Replanting Historic Roots

LEARN HOW A TEAM OF ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPERS AND DESIGNERS JOINED FORCES TO PRESERVE THIS MID CENTURY MASTERPIECE.

It’s hard to imagine looking at it now,

but this stunning home in Montecito, California, was slated for demolition until a visionary architect with a deep respect for historic preservation assembled a design team to help it not only survive, but thrive.

“A jewel of Montecito’s past has been preserved and restored,” says Ryan Prahm of DD Ford Construction ( ddford. com), who carefully selected the designers he would work with for the landscape and interior design. “The original plan for this residence was to nearly tear it down, lift and flatten the roof over the main public space and turn a tired old home into a contemporary glass, concrete and structural- steel masterpiece,” Ryan explains.

However, after researching the home’s original architecture, Ryan changed the course of the construction. “Upon learning of the home’s rich history and studying the architectural significance of Lutah Maria Riggs, who designed and built it in 1960 and was an understudy of George Washington Smith, we reconsidered the value that the original architectural style provided,” Ryan says. “[ We wanted] to work within the existing footprint and keep the timeless Japanese architectural vernacular that has occupied the property for the past 50+ years.”

Ryan started the renovation by assembling design professionals he knew could bring the home and property back to its former glory. He says, “We pulled together an incredible design team: Diego Monchamp from Brown Design Group ( browndesigninc. com) for the interior design and Rob Maday from Bosky Landscape Architecture ( boskyland. com) to design the grounds.

The home was in a state of disrepair, and the foundation required significant upgrade to support the new structure that would be built on top of it. “Due to the home’s historic nature and architectural significance, we needed to preserve the exterior design, finish palette and fenestration,” Ryan says.

THE LAY OF THE LAND

The property had been wildly overgrown and needed to be thoughtfully designed and executed. “The home’s original post- and- beam construction required a major overhaul to create an open floor plan with long uninterrupted spans to reorganize the interior of the home,” Ryan says.

Landscape designer Rob Maday had a similar first impression of the property. “Poorly sited trees threatened the structure, massive pine trees dotted the site in poor health due to bark beetle infestations, and a series of boxed- in spaces off the house gave the site a claustrophobic feel,” he says. However, through all the mess, the strong bones of the architecture and some magnificent specimen trees turned out to be the guiding elements of the work.

But as with any renovation, you must clear out the excess before you can begin a redesign. “Looking to update the site, we began by editing the existing trees and plants to reveal the true size of the property,” Rob says. “We removed all the boxed- in spaces; created direct connections from the elevated house to the garden; relocated and enlarged the pool; created a series of visually connected outdoor rooms, including dining, lounge, outdoor cooking and play spaces. A sense of intimacy exists within these spaces, through

reclaimed pine fencing, grade changes, transitions between paving materials, planting transitions and the addition of a dozen field- dug olive trees. Rob’s vision was achieved by thinking out of the box. “We focused on creating a series of outdoor spaces that would be an extension of the house rather than gardens to be enjoyed from the inside,” Rob says.

DESIGNING SPACES

The beauty of the renewed architecture and landscaping was enhanced with thoughtful interior details. “The white interior walls serve as a blank canvas for the furnishings and fixtures, to draw attention to the new ‘ retro- chic’ Mid Century Modern design,”

Ryan says. “No detail was left untouched, from exterior metal sliding pocket doors, wide- plank flooring and spectacular cabinetry to walls clad in tile and stone slab work.”

Once the architectural details were nailed down, Diego Monchamp could bring his interior- design skills to the table. While the bones of the home were good, the body needed substantial work, he says. “Since it was built in the mid- 1960s, there was poor- quality paneling, single- pane aluminum framing, and most surfaces needed to be replaced due to damage or wear.”

Diego also envisioned blurring the lines between the indoor and outdoor spaces. “All the rooms open to the outside, so everything has a special relationship to the house from the outdoors,” he says.

Diego designed the outdoor furniture with specific relationships to indoor spaces, and the pool is a few steps down from the primary deck space. The exterior color palette also mirrored the interior, with the siding and stucco matching the interior’s warmwhite color story.

However, there were some challenges the designer had to circumvent to achieve his goals. “In Montecito, oak trees are protected, so we had to work through the existing landscape, which was overgrown, to develop a more tailored, sculptural garden that would coordinate better with the more contemporary interior,” Diego says.

EXTERIOR ESSENTIALS

“One of the home’s defining features is a Japanese- style raptor- tail design under the eaves with a notched detail,” says Diego. “In the general fenestration of the building there was a Japanese influence. In the original architecture, most doors were sliding doors and most rooms had exterior doors to the outside,” he says. His exterior door design was inspired by shoji screens made with rice papers ( although this home’s doors do not include rice paper). Diego rebuilt all the exterior decks in natural redwood with the intent that it would gray out over time for the desired weathered effect.

Rob summed up the project by putting it into historical perspective. “All these changes were guided by a desire to honor the architecture while providing a modern space for a young and growing family.”

“Every room in the home was designed to have connection and access to the balance of the property.” — Ryan Prahm

A REDWOOD DECK EXTENDS THE LIVING SPACE OF THE HOUSE TO THE TERRACE. THE REDWOOD DECK ABUTS A BOARD- FORMED CONCRETE WALL, AND CONCRETE STEPS LEAD TO THE POOL LEVEL. THE RELOCATED AND ENLARGED POOL WITH INTEGRATED SPA WAS GIVEN A BLACK- PLASTER FINISH TO REFERENCE THE ARCHITECTURE, AND SAND- CAST FINISH CONCRETE PROVIDED THE NEEDED POOL PATIO SPACE.

