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 January/February 2024
“I’m a gay of a certain age. I want dimmers on the closet lights.”
John Cameron Mitchell, resident

CONTENTS
DWE L LI NGS 52 62 72
COVER
Hiding in Plain Occult Following Pas de Deux
Architect Yashar Yektajo (left) Sight Actor, writer, and Dreams inspired an artist
smiles with Ellen Odegaard producer John Cameron to turn an empty medieval
In Baja California Sur, a
and Ernesto Gomez in the Mitchell turns a New building in Provence into a
chef cooks up new digs.
home he designed for the Orleans building with a home filled with creativity.
couple, described on page 52. TEXT
colorful history into TEXT
PHOTO BY Duncan Nielsen a home with an equally
Fernando Marroquin Paola Singer
PHOTOS multihued present.
PHOTOS
ABOVE Fernando Marroquin TEXT Alex Crétey Systermans
John Cameron Mitchell sits Madeleine Davies
in his cheekily decorated
New Orleans home. PHOTOS

PHOTO BY Chantal Anderson

Chantal Anderson

7
 What makes an icon?
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b|_-bv;om];_-bu0ubv|;bu;v . .
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 January/February 2024

42

CONTENTS
82

86

D EPAR T M E NT S

11 Editor’s Letter 23 Modern World 38 Conversation 82 My House

Technology is everywhere in
homes these days, and, let’s face
it, most of it is pretty ugly. So we
found devices that actually look
good and will complement your
95 Sourcing personal style.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello tells how The duo behind a beloved
his move home to Nigeria and Brooklyn design store make
a community of recyclers there a new home in Maine.
inspired his latest collection. TEXT BY Debra Spark
TEXT BYErandi de Silva PHOTOS BY Greta Rybus
PHOTOS BY Lakin Ogunbanwo

See it? Want it? Need it? Buy it!
96 One Last Thing
Textile designer Arati Rao
shares an Indian weaving tool
that reminds her of the
importance of heritage skills.
TEXT BY Lauren Gallow
PHOTO BY Ian Loring Shiver
Get a full year of Dwell at
dwell.com/subscribe
TEXT BYAdrian Madlener 86 Off the Grid
PHOTOS BY Heami Lee 42 Backstory Airstream living takes a
STYLING BY Heather Greene
An architect discovers that couple across North America.
renovating a dream home can TEXT BY Duncan Nielsen
34 Essay be better than building one. PHOTOS BY Mathew Scott
Smart-home tech promised TEXT BY Ameena Walker
to make lives easier and more PHOTOS BY Francois Dischinger
efficient, but the hassle of
app-controlled ice makers and 46 Interiors
robotic kitty litters may be more Circular seats and a sculp-
trouble than they’re worth. tural sink give shape to a San
TEXT BY Dan Nosowitz Francisco apartment.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Colin Bigelow TEXT BY Laura Mauk
PHOTOS BY Nicholas Albrecht

9
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 editor’s letter

Back in 2021, recently vaccinated but not yet

dining indoors, I came across a listing for a house
in New Orleans. It looked like a typical shotgun from
the late 19th century, a wooden box with some
gingerbread filigree. But it was huge, as if someone
constrained the proportions in Photoshop and
dragged a typical home to four times its size. Swiping
through photos, I realized that it contained a massive
ballroom where a normal living room might be.
It got even weirder. The kitchen had a curved arch-
way. And was that an omega symbol in the wallpaper?
Some kind of signet or sigil in the parlor? The house
became a bit of an obsession. What was this place?
But as with many a Zillow romance, I cast it aside
with barely an alert set.
I always wondered who bought it, however. Then,
a couple of years later, I found out. John Cameron
Mitchell, the creator of Hedwig and other culture-
defining characters, had acquired the home, which,
I learned, was formerly a church and then the local
headquarters of the storied occultist group the OTO—
sigils, go figure. (He told me he and the previous
owners closed for $666,000.) Cameron Mitchell was
in the process of renovating it (p. 62), though, as you’ll
see, some of its more esoteric details stayed.
When I visited in late October, the front door was
open and neighbors were dropping in. Some were
actors and entertainment-industry types, but others
were woodworkers, stained-glass makers, designers,
builders, DJs—creative people from around the city
united by curiosity and a very strange, very welcom-
ing place. In a city choked by gentrification, the house
might have been sliced into a dozen short-term rent-
als, but Cameron Mitchell plans to keep it a gathering
space, as it has been for at least a century,
Similarly, all of the homes in this issue represent
a spirit of treating historic structures as material to
be artfully reinvented but respected. In Todos Santos,
Divine Mexico, a chef reoriented a brick structure (p. 52)
around an outdoor kitchen for entertaining guests.
A three-story concrete addition, a mini tower, really,

