Home of an Artist: Boxenbaum Residence in Beverly Hills

Situated on a sloping corner lot across from an elementary school in Beverly Hills California, Boxenbaum Residence was designed by Ehrlich Architects. This modern 9,000 square foot house orients itself away from perimeter streets toward rear and side outdoor gardens for privacy. A key requirement of this primary residence for a couple with grown children was ample studio and display space for its resident artist, Kharlene Boxenbaum. The design creates large wall expanses bathed in ambient light, ideal for showcasing paintings. The 2,500-square-foot second floor serves as her studio.

The composition of the house is a dance of cubic volumes, vertical stucco masses, and floating roof planes that reinforce the open floor plan. The largest volumes are wood construction clad in stucco, while the horizontal roof planes become steel fascias that cantilever past the window line and protect the glass from direct sun and rain. Elements of the vertical stucco masses enter into the house to form sculptural backdrops for the fireplaces, playing off wood and stone floors.

Because of the sloping site, the garage, housekeeper’s quarters, and storage are accessed from the lower secondary street and are partially embedded in the earth. The main living level is raised above the basement, allowing the entire floor to open into the landscape. A series of floating planes of stone extend into the front and rear gardens as stairs and transitional platforms, terminating at the back in a reflecting pool.

Photos: Juergen Nogai

Colorful apartment filled with contemporary art

La Casa Del Tempo (The House of Time) is situated in Venice, Italy on the Grand Canal. This colorful apartment interior was designed in 2010 by Claudia Pelizzari Interior Design for a couple of collectors of contemporary art, which has been installed by a unique picture hanging system. With high ceilings, exposed beams and a wonderful open plan design, this light-filled home features spectacular views over the canal.

Photos: Giorgio Baroni

Sag Harbor beach house hideaway

This sensational home is a modern weekend getaway for a modern family of four, located in Sag Harbor, New York. The owners were looking for a designer who could fuse their love of art and elegant furnishings with the practicality that would fit their lifestyle. They owned the land and wanted to build their new home from the ground up. Betty Wasserman Art & Interiors, Ltd. was a natural fit to make their vision a reality.

Upon entering the 7,000 square foot house, you are immediately drawn to the clean, contemporary space that greets your eye. A curtain wall of glass with sliding doors, along the back of the house, allows everyone to enjoy the harbor views and a calming connection to the outdoors from any vantage point, simultaneously allowing watchful parents to keep an eye on the children in the pool while relaxing indoors. Here, as in all her projects, Betty focused on the interaction between pattern and texture, industrial and organic.

Photos: Courtesy of Betty Wasserman

Contemporary lake house filled with light and art

DeForest Architects transformed this existing lakeside residence in Seattle, Washington from a house full of heavy stone and beams into a light-filled place for enjoying art, food and family. The clients, Mark and Mattie, are an entrepreneur and artist, mom and dad, this creative couple asked the architects to transform their home on Lake Washington into an elegant, family-friendly house filled with light and art. The staircase design received a Grand Award from Residential Architect and a Citation from the Washington AIA Honor Awards.

Photos: John Granen, Ben Benschneider (stairs)

Sky high glamour showcased in Russian Hill Home

In this cosmopolitan Russian Hill home, floor to ceiling windows frame a quintessential San Francisco view. The new owners wanted a clean, modern canvas that would showcase their art collection, so Jeffers Design Group collaborated with Sutro Architects and Black Mountain Construction to take the space back to the studs, and opened it up by taking down all of the interior walls. Against a canvas of greys and whites, the bold, sculptural forms of the furnishings pop, giving the space real wow factor.

Photos:  Courtesy of Jeffers Design Group

House of seventeen balconies infused with eclectic charm

The house of seventeen balconies is a transformation of a property that was in dark and labyrinthine origins in the heart of Madrid, Spain. Studio Arroyo Architects undertook this project to reform in into a radical conversion of space into a typical nineteenth-century distribution, with a clear differentiation between service and noble areas. These latter areas were grouped around a central patio with an infinity of small dwellings and endless corridors that filled this part of darkness and mazes. The reform put an end to excessive compartmentalization to create continuity around the courtyard a circulation and vision to achieve spacious surfaces that are flooded with natural light.

Instead of passing through various corridors, the entire house became interconnected through large spaces. The original architectural elements that characterized public areas were respected, such as moldings, woodwork, cast iron radiators and pine flooring. Efforts were made to minimize the materials used in the reform. In areas where wood was no used, cement was put in its place, which also covered sinks and showers. As for walls and ceilings, they were painted white to create the perfect canvas to highlight the extraordinary works of art and furniture. Style combines antique pieces mixed with contemporary, responding to the character of the owners, who are lovers of art, reading and collecting of object acquired on different trips.

