means to be part of this community.
gular silhouettes, some broad and sculp- “It’s the first time in a long time I’ve lived
tural, others slight and organically shaped. in a village. I’m used to being in the coun-
Eva decorated the space with eclectic tryside,” says Eva. “But I close the door
antique finds and weathered wooden and no one can look inside. It’s really like
planks used as shelving. It all feels like a little world of its own in here.”

DWELLINGS
81
MY HOUSE
TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @GRETARYBUS
Debra Spark Greta Rybus
Display Case
A pair of vintage furniture dealers remodel
a rare Maine prefab into a backdrop for their
prized personal collection.
Meghan Lavery and Daniel
King bought a 1987 prefab
in Maine (left) to fix up and
fill with designs by mid-
century modern luminaries
the couple stock at their
Brooklyn furniture store,
Home Union. The living
room (opposite) features
a Noguchi lantern, a velvet
Soriana sofa by Afra and
Tobia Scarpa, Ingo Maurer
Uchiwa 6 fan lights, and
a teak Hans Wegner cre-
denza. The former sunroom
(below), now a guest room,
has a 1970s armchair by
Bruno Rey.
Meghan Lavery and Daniel King are

such design aficionados that they don’t
always part with what they find for
Home Union, their midcentury-focused
furniture store in Brooklyn. So in 2021,
following their decision to keep a wool
Cassina Soriana sofa, they told each other,
“We really need to get a house for this.”
After renting apartments together in
and around Brooklyn’s Williamsburg
neighborhood for nearly a decade, the

MY HOUSE
couple started looking for a home in affordable than the custom equivalent. home a complete restoration with a few
Maine, where Meghan grew up—some- Most often found in Massachusetts and new ideas. “We wanted to refine the space
where they could eventually live full-time North Carolina, the designs vary but typi- while not disrupting what makes the
that would sync with their penchant for cally feature large windows, a waffle front house special,” Daniel says.
vintage. A house for sale near Portland by door in mahogany, a living area with a The couple touched every surface, they
Marcel Breuer was tempting but felt too vaulted ceiling, and a post-and-beam say, working with Howe Building
close to neighbors. There weren’t many construction. “We loved that it had a mid- Company to turn a sunroom into a bed-
midcentury homes in the area and hardly century feel,” says Daniel of the room, create full baths on each of the
any by major modernist designers. Would 3,000-square-foot space, which had those home’s three levels, and overhaul the
it be their only opportunity? fundamental Deck House elements, plus a kitchen with custom cabinets by Good
It seemed so, but that summer they commanding view of Harpswell Sound Cube Studio. They enlisted Portland
found something unexpected in the without a neighbor in sight. architect Jocelyn O. Dickson to create a
coastal town of Harpswell: a 1987 prefabri- The house had seen renovations after a Bauhaus feel in one bathroom, while
cated home by Deck House, a company fire in 2011, but the changes weren’t neces- Meghan leaned into a Finnish sauna vibe
akin to Eichler in that it produced mod- sarily in the spirit of the original design, for another. They also refinished the
ernist residences that were much more so Meghan and Daniel decided to give the Douglas fir rafters, plastered the walls,
“ It’s almost like we got the house to showcase our furniture,

which seems backward from what most people would do.”
MEGHAN LAVERY, RESIDENT

The basement-level fam-
ily room (right) connects
with a guest bedroom
that features a painting by
Marleigh Culver. Beside the
sliding door are a beech-
wood Pigreco chair (left),
designed by Tobia Scarpa
in 1959, and a Bodyform
side chair by Peter Danko.
The Tulip table is by Eero
Saarinen.
Home Union House N added rift oak floors, used translucent Italian stuff. We love the Scandinavian
glass for interior windows, replaced the stuff. We love the Japanese stuff. Our
ORIGINAL ARCHITECT Deck House
LOCATION Harpswell, Maine staircase’s heavy wood railings with cus- brand marries those things and finds syn-
tom steel, and painted the 18-foot brick ergy between different design periods,”
Lower Level chimney white. Meghan says.
Now, Daniel says, he and Meghan see And the same is true with the ’80s-
their home as “a perfect backdrop for our vintage house, where virtually every room
somewhat eclectic furniture and lighting holds an object by a beloved designer—
A B collection, in that it doesn’t distract or feel from an Alessi teakettle by Aldo Rossi to
thematically competitive.” And their tastes that Soriana sofa, which is now right at
are wide-ranging. “We really love the home in the couple’s upstairs bedroom.
E D C
First Floor The kitchen (opposite, left)