Interventions is completely concealed from the street but allows

views of the ocean and spectacular sunsets. Meanwhile,
in southern France, an artist turned an imposing,
1,000-year-old stone fortification into a home and
studio (p. 72). The walls are landmarked, so indirect
natural light perfect for painting filters in through a
series of carefully placed skylights in the roof.
Though they’ve all had creative updates, each of
these homes retains something of its past life while
providing a canvas for new ideas that I hope would
work in any home, historic or otherwise.
PHOTO: BRIAN W. FERRY

William Hanley, Editor-in-Chief

william@dwell.com

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 11

 Dwell Editorial

Editor-in-Chief
William Hanley
Executive Editor
Kate Dries
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 Variety is the
Spice of Life.

Be authentic.
Stay independent.

Discover your stay at

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 contributors

Ameena Walker
Writer
“Great Minds,” p. 42
Born and raised in New York City, Ameena Walker
began her writing career at a start-up called Culture
Trip, covering quirky corners of the city and art exhibi-
tions, before becoming an editor focused on design,
real estate, and architecture at Curbed. For this issue,
she explores the home of architect Rick Cook,

PHOTOS: KAMYIIS MCLEAN (AMEENA WALKER); CORBAN GOBLE (MADELEINE DAVIES); TRACY L CHANDLER (CHANTAL ANDERSON)
who remodeled a 1970s house originally designed by
local architect Charles P. Winter. On her visit, Walker
noted Cook’s personalized art pieces, like a custom
wall installation composed of an uncle’s woodworking
tools, and the detail that went into the 20-year-long
makeover. “It was important to him to not just come in
and make it a clean slate,” says Walker. “He really took
time to ask questions for each space.”

Madeleine Davies
Writer
“Occult Following,” p. 62
During the pandemic, Madeleine Chantal Anderson
Davies, previously an editor at Eater Photographer
and Jezebel, swapped New York City “Occult Following,” p. 62
for New Orleans to pursue a master’s Chantal Anderson has had a camera in
degree in historic preservation at her hand since she was seven years old,
Tulane. This issue saw her taking a sending care packages to her commer-
break from academic assignments to cial fisherman father to document the
dig into the history and recent reno- family’s home life while he was away.
vation of a 19th-century building Now, she’s a Los Angeles–based pho-
owned by actor, writer, and producer tographer who captures everything from
John Cameron Mitchell. Renovations celebrities to cold-water swimmers in
“can frequently go really bad when Iceland. “I love to figure out what makes
dealing with historic materials,” says people tick,” says Anderson. “What
Davies. “Even though I’m very new are people obsessed with, and what’s
to the historic preservation field, it exciting about being alive?” She photo-
made me warm and fuzzy inside to graphed John Cameron Mitchell for
see how hard they were working this issue at his New Orleans home and
to keep the spirit of this home while “queer art church” while he hosted a
also making it John’s.” salon. Fitting, since his home’s renova-
tion was about “creating this amazing
community space,” says Anderson. “And
it was an intimate, fun experience that
felt in line with the New Orleans spirit.”

14 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

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“Beautiful, breathtaking home and expert renovation.”
I am frankly bewildered and
disturbed by the decision to have a
feature article on a Philip Johnson
house [“The Next Chapter: A Philip
Johnson house in upstate New York
grapples with the architect’s legacy
and looks to the future.” November/
December 2023]. I was not aware of
his history, so the vague hints in the
article motivated me to read more
about his past. I was disgusted
to read about his involvement in
Nazism. Johnson was quoted as
stating that he can never atone for
this part of his life, but when did he
try? It appears that after disavowing
Hitler and the Third Reich, he went
on to a successful and lucrative
career as an architect and curator
for the Museum of Modern Art.
In the article, there is a distinct
apologist tone by even suggesting
that Johnson must have progressed
from his abhorrent views by
creating a house for a Jewish couple
named Wolf. Did he do this house
for free? The author would have
been more accurate in describing
Johnson’s creation by saying he
built the house for a rich couple.
The artists who found the house
and rehabilitated it to its former
glory are within their rights to do
16
comments
David Rodgers via dwell.com
that, but the decision to highlight
this house is a mistake on the part
of Dwell. There is no need to shine
a light on any of this architect’s
work, except to acknowledge how
selective memory can be in the
case of powerful white men.
Dwell magazine can select any of
a number of houses to showcase
without further perpetuating
admiration for someone who
applauded the invasion of Poland
and the destruction of Jewish lives.
I hope you will consider this
critique and your obligation to your
readers and history.
LEAH NECAS
The moral failings of Mr. Johnson
are well documented and somewhat
ironic given his background. The
fact that anyone celebrates him as a
designer is beyond comprehension.
He didn’t have an original bone
in his body and eagerly jumped
from bandwagon to bandwagon.
Modernism, postmodernism,
Blobitecture—you name it, he
copied it. And generally not well.
Early modernism was simple
enough to grasp; hence his Glass
House is celebrated as probably
his best work. He should have quit
After stumbling on Philip
Johnson’s (almost forgot-
ten) Wolf House, Jiminie Ha
and Jeremy Parker restored
the midcentury home and
gave it new life as a cultural
center [“The Next Chapter,”
November/December 2023].
while he was ahead. The Newburgh, city needs to help formerly
New York, project you feature is a incarcerated people reenter life in
perfect example. the world outside of jail or prison.
EUGÈNE ELY, AIA EMERITUS Having worked with this popula-
tion over many years, I know what
Re: “Coming Home: The Ben Smith a good start can mean to finding a
Welcome Home Center in New successful life. Accessing services,
PHOTOS: DEAN KAUFMAN (“THE NEXT CHAPTER”); BRIAN W. FERRY (FEATURED COLLECTION)
Orleans provides a well-designed finding work, getting a cell phone
safe space for formerly incarcer- can be daunting when you’ve been
ated men as they start new lives.” out of the world for any length
November/December 2023 of time. Building this thoughtful
This is fantastic, just what New and human environment is key.
Orleans and every other American @ROBERT VIA DWELL.COM
Featured Collection
Renovations
Our online readers
love this collection of
renovations, which
includes Worrell
Yeung’s conversion
of a Hudson Valley
dairy farm into a
sleek, modern home.
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 800.862.1973 THOSMOSER.COM

FREEPORT, MAINE BOSTON WASHINGTON D.C. SAN FRANCISCO

 love it or hate it

Strike-Through Shelves
More and more people are going beyond open cabinetry and installing
shelving that runs in front of windows. As Threads user @creepyjunk
pointed out to us, the effect is reminiscent of strike-through text, as though

While I understand
the importance of
clean, straight lines
in design, I also
understand that
function should go
hand in hand with
form. Please don’t
put a shelf in front
of a window!
Megan Reynolds,
senior home guide
editor

I’ve always loved a

I hate that I love it. You can’t clean the to display my blue ain’t blocking my continuous line shelf across a win-
@okaygardener window properly, glass collection. view. is so much more dow for herbs, etc.
you lose visibility @robj.sk @adamraiola elegant than an @foodbylizawithaz
Shelving across a and, depending on interrupted one.
window is energy- what you put on the I don’t care about Duncan Nielsen, Looks like it makes
blocking to me, shelf, light too. my view when at news editor windows hard to
though I can see @lupembechech the sink. (How long open for no good
how it would look are y’all standing reason.
fire in a specific
ILLUSTRATION: PETER OUMANSKI

Someone has to at a sink just to @ameenahkk

scenario. dust that! look outside? Are READER POLL
@jennicahelene @christine.jenson you okay?) As long An idea that needs
.scottsdale as there’s enough to be put back on
Open shelving is lower cabinetry, it
% the shelf.
already impractical.
Blocking the view
merely adds insult
to injury.
@kdeputy1
Always better to
see a clear view vs.
looking at dusty
tchotchkes.
@design.travel.life
would function just
fine.
@siafaalvin 38
Love
%
62
Hate
@albim.e

Strike this idea.

@rick1v

18 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

 origin story

Art Deco Inspo. As Junya

Miyashita, author of Japanese
Signboard Architecture
Illustrated, points out, kanban
kenchiku was not the invention
of formally trained architects,
but arose from local builders’
meeting the needs of small-
scale merchants. Western Art
Deco styles were fashionable at
the time, but with limited direct
exposure to overseas architec-
ture, neighborhood craftspeople
created their own varieties,
giving kanban kenchiku its
unique, hybridized aesthetic.
Facades would deploy a mix of
tiles, brick, copper, and mor-
tar elements to create color
contrasts, with the name of the
business prominently depicted
in Japanese kanji characters or
From the Ashes. After Japan’s English. Some would even have
devastating 1923 Great Kanto - elaborate crests and Roman
Earthquake, which triggered columns carved into the mortar
fires that destroyed thousands for adornment or be capped
of buildings in and around with arches and parapets.
Tokyo and caused an estimated

