Steve Lazar's newest project, a six-bedroom residence built on a hillside peak of 30th Street in Hermosa Beach for design+build by South Swell, is a study in the functional exploitation of lot size and surrounding beauty. That, and an evolution of the designer’s singular style. Modernist in its veins, the new home has the earmarks of a Lazar design inside and out. There’s a hint of lifeguard tower in its exterior, though more muted than visible in his past projects, mainly due to a ring of rusticated wood cladding swathed around its mid-section. Other signifiers are there, too, from a row of high-perched observation windows to a slightly raised metal hip roof of soft blue. Jutting out slightly over the home, its underside dressed in tidy shiplap, the roof contrasts smartly against the clean white stucco and earthy wood of the lower levels. In all, it’s still clean-cut Lazar, but more organic than sleek. “I use a lot of the same ideas,” says Lazar, standing outside the structure while craftsmen and workers buzz around, putting finishing touches on the place. “ “I have a signature vocabulary, but I adapt it with each custom home to meet a client’s needs and maximize the particulars of that space.” Thoughtfully designed by Steve Lazar design+build by South Swell. designbuildbysouthswell.com Photography by Laura Hull

This custom residence exploits its southern exposure with a daylight basement that opens out to unencumbered mountain views. Interior finishes such as inlaid wood ceilings, Oklahoma sandstone masonry, and log wrapped steel columns, carry the ubiquitous natural tones of the site into the interior with a refined touch. Designed by Ward+Blake Architects in Jackson, Wyoming. Photo Credit: Douglas Kahn

Pianca Furniture draws upon traditional local craft, channelling over 500 years of carpentry along the banks of the Pianca stream. Building on its strong history, Pianca combines experience and innovation to bring the culture of modern design to the world. The Boston is an elegant sofa, combining great comfort with strong visual presence. Its style is characterized by details of the past, made and embellished with a handcrafted workmanship quality declined from a perspective of industrial production. The system is equipped with an electronic automation mechanism that permits to regulate seat depth. The Abaco coffee table is a versatile side or coffee table that lays the foundations of style. Spazio Pianca modules offer full creative freedom and spectacular impact. Peerlessly handsome solutions that exploit the interplay of solids and spaces; wall-hanging or free-standing storage elements, creating plucky, modern graphic images. A personal lifestyle that knows how to stay one step ahead of the latest trends.

Challenging design and engineering, Shell Designer Coffee Table combines monumental and brutal physicality, using stacked and fractured glass. Designed by the legendary British sculptor Danny Lane for Fiam Italia and manufactured in Italy, Shell Cocktail Table exploits the strength of glass under compression and combines sophisticated construction and apparent simplicity. Shell’s glass base is made of 12mm thick curved glass while its hand sculptured top is made of 15mm thick glass.

Sunset Drive exploits a steeply sloping hillside site in order to take advantages of sweeping neighborhood views. This contemporary hillside home utilizes a stepped plan that offers multiple levels for entertaining.

Located on a marsh in the upper reaches of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, the existing house was well-sited and well-built, but the design failed to exploit the views and more importantly was a confused combination of contemporary and traditional elements. The new homeowners, a successful businesswoman and an accomplished artist and photographer, were interested in creating a fully-contemporary environment to open up space, connect indoors with outdoors, display artwork and showcase the husband’s distinctive photographs. One glaring deficiency was the curb appeal and approach sequence: the grade sloped down and the path to the house followed, but this led to an uncomfortable dip and abrupt rise to the front door. By creating a virtual “moat,” occupied by a grid of raised-bed grasses contained in aluminum-clad boxes, and spanning the moat with an ipe bridge, the approach becomes level and engaging. The façade of the existing house was blank and bland, and with no cover. Adding a deep overhang with a wide porch creates a welcoming, covered condition, accentuated by a 6’ wide pivoting front door that feels more like a moving piece of wall. Another deficiency was the connection to the outdoors. By adding glass to the front and back of the house, and removing interior walls selectively, the house takes on a diaphanous quality that allows one to see through to the marsh beyond, even when in the driveway. The raised-bed grasses act as abstract, geometric versions of the marsh beyond. A large, pyramidal skylight establishes a spatial hierarchy around which the rooms revolve. The house featured several tray-ceilinged spaces – living room, kitchen, and master bedroom – that were poorly-proportioned and with panels at the top that resembled inset flat panel doors. The solution was to use a different strategy for each: the bedroom turns the ceiling into an eggshell through the use of a creative trim detail; the living room has an oversized sculptural, backlit lighting element; and the kitchen has a collage of painted rectangular forms that support or include lighting pieces. A palette of concrete, blackened steel, stainless steel and colors carefully chosen by homeowner and architect create an interior and exterior environment punctuated by moments that are as artistic as the featured works in the black-ceilinged gallery.