Historic building transformed into lavish Paris pad

Great attention to detail went into renovating this historic residence in Paris, France. Francis D’Haene, a Belgian-born, New York City-based architect and designer, of D’Apostrophe Design, was charged with the task of transforming an old building owned by the French government into a royal residence. He worked closely with the clients to select all of the furniture, lighting and artwork, the likes of which include chairs by Fernando and Humberto Campana, a pendant by the Bouroullec Brothers, an Andy Warhol silk screen and a pair of Cindy Sherman photos. Typical of his work, D’Haene seamlessly blended art and design to create a palatial duplex apartment for the couple, their son and family dog.

Photos: Courtesy of Eric Laignel

Astounding renovation of a mountain home

Colorado-based studio TruLinea Architects designed 302 N. Aspen St. in 2009, a historic renovation and remodel of a main house and carriage shed in the town of Telluride, Colorado. The firm moved and reclassified a historic front yard shed and turned it into a carriage shed. The 3,500 square foot main house went through a major remodel and with an addition to the historic residence, taking 14 months to complete. The home was purchased for over $2 million in 2007, built in 1992, it has a stone-and-wood exterior as well as a metal roof.

The floor plan was flipped and the living areas were placed ‘high up’ to take advantage of mountain and valley views. The owner works in the financial services industry, he and his sister inherited their parents’ are collection. The home includes works by Yves Corbassiere, Jean Cocteau and E.L. Kirchner, among others. There are five bedrooms and 4-1/2 bathrooms. The home also includes a lofted office, a mud room, a laundry room and a two-car garage.

The kitchen features concrete countertops, dark walnut cabinets and a farmhouse sink.

The bedrooms and children’s play areas are on the lower level.

The master bedroom, shown above, has Italian limestone floors.

There are two gas fireplaces. The zebra rug shown here is real.

Photos: Photekt

Extravagant mountain chalet in Courchevel 1850

This luxury ski chalet in Courchevel 1850 high up in the French Alps, France is the perfect retreat for those who appreciate art and design. The theme of Art Chalet is creative extravagance, and the place is heaving with beautiful works of art and limited edition designer furnishings.

Everything about Art Chalet is spectacular, from the waterfall swimming pool surrounded by four flat screen TVs, to the grand piano in the music area. With seven floors, this luxurious chalet offers total indulgence at your disposal, including a private nightclub with state-of-the-art DJ equipment, sleek glass elevators, a team of staff including a private chef, spa, cinema room and even a casino-style room complete with roulette wheel and card tables.

Climb aboard your private, chauffeured Mercedes 4×4 to be transported to your mansion at the side of the Bellecote piste, among the trees above Courchevel. Let the attentive team of live-in chalet staff pamper you with Champagne and canapés as you take in your magnificent surroundings. Relax in sublime comfort as your private chef prepares an aromatic meal and the manager makes all your arrangements.

Art Chalet may look fairly traditional (in a supersized way) but the metal sculpture by the door offers a clue to the flamboyance within. Sculptures, paintings, lithographies and drawings by artists such as Picasso and Warhol are liberally scattered throughout Art Chalet. Even the light fittings are art installations, and the Japanese toilets are a stylish touch. Secretly, you will be glad of a bad weather day when you can stay home and play in your fabulous mountain mansion.

To stay at this spectacular getaway that sleeps 16, rates start at $211,398, from here.

How to style a spare living space in the home

Every household has an area in their home where it is either left empty or in desperate need of some furniture. Whether you need to put a small table or chair in this space to utilize it and make it useful it is important to do it right so that this area now becomes a working part of the home. Here we have some great home ideas from a company called Fashion For Home. They are based predominantly online and have a wide range of furniture from some of the world’s top designers.

This Tomoko White Oak Bench which designed by Sean Dix is a fantastic piece of furniture that can really change an area such as a hallway into a useful space. If you have quite a large home and need to fill up this area then having somewhere for you to sit down and get ready before going out will be extremely useful. This classically designed bench is made from solid white oak and is extremely sturdy and will definitely look the part in your home.

Another fantastic piece by Sean is this Dowel Grey 2 Seat Sofa which is great for a home office or a quiet backroom. This is not overpowering in size but seats to adults very comfortably. You’ll find that the smooth lines and neutral colors used will blend in with almost any decor that you currently have.

Lastly a bare wall can leave a home looking very cold and unwelcoming. If you click here you’ll be able to see a range of oil paintings that are available from F4H that are not overpowering in any way and will add a touch of class to your home. Paintings are a great way to decorate a hallway, spare room, or an office. It is also very cost-effective and you can even brighten up a drab room by simply hanging up a bright contemporary piece.

These are just a few items that are available from Fashion For Home and they also have a wide range of other bespoke and exciting furniture and accessories available on their site.