This 1920’s Storybook Tudor home on 5 acres of gorgeousness was severely altered in the 90’s. A family of NYC transplants saw its potential and hired us to fully renovate it. We replaced boxy additions, created a grand entry, and cleared pathways through the warren-like home. We added a Great Room to house their growing family and art collection. New terraces expand the use of the kitchen and Great Rooms. Dream-team collaborators Surface Design and Ken Fulk masterfully re-conceived the landscape and décor. We had fun!

Photography by Leslie Williamson

This 8000sf new home is approached via an alle’e of heritage oaks and sits on 2.5 wooded acres. It was inspired by the “Brown Shingle” Arts & Crafts movement, spearheaded by Bay Area visionaries Earnest Coxheand, Bernard Maybeck & Julia Morgan. The owners loved the idea of a hand-crafted black house with a sun-bathed, white interior. We chose to express this, by letting the windows remain white at the exterior. The home is centered around a 2-story family room that fosters family communication throughout this large home.

Photography by Daniel Dent

This brick Victorian in Chicago’s South side was built in the same era as the World Columbian Exposition (also in Chicago). While it was modern for the times, it took 115 years for it to be updated for modern living. We connected the formal entertaining rooms to the new kitchen through the dining room and updated the Master Suite. A new stair and skylight give greater access and light to the third level.

Photography by Doug McGoldrick

The Stanford Law building was designed by SOM in the early 70’s in a style best described as “Mission meets Brutalism.” The building houses the library, classrooms, administrative offices, and meeting spaces. We assembled a talented team of collaborators to head up the renovation of the Student Lounge, Café, and courtyards. This involved removal of massive concrete walls and arcades to connect indoor and outdoor spaces. It was a true honor to work with Stanford’s superlative faculty, students, and staff on this, and to find a new setting for Alexander Calder’s “Falcon” sculpture.

Photography by Daniel Dent

I designed the renovation and expansion of this 1979 home while an associate at IKBA. We didn’t want to compromise its pyramidal form or fill-in the groovy Living Room pool. So, I proposed expanding downhill off one corner, using the same materials. A timber Primary Suite and Japanese roof garden sit on a stone new plinth which houses new bedrooms and a family room below. The local, natural, finishes are warmed by geothermal and passive solar energy. I especially love the basin/fountain I designed to collect roof water for their vegetable garden.

Photography by Peter Aaron/ESTO

Sitting on 20 Acres outside Vancouver is the home of a rock star and his family. We thought of the home as a two story “original” house, with added porches and service wing. The young family sleeps upstairs when not on tour, and the Grandparents have a suite downstairs, year-round. Their loves of white clapboard and wrought iron were used as a starting point. My favorite space is the Solarium; a bright respite during the frequent overcast days, kept warm by heated basalt floors, when the sun won't shine.

Photography by Aaron Leitz

We reconceived this stained-glass factory for an ex-trucker, who made his fortune redesigning shipping containers. To capture his industrial spirit, John Ike and I gutted it to the brick, added windows and built a 75’ steel-framed cabinet to house fixtures, storage, and mechanical systems. I extended the cabinet frame to support a pivoting Master Bedroom enclosure, inspired by Pierre Chareau. We also converted a rooftop, pigeon-infested water tower enclosure into a guest suite, with panoramic views of Manhattan. A favorite project at IKBA!

Photography by Durston Saylor

It was a joy to work with this dynamic Hollywood couple so early in my career. They sought to upgrade their beach-side ranch to a more gracious “Shack.” We explored a Polynesian Longhouse design; with a tall central hall and side porches under a grass roof. I worked with the timber company in Montana and engineers, to create a prefabricated kit of components of timber and SIPS panels, to be erected quickly on site. The owners supplied several antiques which we built into the home as focal points, adding more hand-crafted personality to the project.

Photography by Peter Aaron/ESTO

It’s so satisfying to work with a team dedicated to quality and authenticity, as with this Norman-inspired house on Long Island Sound, completed while at IKBA. The owners wanted something “monastic,” built with storied materials, sourcing river-soaked oak and reclaimed timbers for interior finishes. I delighted in the articulation and detailing of Tom Kligerman’s master plan. My favorite part was to design the side elevations with a nod to C.R. McIntosh’s Hill House. Here I first embraced the tenet, “Homes can have no ugly sides!”

Photography by Durston Saylor

This home was inspired by two of my favorite Northern European architects, Joze Plecnick and Eliel Saarinen, and completed while at IKBA. Plecnik’s library in Ljubljana, CZ inspired my articulation of the double height stair and masonry exterior. Saarinen’s home at Cranbrook inspired many other details and treatments throughout. I was blessed to collaborate with master craftsmen, interior designers, John Ike, and our team to design every detail down to the hinges. This project established my belief in the power of shared vision.

Photography by Durston Saylor

I designed a community center for The Ramble: a wooded development on the famed Biltmore Estate. It is approached by foot, car or bridle path at the upper level. Events here are kept cozy with a large fireplace and served by a test kitchen designed for cooking classes. The lower level houses a health club and access to the grounds; organized around outdoor yoga classes and in-pool movies. Rainwater collection was the basis of the roof’s “butterfly” form and perhaps one reason IKBA received an AIA design award.

Photography by Peter Aaron/ESTO