Keiji Saito
Feature: Elevate from the Norm
March 1, 2007
In addition to providing views, a key aspect of the design
involved easy access to the outdoors. Though likewise elevated, the rear of the
home is steps away from terra firma, via the master bath. A Brazilian walnut
deck leads to a bridge, followed by a set of stairs to the lap pool below.
Respecting the steep terrain, Heusch designed a raised lap pool supported by a
trio of columns. The Italian glass tiles that cover the interior surface of the
pool create a shimmering effect in the otherwise naturalistic setting.
Top: The master bedroom has unencumbered views
and Mark Levinson’s Red Rose theater system. Bottom: Heusch designed the
bed. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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Inside, the interiors are breathtakingly sleek. Heusch limited his materials
to a relative few, though they are of the highest caliber. Even the palette is
restrained, limited to soft neutrals accented by red and orange. "Like the
architecture, I wanted the interiors also to be very simple and minimalist and
very open and full of light," the architect explains.
One of the challenges of living with so much glass is balancing the desire for transparency with the need for privacy. A clever
response to that modernist conundrum is illustrated in the master bedroom
suite, where even a soak allows for tranquil views of the outdoors. Because the
home is elevated, some privacy is automatically achieved. Additional seclusion
is made possible through the use of sand-colored drapes of Belgian linen
throughout the house (including in the master bath) which the architect commissioned for the home.
Top: The master bathroom, which opens to the
master bedroom via a glass pocket door, is outiftted with Boffi fixtures. Middle: An Alison Van Pelt painting hangs in the entrance hall. Bottom: A
swath of orange glass provides privacy and whimsy in the powder
room. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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A pair of sandblasted sliding glass doors can also separate the
bedroom from the bath area—"otherwise you have a view through the open bathroom
onto the hillside and all the oak trees," Heusch says. "So the spaces flow into
each other just like in the common rooms and give more light and views and
spaciousness."
Again like a midcentury home, the common rooms are open to one another. The
architect’s choice of high-end and custom materials also raises the luxury
quotient a few notches. The custom cabinetry in the bathrooms, for example, is
rosewood. In the Bulthaup kitchen, only an island, topped with
the same gray-and-white Portuguese marble used elsewhere in the house, separates
cook from company. "When you cook, you can visually communicate with everybody
in the dining and living areas," he says. Heusch knows this firsthand because he
likes to cook, and when he does it’s usually—in keeping with his global
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The Brazilian wood terrace features a slender
pool. The stairs lead to the upper level, which holds the house and another
small terrace. Photograph by Federico Zignani. (Click image to enlarge)
Designing his own house gave the architect the chance to
explore his own creative impulses, unencumbered by another’s perspective. "This
is the only one of my homes I really built from scratch, so I was able to
express myself freely," he says. "I could really implement the best
architectural solution for that site."
When compared to his 300-year-old home in Germany and his
60-year-old stone farmhouse in Argentina, it is this home that has become a true
respite for the globe-trotting bachelor. "It is so soothing to be in the space,"
Heusch says. "I love being inside."
Gerhard Heusch
310.748.7000
www.heusch.com
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