PHOTOS: HIDEO KURIHARA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FROM THE ASHES); COURTESY W. DAVID MARX (ART DECO INSPO);
death toll of 140,000, the gov-
ernment rebuilt the capital with
a heavy emphasis on preventing

COURTESY ALMOST PERFECT (SECOND LIFE); HIDEO KURIHARA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FROZEN FUTURE)
future tragedies. New regulations
required shops to use fire-resis-
tant materials in their facades.
Many proprietors chose mortar,
which they would carve like
Japan’s
marble into ornate decorative
patterns and shapes. Another
popular option was copper plat-
Dwindling
ing, which patinaed into a deep
green. The term kanban ken-
chiku derived from the fact that
“Signboard”
the iconography on the facade
acted as a signboard advertise-
ment for the store.
Buildings
Within Japan’s megacities, there remain a dwindling number of early-20th-century
buildings from a time when Western influences contributed to shifting tastes away from
traditionalism and toward something a little…kitschier. Known as kanban kenchiku (sign-
board architecture), these three-story buildings employ decorative facades inspired by
Art Deco and neoclassical styles. In most cases, the first floor serves as a shop space, with
the upper floors as living quarters for the proprietor. Though kanban kenchiku buildings
have become increasingly rare as aggressive urban planning has often meant replacing
them with bland, low-rise residential and mixed-use structures, some surviving exam-
ples have been preserved and reimagined by people and brands that see them as an impor-
tant record of local craftsmanship—and an evolving Japan.

TEXT BY

W. David Marx

20 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

 Curious about
the story behind
a classic design?
Ask us to look into it.
No idea is too big
or detail too small.

Frozen Future. Signboard

architecture is unlikely to see a
revival, especially as contem-
porary craftspeople no longer
possess the requisite skills to
make such facades. “Almost no
one can do decorative work
such as creating mortar reliefs,”
Miyashita notes via email, add-
ing that even among metal
craftspeople, “a limited number
can undertake detailed decora-
tive work.” Many well-preserved
signboard architecture build-
ings have already been moved
to the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air
Architectural Museum, so at
Second Life. With their history based in kitsch
least a few examples will be
design, kanban kenchiku buildings have faced dif-
preserved into the future.
ficulty achieving serious respect and attention, and
even now many are torn down rather than pre-
served. A recent example of a successful signboard
architecture renovation is the gallery/artist resi-
dence Almost Perfect in Tokyo’s Kuramae district,
situated in a 1924 rice shop. The ground level now
houses a public art gallery, while the upstairs living
quarters have been converted into a small studio
and two bedrooms for visiting artists. In Matsumoto,
Nagano Prefecture, the old kanban kenchiku stores
lining the downtown have been restored to create
a vibrant shopping district for tourists, with the
apparel and lifestyle brand Minä Perhonen taking
over an old pharmacy to house its Nagano shop.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 21

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Modern World

you can think of, from ordering

groceries to turning on the air-
conditioning before you come
BIRD BUDDY SMART
BIRD FEEDER back to your place. But too
often aesthetics are an after-
Harness the all-consuming
power of AI with this bird thought. Not for us. No matter
feeder that takes pictures what kind of residence you
of your avian friends and have, we have you covered with
identifies them for you.
(It also feeds them, in case
design-conscious devices that
you were wondering.) are as concerned for your decor
as they are functional. Here
are our recommendations for
a few specific types of home.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 23

 Whether you’re in the Catskills or Joshua Tree, your style lives somewhere between Kyoto and
Copenhagen. Your minimalist house or meditative cabin is just the right amount of rustic but with
clean lines, well-honed details, and only the essential furniture. If your favorite color is blond oak
or maybe charred wood, you’re probably a Japandinavian, and while too much tech is never a
good thing, some amenities are essential for well-appointed minimalism. We’ll suggest a wood-
wrapped portable speaker that works as well for NPR as it does for John Cage. Air filters keep
cedar scent in and allergens out. And sensor-activated bird feeders keep feathered neighbors
coming back. It’s everything you need for thoughtful—but not totally disconnected—living.

The Japandinavian Cabin

BANG & OLUFSEN

BEOSOUND A5
Is it a lunch box? A picnic
basket? A sleek, unobtrusive
storage solution for your various
bits and bobs? No, it’s a power-
ful speaker, cloaked in dark
oak, bright woven caning, or
aluminum mesh and pretty
enough to display with pride.

