This remodel of a mid-century Modernist house sacrificed space w…
If this rehabilitated 1960s Modernist house looks familiar, don’t worry; you’re not seeing things. It was the subject of a CUSTOM HOME cover story last summer (“On Site,” July/August 2007, page 72). That fact seemed to have no effect on our judges, however, who found the house still fresh and appealing in spite of its recent brush with fame.
The house began life as a steel-framed cube with an infill of wood-frame exterior walls. The original detailing left the wood vulnerable to rot, but the design/build firm Tonic Design salvaged the steel frame and put it in the starring role of a down-to-the-bones remodel. “We stripped everything out,” says designer/builder Vinnie Petrarca, who enclosed a new interior with curtain walls hung within the steel framework and bays that project outward from it. Painted a bright white, the exposed steel exoskeleton defines both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Petrarca exploited the building’s sloping site by pulling the enclosed area of the building away from the adjacent bank and bridging the gap with a long entry bridge. A narrow covered deck wraps the second-floor entry level. Inside, an open, loft-like plan clusters utility and circulation functions at the building’s core, allowing the major rooms maximum exposure to light and views and providing ample display space for the owners’ extensive art collection. An elevator accesses a rooftop deck sheltered by a wing-like canopy.
“It’s a little whimsical,” said one of the judges, all of whom responded to the building’s sense of exuberance. Also drawing praise were the mix of contrasting materials, a deft handling of interior space, and such details as interior stair treads that cantilever out from a stringer hidden in the wall. As one judge noted: “That’s really damn clever.”
Project Credits
Entrant/Designer/Builder: Tonic Design, Raleigh, N.C.
Living space: 3,800 square feet
Site: 1.84 acres
Construction cost: $315 a square foot
Photographer: James West
Product Resources
Bathroom plumbing fixtures: Delta, Elkay, Grohe, Hastings, Kohler; Cabinets/interior paneling: Woodpecker; Concrete countertops: Meld USA; Dishwasher: Bosch; Exterior siding: Corten Steel; Fireplace: Heat-N-Glo; Garage doors: Overhead; Garbage disposer: In-Sink-Erator; Hardware: McKinney, Omnia; HVAC equipment: ARS Services, Trane.