features custom-lacquered
K F cabinets with white oak
B
handles and, in lieu of
upper cabinets, a wall
J C niche to display dishes. The
I Bauhaus bathroom (oppo-
site, right) is named for the
H tubular pattern on the floor
G tile. A new deck (left) made
of garapa, a sustainable,
rot-resistant tropical wood,
Second Floor has a woodburning hot tub
from Goodland.
L
A Den G Garage
B Bedroom H Entrance
C Bathroom I Kitchen
D Laundry Room J Dining Area
E Utility/Storage Area K Screened-in Porch
F Living Area L Primary Suite

OFF THE GRID
TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @MSCOTTPHOTO
Duncan Nielsen Mathew Scott
Up Around the Bend

A couple’s redesign of a 1975 Argosy is
calibrated for a blend of creative work and off-
grid bliss, whether they’re parked at the beach,
in the mountains, or somewhere in between.
“We’re not really adventure people,” A pause, and then Caroline clarifies: “I can you wanna do another one?’ I was like, no,”
says Caroline Burke, but only after she and count the number of hikes we’ve done in Riley remembers, laughing. “But we bought
her husband, Riley Haakon, have been the past two years on one hand.” it, and this is it.”
explaining for almost an hour how they’ve Okay, so not outdoorsy types, but prone Today, the Argosy, glowing with a paint
been hauling a vintage trailer across the to adventure, say. A year and a half ago, job Caroline and Riley managed to apply
U.S. and down dusty Baja roads for several they were feeling burned out near the end in a 40-mile-an-hour windstorm—in
months. Once, in Mexico, they wound up of a nine-month road trip in an Airstream December, in Massachusetts—is parked
serving coffee to a beachful of local fami- they had spent months renovating, but in California’s Carpinteria State Beach
lies on vacation; in Washington’s San Juan they still couldn’t help but peruse listings campground. The weather is temperate,
Islands, they almost saw their broken- for other project trailers. Then they saw slightly overcast, and windless. The cou-
down truck burn up while it was parked their dream model for sale in Arkansas, ple’s two cats, Pancake and Ophelia, and
outside a bar that had caught on fire. an Argosy built in 1975. “Caroline said, ‘Do dog, Cowboy, who’s dressed the part in

OFF THE GRID
Caroline Burke and Riley Haakon

updated a 1975 Argosy (oppo-
site) with know-how gleaned
from a prior Airstream renova-
tion. A long maple butcher block
forming a kitchen counter and
work surface (above and right)
replaced one of the trailer’s two
twin beds. Riley sits on the other
(right), which now serves as a
reading nook with sliding poly-
carbonate partitions. The paper
pendant in the work area and the
one above the bed (below) can
be fixed to different points in the
trailer to accommodate needs
moment to moment. “It kept the
electrical simple,” says Caroline.
87
OFF THE GRID
“We’ve encountered so much kindness in our travels,

which has been a huge learning experience.
We’ve looked for opportunities to pass that along.”
RILEY HAAKON, OWNER AND DESIGNER
“We used construction-grade