24 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

 ALEN BREATHESMART
FLEX TRUE HEPA
AIR PURIFIER
Like an integrated appliance,
this air purifier is covered with
a wood panel that comes in
finishes such as oak, gray, and
espresso. The customization
doesn’t stop there; you can
choose from four filter types
to keep the nasties at bay.

GROUPHUG WINDOW
SOLAR CHARGER
Solar panels on your roof would
muck up the minimalism, but
if you want to keep your iPhone
working by harnessing the
power of the sun, this charger
sticks to a window, works like
a dream, and looks a bit like art.

GOOGLE NEST
THERMOSTAT
Fiddling with the thermostat is
not conducive to anything akin
to Zen. A mirrored-glass control
will look better on the wall, but
you won’t need to touch it—it
can operate from your phone.
PHILIPS HUE E26
SMART BULBS
Tune these LED smart bulbs as
warm (or colorful) as you wish
with the Hue app, a dimmer
switch, a motion sensor, or the
sound of your voice. With a
lifetime of 25,000 hours, they’re
practically permanent.

25
 EUFY INDOOR CAM
S350
Keep an eye on what’s happen-
ing inside the home with this
Wall-E-esque security camera.
Bonus: If you see something
(or someone) suspicious, give
a shout. A speaker will let your
potential intruder hear you.

The Conspiracy
Theorist Lair
The truth is out there. And any
conspiracy theorists worth their
tinfoil know that doing the work
requires the right environment.
Maybe you have a wall of tattered
photographs criss-crossed
with string (visualizing abstruse
relationships), but digital
connections are also essential.
An untraceable, low-tech
recorder might help keep track
of discoveries, while a powerful
projector provides the ability to
present your findings to other
believers who are more than
willing to listen. Pyramid-shaped
speakers are reminiscent of the
structures aliens built thousands
of years ago but are also great
for podcasts. The best security
camera and digital lock system is
a must. You can quickly unplug
a sleek induction burner and
take it with you when they track
you down. Undoubtedly, simple
forms and durable metals are the
best options. I want to believe.

26
 XOUNTS SPEAKER
Your podcast about the flatness
of the Earth sounds awfully good
booming out of a pyramid-
shaped speaker. Fabric-wrapped
and illuminated with an LED bulb,
it doubles as a floor lamp.

TEENAGE ENGINEERING
TP–7
A low-fi digital recorder that’s
small enough to fit in a pocket
is just the thing for capturing
messages from extraterrestrial
frequencies as your investiga-
tions take you into the field.

IKEA TILLREDA
PORTABLE INDUCTION
COOKTOP
Leave no trace (of your exis-
tence) with an induction
cooktop that heats quickly,
saves energy, and won’t be
hard to pack up for a quick
getaway should the need arise.

XGIMI MOGO 2 PRO

Unwind after a long day of fall-
ing down internet rabbit holes
by queuing up your favorite
X-Files episode on this mini
portable projector—because
even the hardest-working “free-
thinker” deserves a break.
U-TEC ULTRALOQ
U-BOLT PRO
Protect your precious docu-
ments from operatives with
a keyless entry dead bolt that’s
unobtrusive but connects to
Wi-Fi so you can unlock it
remotely at the critical moment.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 27

Viral dances, feta pasta, wiggly candles,
checkerboard rugs, colors that clash with
something close to intention—you’ve done
it all from a studio apartment. The vibes are
fun—the progeny of Lisa Frank and Ettore
Sottsass—and the aesthetic born of the
internet. At your place coziness goes hand
in hand with playfulness. It’s a colorful,
wacky space full of nifty gadgets that make
life a little easier. A pink-hued kettle with
exaggerated lines is perfect for making a cup
of cinnamon spice tea, while a curvy air fryer
nods to the trend without flying too close
to the sun. And a fun-loving, round speaker
is precious without being twee—and loud
enough to blast Olivia Rodrigo’s latest while
your friend paints a sinuous spiral of lime
green on the bathroom door.

The TikTok-Memphis
Apartment

LOFTIE LAMP
Your nightstand is no place for
harsh lighting, so let Loftie’s
even glow set the vibes instead.
Cycle through a variety of
brightness levels designed to
improve sleep hygiene (and
your morning mood).
 STUDIO NEAT
MATERIAL DOCK
Made of solid walnut and
molded cork, this objet de
home decor just so happens
to charge your iPhone,
AirPods, and Apple Watch.

