Riverside Drive super groovy masterpiece

Benjamin Noriega Ortiz Interior Designer, Brian Boyle Architect, Rusk Renovations Inc. Contractor
Trendy great room photo in New York

Newport Beach Bayside Abode

Cantoni Irvine

Designed By: Richard Bustos Photos By: Chad Mellon It is practically unheard of in interior design—that, in a matter of four hours, the majority of furnishings, accessories, lighting and artwork could be selected for an entire 5,000-square-foot home. But that was exactly the story for Cantoni designer Richard Bustos and his clients, Karen and Mike Moran. The couple, who had purchased and were in the midst of gutting a home on the water in Newport Beach, California, knew what they wanted. Combined with Richard’s design assistance, it was a match made for swift decision-making and the resulting beautifully neutral, modern space. “We went into Cantoni in Irvine and fell in love with it—it was everything we liked,” Karen says. “Richard had the same vision we did, and we told him what we wanted, and he would direct us. He was on the same level.” Even more surprising: they selected the furnishings before the home’s bones were even complete. They had wanted a more contemporary vibe to capitalize on the expansive bay views and were in the midst of ripping out low ceilings and outdated spaces. “We wanted modern warmth,” Karen says. “Cantoni furniture was the perfect fit.” After their initial meeting, Richard met with the couple several times to take measurements and ensure pieces would fit. And they did—with elegant cohesion. In the living room, they leaned heavily on the Fashion Affair collection by Malerba, which is exclusive to Cantoni in the U.S. He flanked the Fashion Affair sofa in ivory leather with the Fashion Affair club chairs in taupe leather and the ivory Viera area rug to create a sumptuous textural mix. In the center, he placed the brown-glossed Fashion Affair low cocktail table and Fashion Affair occasional table for ease of entertaining and conversation. A punch of glamour came by way of a set of Ravi table lamps in gold-glazed porcelain set on special-ordered Fashion Affair side tables. The Harmony floor sculpture in black stone and capiz shell was brought in for added interest. “Because of the grand scale of the living room—with high ceilings and numerous windows overlooking the water—the pieces in the space had to have more substance,” Richard says. “They are heavier-scaled than traditional modern furnishings, and in neutral tones to allow the architectural elements, such as a glass staircase and elevator, to be the main focal point.” The trio settled on the Fashion Affair extension table in brown gloss with a bronze metal arc base in the formal dining area, and flanked it with eight Arcadia high-back chairs. “We like to have Sunday dinners with our large family, and now we finally have a big dining-room table,” Karen says. The master bedroom also affords bay views, and they again leaned heavily on neutral tones with the M Place California-king bed with chrome accents, the M Place nightstand with M Place table lamps, the M Place bench, Natuzzi’s Anteprima chair and a Scoop accent table. “They were fun, happy, cool people to work with,” Richard says. One of the couple’s favorite spaces—the family room—features a remote-controlled, drop-down projection screen. For comfortable viewing, Richard paired the Milano sectional (with a power recliner) with the Sushi round cocktail table, the Lambrea accent table, and a Ravi table lamp in a gold metallic snakeskin pattern. “Richard was wonderful, was on top of it, and was a great asset to our team,” Karen says. Mike agrees. “Richard was a dedicated professional,” he says. “He spent hours walking us through Cantoni making suggestions, measuring, and offering advice on what would and wouldn’t work. Cantoni furniture was a natural fit.”

Suncadia Residence, Washington

Clinkston Architects

The collaboration between architect and interior designer is seen here. The floor plan and layout are by the architect. Cabinet materials and finishes, lighting, and furnishings are by the interior designer. Detailing of the vent hood and raised counter are a collaboration. The raised counter includes a chase on the far side for power. Photo: Michael Shopenn

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Wellfleet Modern House - Exterior

ZeroEnergy Design

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography