Photo Credit: Bill Timmerman
Change can be daunting for anyone, but homeowners associations find it especially difficult to handle. For example, this artful yet unassuming steel gate caused quite the uproar with the client’s HOA who, according to architect Teresa Rosano, thought it was too crazy for their uniform rows of matching facades. Rosano and partner Luis Ibarra eventually compromised by agreeing to keep the house’s exterior paint color in the beige range in exchange for getting the gate approved. “The design is kind of see though, but it still has substance to create a strong threshold,” Rosano describes. “It’s your one clue that this house is different from all the rest.”
Rusted steel in 2×6 strips wraps around itself in an elongated Greek Key pattern with slivers of light and views filtering through the gaps. The steel’s 11-foot-tall-by-4-foot-wide mass juxtaposed with the design’s translucency hints at what’s to come within the new entry courtyard and renovated interiors. Below the swinging sculpture, a bed of smooth stones set in concrete further enhance the idea that this is more than just a doorway. Once people step through this portal they find themselves in a completely different world full of bold style, open spaces, and immense pieces of art collected by the homeowners. “The gate embodies the entire project,” architect Teresa Rosano explains. “It was all about liberating the house and opening it up to the views while giving it more gravitas.”