COSORI MINI AIR FRYER FELLOW STAGG EKG

At just over eight inches wide,
this air fryer would fit in even
the tiniest galley kitchen. Throw
some salmon into its basket,
set it, forget it, and in 10 min-
utes’ time, assemble a rice bowl
that’d make Emily Mariko proud.
ELECTRIC KETTLE
Give the stovetop a rest and
heat up your matcha water in an
electric kettle with a precision
pour spout and exact tempera-
ture control. If peachy pink isn’t
your thing, choose from one
of the other 11 colorways.

HATCH RESTORE 2 APPLE HOMEPOD MINI

Waking up to the shriek of your Meet the cutest little speaker
phone’s alarm starts the day you ever did see, which comes
off on the wrong foot. Hatch’s in every color you could want
subtle glow and wake-up and integrates perfectly with
sounds—from birdsong to wind your every desire, from watch-
chimes—will do the opposite. ing TV to listening to music to
answering the phone.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 29

 The Crypto Bro
Bachelor Pad
Money never sleeps, but sometimes even a crypto bro needs
to, and you can rest easier once you’re optimizing with the
latest home gadgets. Your office setup includes magnetic
mounts to ensure the most important devices are available at
all times. A smart timer keeps you moving between different
tasks. A top-of-line blender makes necessary nourishment
as efficient as possible, and cleaning gets done with a
programmable robot vac so you can focus on surfing the
queasy ups and downs of alternative currency. Simple forms
and grayscale hues—mostly black—are all you really need.
With home taken care of, you’ll be well prepared for talking
up Solana to strangers at the next cocktail party.

BEAST BLENDER
When Soylent just won’t do, this
blender will whip up a protein
shake in a jiffy. You won’t even
need a cup; just detach and drink
straight out of the pitcher.

30
 OPUS CONICAL
BURR GRINDER
It’s time to put down the
Red Bull. From cold brew to
espresso, this coffee grinder
will handle all of your needs,
ensuring that the single-
COURANT MAG:2 origin dark roast tastes its
ESSENTIALS absolute best.
CHARGING STAND
A little charging stand for your
device keeps your screen front
and center—all the better for
feverishly scrolling through
r/CryptoMoonShots.

IROBOT ROOMBA
COMBO I5 ROBOT
VACUUM AND MOP
Monitoring the world’s alterna-
tive currency leaves little time
for home maintenance, which is
where the Roomba comes into
the picture: a multitasking hero
that will mop the floors while
you’re juggling investments.

AMAZON ECHO SHOW 8

Checking the weather on your
phone is time-consuming,
but yelling at Alexa via the
unobtrusive Amazon Echo isn’t.
You can also take video calls,
play 100 gecs, and manage your
jam-packed calendar.

LOVESAC SACTIONALS
STEALTHTECH SOUND
AND CHARGE SATELLITE
SUBWOOFER
Even the hardest-working crypto
enthusiast needs some R & R.
Hook this high-octane subwoofer
up to a Lovesac sofa and feel the
bass rumble through your entire
body—like a little massage while
you chill out for a sec.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 31

 The Retro
Midcentury
Ranch
You didn’t have to buy a Silver Lake
Neutra in the ’90s to spend time
and money making sure your home
looks and feels like it did in the past.
So, why clutter your interior with
contemporary conveniences that look,
well, contemporary? You still need
new electronics, appliances, and other
modern essentials, but if they can pass
for vintage store scores, all the better.
A still-in-production, low-tech alarm
clock matches your thrifted midcentury
vibe, and a record player that looks the
part but sounds new does, too. The
harsh realities of contemporary life are
much easier to deal with when they’re
filtered through a well-curated past.

SMEG AUTOMATIC
COFFEE MACHINE
No one does retro quite like
Smeg, and with this coffee
machine, you don’t have to
compromise your aesthetic
for a satisfying cup. The best
part? It takes actual beans—
none of that pod stuff.

32
 BRAUN ANALOGUE
ALARM CLOCK
A classic is a classic for a rea-
son, and this travel alarm clock
from Braun stands the test of
time. (Pun absolutely intended.)

MARSHALL UXBRIDGE
VOICE WITH
AMAZON ALEXA
What looks like an amp, feels
like an amp, and delivers
any music you want with just
a simple command? Yes, it’s
this speaker from Marshall.