four by fours,” says Riley,
referencing the tiled offcuts
that make up the trailer’s floor
(above left). For storage, the
couple created cubbies for milk
crates fixed with wood cutouts
(above center). A woodburn-
ing stove from Cubic (above)
provides ambience and supple-
ments heat from a furnace. “If
you can get it to burn through
the night without touching it,
that’s a win,” Riley says. “When
we’re in relatively cold places,
we’re constantly using it.” The
work area (left) looks out one of
the trailer’s many windows.
a red bandana, laze on the bed, which is flexibility, Riley removed partitions that chagrin,” says Riley. Says Caroline, “I did
surrounded by windows, a hallmark of this divided the trailer in half. “I was really not think it was gonna work out.”
brand of trailer. afraid to have a bed in the front,” says But things always seem to for this cou-
“Anything that’s white is original, and Caroline. “I was like, ‘We’re gonna be ple and often in unexpected ways. Riley
anything that’s wood is us,” Riley explains hosting…but we don’t host.’ ” Caroline, explains how, about two years ago, he and
about the updates he DIY’d. The couple a full-time editor and writer, is with her Caroline were at Agate Beach in Oregon on
collaborated on the Airstream, but Riley, computer where one of two twin beds a walk—we won’t call it a hike—when they
who is transitioning out of advertising used to be, now a continuous surface that shared a moment with an otter, a moment
with aims of turning an amateur passion serves as a desk or a place to prep meals. so magical it convinced him to put off grad
for design into a profession, was left to his Riley’s biggest experiment was the school for a year so they could keep wan-
whims by Caroline this go-round: “I was flooring. A mesmerizing mosaic of wood dering. Now, when an answer to a question
like, ‘You’re going to architecture school. squares made of old- and new-growth tim- doesn’t readily present itself, they “chase
You do whatever you want.’” ber, it defies the dogma that tiling does not the otter god,” he says, which is what
The existing cabinets worked, so they belong in a moving vehicle. “I had just been they’ve been doing ever since. Wherever it
stayed, but wanting an open plan for more nerding out over end grain, to Caroline’s leads them next, it likely won’t be boring.

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sourcing
Explore the products, furniture, architects, designers,

and builders featured in this issue.
42 Great Minds zacharyadesign.com; for Softline .com; framing by