Located on a marsh in the upper reaches of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, the existing house was well-sited and well-built, but the design failed to exploit the views and more importantly was a confused combination of contemporary and traditional elements. The new homeowners, a successful businesswoman and an accomplished artist and photographer, were interested in creating a fully-contemporary environment to open up space, connect indoors with outdoors, display artwork and showcase the husband’s distinctive photographs. One glaring deficiency was the curb appeal and approach sequence: the grade sloped down and the path to the house followed, but this led to an uncomfortable dip and abrupt rise to the front door. By creating a virtual “moat,” occupied by a grid of raised-bed grasses contained in aluminum-clad boxes, and spanning the moat with an ipe bridge, the approach becomes level and engaging. The façade of the existing house was blank and bland, and with no cover. Adding a deep overhang with a wide porch creates a welcoming, covered condition, accentuated by a 6’ wide pivoting front door that feels more like a moving piece of wall. Another deficiency was the connection to the outdoors. By adding glass to the front and back of the house, and removing interior walls selectively, the house takes on a diaphanous quality that allows one to see through to the marsh beyond, even when in the driveway. The raised-bed grasses act as abstract, geometric versions of the marsh beyond. A large, pyramidal skylight establishes a spatial hierarchy around which the rooms revolve. The house featured several tray-ceilinged spaces – living room, kitchen, and master bedroom – that were poorly-proportioned and with panels at the top that resembled inset flat panel doors. The solution was to use a different strategy for each: the bedroom turns the ceiling into an eggshell through the use of a creative trim detail; the living room has an oversized sculptural, backlit lighting element; and the kitchen has a collage of painted rectangular forms that support or include lighting pieces. A palette of concrete, blackened steel, stainless steel and colors carefully chosen by homeowner and architect create an interior and exterior environment punctuated by moments that are as artistic as the featured works in the black-ceilinged gallery.

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

This custom residence exploits its southern exposure with a daylight basement that opens out to unencumbered mountain views. Interior finishes such as inlaid wood ceilings, Oklahoma sandstone masonry, and log wrapped steel columns, carry the ubiquitous natural tones of the site into the interior with a refined touch. Designed by Ward+Blake Architects in Jackson, Wyoming. Photo Credit: Douglas Kahn

Make a dream of your world Unico is an amazing new collection reborn from the traditional Provençal Tile. Angelo Marchesi’s idea was to re-propose the antique size exploiting the most modern technologies used for the biggest sizes in ceramic. The result is a collection of unbelievable aesthetical innovation. The echo of the ancient style becomes wider and wider and finds a new strong expression, and becomes almost honiric suggestion.

Make a dream of your world Unico is an amazing new collection reborn from the traditional Provençal Tile. Angelo Marchesi’s idea was to re-propose the antique size exploiting the most modern technologies used for the biggest sizes in ceramic. The result is a collection of unbelievable aesthetical innovation. The echo of the ancient style becomes wider and wider and finds a new strong expression, and becomes almost honiric suggestion.

Nestled into a tree-covered hilltop in Fairfax CA this simple timber-framed house exploits what many have considered to be a very restrictive and constrained site too small to develop. The perimeter of the house follows exactly the site and its set back lines thus dictating the overall size and volume. The house was designed for a young couple as a starter home in this desirable area where they would normally be priced out. The strict budget influenced the design of standard off-the-shelf components and an easy and quick construction sequence minimalizing the build time. The house straddle’s a small brook in a ravine at the apex of a hairpin bend on an unincorporated road. Supported on eight concrete peers elevating the house to road level, the layout of the house is based on a simple twelve-foot grid, with an adjoining six-foot tapering sliver along the north-facing long edge, giving the overall footprint the shape of a blunt wedge. Accessed over a triangular bridge dictated by site lines, the entrance is via a covered porte cochere with a balcony above. The entranceway can be closed for security by means of a large sliding door of matching slatted wood. The entrance proper is via a stock sliding glass patio door to the main living space. The choice of sliding window is repeated throughout the building. In its current flexible configuration, the living space is a double-height experience, beyond which on the left centrally located is a spiral staircase leading to the bedroom and bathroom above. Both these rooms have built-in storage. Both bedrooms boast a double-height slopping ceiling; clerestory windows that give the building its distinctive character, and a balcony. On the ground floor beyond the spiral staircase is built-in and concealed fully equipped kitchen and open plan dining area, beyond which, externally and underneath one of the bedroom balconies is an outdoor bbq kitchen.