HOUSE OF MARLEY
STIR IT UP LUX
WIRELESS TURNTABLE
Indulge the music snob within
and treat yourself to the dulcet
tones of Steely Dan with a
POPUMUSIC POPUTAR
record player that’s beautifully
T2 ACOUSTIC
simple—just a bamboo plinth,
CLASSICAL GUITAR
a turntable, and good vibes. Indulge in any Guitar Hero
fantasies with a smart guitar that
looks analog but is kitted out
with decidedly contemporary
features. An LED fretboard and
app are designed to teach the
beginner to play like a pro.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024

 The
Dumb
Reality
of the Smart Home
Our more-or-less connected gadgets have
turned out to be disappointingly dense.
I recently got one of those fancy ice
makers that make that great crunchy pel-
let ice, like you get in drinks at Sonic. This
was a splurge; I already own not one but
several ice trays that are perfectly capable
of making ice. But I wanted the great
crunchy pellet ice, because I live in Los
Angeles, which is very hot for most of the
year, and, look, I wanted the ice maker, so
I got the ice maker.
When it arrived, I unpacked it, put it on
the counter, and filled up the water tank.
At first it didn’t work, so I figured I might
as well look at the manual to see if there
was any preuse cleaning or anything I was
supposed to do.
In the troubleshooting section, it asked
me to download an app.
This app, which is called SmartHQ, joins
several others in an illustrious line of apps
that are attached to items in my house
that in many previous iterations did not
have apps and that continue to not need
apps and whose apps I have downloaded
and then deleted. My air conditioner has
an app, my toaster oven has an app, my
34
stereo and the lights that line my danger-
ously uneven front stairs have an app.
Other items that have apps, which I nei-
ther own nor download, include dead-bolt
locks, cars, lights, toilets, sink faucets,
aromatherapy diffusers, thermostats,
security cameras, and a weird motor thing
that clips onto window blinds to tilt them
open and closed. “Took me about 45 min-
utes to install since I went step by step
very carefully so as not to mess up,” says
one Amazon reviewer of said weird motor
thing. “Discovering that the firmware was
out of date was disappointing but
Wonderlabs took care of that literally
overnight.”
The argument for the smart home
comes in two real forms. One is that, theo-
retically, it can be accessible to those with
impaired movement or other disabilities;
many smart items allow you to control
them with your voice, for example. The
other one, I think, is that the smart home
has always been one of those Jetsons-style
American dreams that either doesn’t
really exist (flying cars, robot butlers, jet
TEXT BY
Dan Nosowitz
ILLUSTRATIONS BY | @THEPLAYMETRIC
Colin Bigelow
packs) or exists but turns out to be kind of
disappointing (smartwatches, 3D printing,
holograms).
The concept of the smart home has been
around for quite a long time; the exact
date gets fuzzy, depending on how you
define the term. Today, it generally refers
to appliances or other household items
that can be, and sometimes must be, con-
nected to the internet and controlled with
a phone. But the smart-home concept pre-
dates the smartphone. “For years,” wrote
Chris O’Malley in the Tampa Bay Times in
1999, “homeowners have been dreaming
and reading about ‘smart’ homes that
water the lawn while you’re on vacation,
lower the heat when you open a window,
or warm up the hot tub the second your
car enters the driveway.” Prior to the cre-
ation of the smartphone, a smart home
often required clumsy and expensive sys-
tems that necessitated serious construc-
tion and a large, primitive remote control.
Much of today’s smart-home tech wasn’t
possible in any form. Once Wi-Fi estab-
lished itself in the mainstream with the
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
E S S AY