Oceanspray rug by softlinefurniture.com Framebridge
Cookfox Architects Crosby Street Studios framebridge.com
cookfox.com crosbystreetstudios 52 Hiding in Plain Sight 66 Kitchen masonry by
Structural engineering .com; Planck chandelier Favian Hurst linkedin
by WSP by Jérôme Pereira Yektajo Architects .com/in/favian-hurst-
wsp.com galerie-philia.com; yektajo.com 1881a869; Tortuga Bay
Landscape installation ceramic herb planter by Ellen Odegaard quartzite counters and
by Heyhoe Garden Cookfox and Simone ellenodegaard.com backsplash from Triton
Design and Summerhill Bodmer-Turner 52–53 Lounge chairs by Stone tritonstone.com;
heyhoegardendesign simonebodmerturner Ernesto Gomez, Yashar custom hood by
.com .com; Sunrise Over the Yektajo, and Ellen Opossum Woodshed for
summerhilllandscapes Hudson by Erik Koeppel Odegaard Arch Builders archnola
.com nhantiquecoop.com; 54–55 Lounge chairs .com
Lighting from Ketra kitchen bay window from and coffee table by Ellen 67 Blue and white
ketra.com Duratherm Odegaard and Ernesto kitchen tiling from
Interior venetian plaster durathermwindow.com Gomez; bar stools by Granada Tile granadatile
by Pietra Viva 45 Lattice design Ernesto Gomez, Yashar .com
pietravivaitaly.com Moroccan rug from Yektajo, and Estudio 68 20th-century
Roofing from Kemper Gallery 51 gallery51.net; Fedra estudiofedra.com credenza from
System guardrails by Prandoni 56–57 Outdoor table and Renaissance Interiors
kemper-system.com Fabrication & Design benches by Ellen yourrenaissance.com
Pas de Deux
Automated window prandonifabrication.com Odegaard 70 Bathroom masonry
shades and lighting 58–59 Bed frames with by Favian Hurst; Nero
control system from 46 Breaking the Mold built-in nightstands by Levanto marble from
Lutron Ellen Odegaard; Jipijapa Triton Stone Bieffeplast, and Le tub from Goodland
lutron.com Haddock Studio Palm lamps by Teterete 71 Stained-glass Bambole striped chairs hellogoodland.com
42 Deco sleeper sofa haddockstudio.com teterete.com transom window by by Mario Bellini from
and Asher leather 47 Circle Triangle 60–61 Dining table by Wendy Carter of Carter Home Union; rug from 86 Up Around the Bend
ottoman from Room & Square chair, end table, Ellen Odegaard; ceramic Royal Glassworks Beni benirugs.com;
Board roomandboard and wooden trays by tableware by Ernesto carterroyalglassworks marble nightstand from Riley Haakon
.com; Thyme side table Haddock Studio; coffee Gomez and Steven .com Design Within Reach rileyhaakon.com
from Greenington table by Isamu Noguchi Jacobi of Barro Sur dwr.com; ceiling lights in 86 Exterior paint in
greenington.com noguchi.org; Eave sofa barrosur.com 72 Pas de Deux amber glass from RBW Oyster White from Rust-
43 Charred-wood siding corner seat by Norm rbw.com; wool curtains Oleum rustoleum.com
from Nakamoto Forestry Architects for Audo 62 Occult Following Eva Claessens from The Shade Store 87–88 Lumber from
nakamotoforestry.com; audocph.com; Castore evaclaessens.com theshadestore.com; Dartmouth Building
green roof from Green Suspension by Michele Studio West BA Constructions bedding from Buffy Supply dartmouth
Roof Blocks and De Lucchi and Huub studiowest.design ahmed.boukayar73 buffy.co buildingsupply.com;
Conservation Ubbens for Artemide Arch Builders @gmail.com 84 Countertops from roller curtains from
Technology artemide.net; Philippe archnola.com Caesarstone Levolor levolor.com;
greenroofblocks.com Starck chair from the Antique doors from 82 Display Case caesarstoneus.com; wall kitchen sink and faucet
conservationtechnology Royalton Hotel starck Sugar Magnolia Farm & light from A-N-D a-n-d from Glacier Bay
.com .com Design and Olde Good Jocelyn O. Dickson .com; High Chair K65 by glacierbayshop.com;
44 Berk-Lock 3 in 1 48 Range hood cone Things instagram.com jocelynodickson.com Alvar Aalto for Artek butcher block countertop
chair from The Berkline cover and bathroom sink /sugarmag7 and Howe Building Company artek.fi; bathroom tiling from Hardwood Lumber
Corporation; bronze by Haddock Studio; ogtstore.com howebuildingcompany by Block Shop x Fireclay Company hardwood-
tripod table by Christian honed Capri gray granite 62 Stained-glass .com Tile fireclaytile.com; lumber.com; lighting
Liaigre studioliaigre.com; countertops from window depicting David Interior design by floating oak vanity by from Color Cord
VL38 floor lamp by Benattar Marble & Bowie and Mavis Staples Home Union Daniel King; bathroom Company colorcord.com;
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one last thing
An Indian yarn-making tool reminds textile designer

Arati Rao that preserving craft culture requires
human touch.
AS TOLD TO
Lauren Gallow
PHOTO BY | @IANSHIVER
Ian Loring Shiver
When I left corporate fashion is supported in part by govern- on wheels like this one, which is raised in America, but I have a
in 2010, I made a trip to South ment funding. After that first about five inches tall, but bigger. unique understanding of weaving
India to see if there was a way to visit, we started working together They are symbols of self-reliance culture because I’ve spent a lot of
work directly with weavers where on creating throws and other in India and were significant in time sitting with people in their
my ancestors are from, in textiles from my designs, which the freedom movement. One was homes and connecting with the
Telangana. Their craft heritage was how I started my rug and even included in a rendering of community. To be able to support
has become devalued because soft-goods company, Tantuvi. the country’s flag in 1921. this art form and the artisans has
people want things faster and On one of my trips to visit the I was so touched. I’m such a become so personal for me.
cheaper, but the community center, its director, Damoder tiny little business, so I wondered, How amazing it is that we still
there has done an amazing job Seetha, presented me with this How is it that I mean so much to have people among us that can
establishing a weaving center, mini charka, or spinning wheel, all of you? I think it’s because I’m do this? Why would we let it go
Pochampally Handloom Park, as a token of appreciation. The not viewed as an outsider, even away just because we want less
which operates like a co-op and cotton Tantuvi uses is hand spun though I am one. I was born and expensive things?

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hunterdouglas.

©2024 Hunter Douglas Inc.

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