( ABOVE) RUSTIC NATIVE SANDSTONE GRAVITY WALLS REFERENCE THE GEOMETRY OF THE HOME AND ENLARGE THE USABLE AREA AT THE POOL LEVEL, LANDSCAPER ROB SAYS. THE POOL TRANSITIONS TO A LOUNGE SPACE OVER PEA GRAVEL, THEN ONTO A CONCRETE PAD FOR FORMAL DINING AND AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN. THE PAVING IS BROKEN UP WITH GRAVEL JOINTS TO SIGNIFY TRANSITIONS, WHILE STEPS LEAD FROM THE POOL LEVEL TO AN INFORMAL FIRE TABLE AND LOOKOUT. ( OPPOSITE, TOP) THE WOOD USED IN BUILDING THE CUSTOM GATES WAS MILLED FROM THE PROPERTY. BOARD- FORMED CONCRETE COLUMNS, BLACK STEEL POSTS AND A CUSTOM RECLAIMED PINEWOOD SLAT INFILL CREATES PRIVACY, WHILE ALLOWING A SMALL AMOUNT OF TRANSPARENCY TO THE DENSE GARDEN BEYOND. ( OPPOSITE, BOTTOM) THE CORNER WINDOW TO THE LEFT OF THE FIREPLACE WAS REBUILT FOR THE HOME, ADDING ANOTHER ELEGANT AND EFFICIENT DESIGN ELEMENT.

( TOP, LEFT) THE SCULPTURE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLANTER IN THE ENTRY COURTYARD BELONGED TO THE HOMEOWNER’S FATHER. THE SCREEN IS A SHOJI- INSPIRED PRIVATE SCREEN AT THE FRONT OF THE PROPERTY. THE GREENERY IS NATIVE AND LOCAL TO THE PROPERTY. RAISED PLANTERS WITH A ZEN- INSPIRED PLANT PALETTE ARE FILLED WITH DROUGHT- SENSITIVE, HIGHLY TEXTURAL PLANTS. ( ABOVE, LEFT) THE CUSTOM DINING TABLE WAS MADE FROM RECLAIMED PINEWOOD. ALL OF THE RECLAIMED PINEWOOD WAS MILLED ON SITE FROM THE BARK BEETLE- INFESTED TREES, ROB SAYS.

THE LIVING ROOM IS THE ONLY ROOM WITH A VAULTED CEILING— FOR A BIT OF DRAMA, DIEGO SAYS. THE FIREPLACE IS MINIMALIST IN THAT THE BRICK, ORIGINAL TO THE HOME, GOES FLOOR TO CEILING. BECAUSE THE ROOM IS LARGE, HE CREATED MULTIPLE SEATING AREAS, WITH ONE CENTERED AROUND THE FIREPLACE. GREENERY, WHICH DIEGO TRIES TO HAVE IN EVERY ROOM, IS A NOD TO THE OUTSIDE.

IN THE DINING ROOM, A BLACK BUILT- IN BUFFET AND BLACK WINDOW FRAMES CONNECT TO THE BLACK DETAILS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. TO THE LEFT IS A HIDDEN DOOR TO THE OFFICE. THE BRASS CEILING FIXTURE IS FROM JONATHAN ADLER. BRASS COMPLEMENTS THE WARM WOOD TONES, DIEGO SAYS. THE DINING TABLE IS A 10- FOOT LIVEEDGE WALNUT PIECE, AND THE FLOOR IS WIRE- BRUSHED OAK.

( ABOVE) THE KITCHEN FEATURES A DOUBLE ISLAND. THE WALNUT BUTCHER- BLOCK IS DURABLE FOR FOOD PREP, WHILE THE CABINETRY IS MADE FROM WALNUT WOOD. OPEN SHELVING ABOVE THE SINK COORDINATES WITH THE BLACK WINDOW FRAME, AND THE LIGHTING FIXTURE IS A HAND- BLOWN GLASS PIECE THAT JUXTAPOSES WELL WITH THE POLYHEDRON IRON FIXTURES.

( BELOW) THE OFFICE, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES A BAR AREA, IS LOCATED BEHIND A HIDDEN DOOR OFF THE DINING ROOM. DARK COLORS WERE USED, BUT IT’S NOT A DARK ROOM. THE SOLID- BRASS WALL SCULPTURE OF HANDS HOLDING A TORCH IS A NOD TO THE ’ 60S THAT DIEGO FOUND AT A VINTAGE DEALER.

( ABOVE) THE MASTER BEDROOM SPORTS THE BOLDEST COLOR FOUND IN THE HOME. IT FEATURES A CUSTOM- MADE LEATHER BENCH UPHOLSTERED IN A BURNT- ORANGE/ RUST COLOR. ( OPPOSITE) THE MASTER BATH WAS CUSTOM BUILT. IT FEATURES A CAESARSTONE COUNTERTOP AND A PICTURE WINDOW THAT LOOKS OUT INTO A PRIVATE GARDEN. DIEGO USED A SINGLE MATERIAL ( MARBLE) IN THE BATHROOM, FLOWING THROUGHOUT THE ROOM. THE MARBLE IS A LIGHT NUBLADO ON THE FLOORS, SHOWERS AND TUB.