Designed as a country retreat for a young couple from New York City, this compact project plays with the idea of a modern cabin. Containing 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms in under 2,000 sqft, the house exploits the use of glass and outdoors rooms to expand its virtual space and connection to nature. The aesthetics of the house reflect the nature of its owners; while very modest and private on the outside, it is full of light and openness on the inside. The project's interior design creates a youthful and relaxed atmosphere, while maintaining a timelessness and simplicity appropriate to its New England heritage. http://chattmanphotography.com/

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

The decision to either renovate the upper and lower units of a duplex or convert them into a single-family home was a no-brainer. Situated on a quiet street in Montreal, the home was the childhood residence of the homeowner, where many memories were made and relationships formed within the neighbourhood. The prospect of living elsewhere wasn’t an option. A complete overhaul included the re-configuration of three levels to accommodate the dynamic lifestyle of the empty nesters. The potential to create a luminous volume was evident from the onset. With the home backing onto a park, westerly views were exploited by oversized windows and doors. A massive window in the stairwell allows morning sunlight to filter in and create stunning reflections in the open concept living area below. The staircase is an architectural statement combining two styles of steps, with the extended width of the lower staircase creating a destination to read, while making use of an otherwise awkward space. White oak dominates the entire home to create a cohesive and natural context. Clean lines, minimal furnishings and white walls allow the small space to breathe.

Vitality contemporary wardrobes and walk in wardrobes with new finishes and colours created to make each project unique and perfect, starting from the customization of the interior. The accessories offer a new way of containing and exploiting space, giving the wardrobe a new look. Let us design your wardrobes today by booking your appointment on www.the-design.gallery We are located on 09 Parklands road, at Victoria courts on 2nd floor. #colombinicasa #vitalitywardrobes #thedesigngalleryea #madeinitaly #availableinkenya #interiordesign #italianluxuryliving

Vitality contemporary wardrobes and walk in wardrobes with new finishes and colours created to make each project unique and perfect, starting from the customization of the interior. The accessories offer a new way of containing and exploiting space, giving the wardrobe a new look. Let us design your wardrobes today by booking your appointment on www.the-design.gallery We are located on 09 Parklands road, at Victoria courts on 2nd floor. #colombinicasa #vitalitywardrobes #thedesigngalleryea #madeinitaly #availableinkenya #interiordesign #italianluxuryliving

The decision to either renovate the upper and lower units of a duplex or convert them into a single-family home was a no-brainer. Situated on a quiet street in Montreal, the home was the childhood residence of the homeowner, where many memories were made and relationships formed within the neighbourhood. The prospect of living elsewhere wasn’t an option. A complete overhaul included the re-configuration of three levels to accommodate the dynamic lifestyle of the empty nesters. The potential to create a luminous volume was evident from the onset. With the home backing onto a park, westerly views were exploited by oversized windows and doors. A massive window in the stairwell allows morning sunlight to filter in and create stunning reflections in the open concept living area below. The staircase is an architectural statement combining two styles of steps, with the extended width of the lower staircase creating a destination to read, while making use of an otherwise awkward space. White oak dominates the entire home to create a cohesive and natural context. Clean lines, minimal furnishings and white walls allow the small space to breathe.

Kennebec Lakehouse is a year-round vacation home located on Kennebec Lake, a finger-lake in Arden Ontario. The 2.8 acre site is defined by its dramatic topography, sloping down from the roadway to the south to Kennebec Lake from south to north. The site is densely wooded with a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees, and features a prominent exposed rock ledge extending the full width of the property parallel to the shoreline. By locating the house on the lake-side of this ledge, we are able to build a 2 level house with a partially exposed lower level to create a walkout with minimal excavation. Programmatically, the house is defined by two distinct zones, the house proper on the main level, clad in ship-lap cedar siding, and a lower poured-in-place concrete volume containing service space, a recreational room, and a guest suite. The simple rectangular plan is oriented in an east-west direction along the exposed rock ledge to exploit the uninterrupted lake views to the north and maximize privacy from adjacent properties. Glazing is mostly limited to both levels of this northern facade. The plan is organized around the central common space containing the entry foyer, living room, kitchen and dining areas in a large column-free space. Bedrooms are located at either end of this space and are oriented towards the lake views along the north facade. The house features a moderately-sloped gable roof with deep overhangs to provide protection for the long north and south facades. On the lakeside, this overhang sponsors an extended flat roof- canopy to provide partial cover for a substantial main level deck and barbecue station. The barbecue station is housed in a concrete tower that is the primary deck and canopy support. The upper volume is clad in ship-lap western red cedar siding, stained a dark charcoal grey to help the house recede into the wooded site and feature minimally from the lake. Lakehouse has been designed to exceed the latest SB-12 energy performance criteria, with exceptionally high R-values for roof, wall and slab assemblies, air tightness considerations, advanced rain-screen wall assemblies and Alumilex high performance triple-glazed aluminum windows and doors with argon filled IGU units with dbl- low-e coatings.