35
E S S AY
The smart home has always been one of those
Jetsons-style American dreams that either doesn’t
really exist…or exists but turns out to be kind of
disappointing.
Apple iBook in 1999, the hardware and
software required to wirelessly connect
devices evolved rapidly. Today’s Wi-Fi
transmitters are incredibly small and
inexpensive; with the decreasing price of
components, any appliance company can
cheaply add Wi-Fi to its device and theo-
retically charge much more for the pre-
mium of a smart-home appliance.
Devices use a huge number of different
apps, which vary dramatically in quality.
Buying a smart plug from a company
called something like Aoycocr or Crestin
or Dewenwils (these are real examples, and
highly rated ones, from Amazon) requires
the download of an equally anonymous app
that is not likely to feature an elegant user
interface. Even my ice maker’s app, which
was made by one of the most venerable
corporations in American history, sucks.
The app is largely superfluous: Basically,
it lets you turn the ice maker on and off
36
or schedule it to turn on and off or turn its
unnecessary lights on and off. (It does,
though, offer a feature called Flavorly AI,
which provides recipes created by Google’s
artificial intelligence. I typed “ice” into it,
as this is the only food my ice machine
makes, and it suggested several dishes the
ice maker is not capable of creating,
including an ice cream sundae.)
It’s easy to criticize the fact that most
smart-home devices are just kind of dumb
and pointless. As I write this, I’m cat-
sitting for a friend of mine, who texted me
to say that his cat’s robotic litter box alerted
him that the litter needed to be changed.
My own cat’s litter box, which is a plastic
bin that cost seven dollars, also alerts me
when the litter needs to be changed, by
being stinky or having visible cat poop in it.
His cat’s robotic litter box, when I visited,
had frozen and needed to be restarted, and
the litter was inaccessible to the cat. This is
unlikely to happen with mine.
Some of these devices are, of course,
slightly useful, if misguided. There are
smart backyard irrigation systems that
connect to a weather service and pause
watering when it rains or increase the
amount of water when it’s especially hot
and dry.
Smart air conditioners allow you to run
them only at certain times or turn them
on remotely before you get home so the
house will be cool. Also useful! Of course,
good insulation can save more energy
and money than a smart thermostat:
According to the Energy Star program
run by the EPA and Department of Energy,
consumers can save an average of 15 per-
cent on heating and cooling costs by air-
sealing homes, adding insulation in attics,
and using other basic, cost-effective tactics.
Smart thermostats save, according to the
same Energy Star program, about 8 per-
cent on average. Insulation is more annoy-
ing to install, sure, but more to the point:
Building shoddier, less insulated homes
provides greater profits to construction
companies, and then selling quick-fix
thermostats provides nice profits to elec-
tronics companies. This is not a step
forward.
One thing that The Jetsons did not pre-
dict, at least in my memory, is that smart-
home devices would turn out to be
valuable tools for tracking their users.
These devices are collecting an astounding
amount of data, ranging from millions of
hours of voice recordings to video footage
of your front door to all the personal data
you grant access to in order for these
devices to work, kind of badly, together.
Amazon’s Ring system of security cameras
and doorbells has been colossally worry-
ing, with, as Max Read puts it in New York
magazine, “sloppy security practices,
secretive police partnerships, and many
potential privacy violations.” As of June
2023, Ring must pay millions of dollars in
FTC settlements over privacy violations
with these products.
The fact that the ice maker has a really
dumb app is not a major problem in my
life. I deleted it from my phone and very
much enjoy crunching on the ice. But keep
an eye on the news for articles about how
much data you’re giving to truly terrible
corporations and militarized police forces.
Take a look at your Dewenwils app and
see if it’s actually, like, good. The doubts
you have about whether the smart home
is actually a positive in your life—don’t
ignore those.
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
C O N V E R S AT I O N

In 2023, Nifemi Marcus-Bello remade

the moon. At Design Miami last December
he showed a series of seating and sculp-
ture made from rough, sand-cast alumi-
num. The pieces evoked celestial forms
but also, as he notes, traced the path of
materials migrating to and from Africa.
The Nigerian designer’s work regularly
poses questions about the complexities
of global production systems and con-
temporary West African experiences by
exploring centuries-old metalworking
techniques and synthesizing abstracted
forms taken from multiple sources,
including a show about folktales told
in lunar light.
Tying multiple threads together is
an important part of Marcus-Bello’s
approach. After studying design in the
U.K., he moved across Africa pursuing a
desire to focus his practice there, first to
Nairobi, then to Kigali, and finally return-
ing to his birthplace, Lagos, where he set
up nmbello Studio. We spoke with him
about finding inspiration in the local re-
cycling culture and how moving home has
reframed what he values about design.

TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @LAKINOGUNBANWO

Erandi de Silva Lakin Ogunbanwo

Nifemi Marcus-Bello
A wrecked car and a scrapyard prompted the
Nigerian designer’s latest collection, which
displays new forms created with old techniques.
38 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 Photos: John Muggenborg

Custom OM Studio Design, NY 42044

A Collaborative Custom Home Design Process

Dune Falls, MI 41944 Avalon, MI 41845 Hestia, TX 41664

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C O N V E R S AT I O N
What did you present at Design Miami
last year?
Tales by Moonlight, which is part of my
Oríkì design series and features an eight-
piece sand-cast-aluminum furniture
and object installation. It was produced
in one of the biggest scrapyards in Lagos,
which I learned of because I purchased
and shipped a secondhand car from
America. It had been in an accident, so
I had to repair it myself. My cousin took
me to the scrapyard to look for parts,
to a place called Owode Onirin. The car
is a Mitsubishi, which is uncommon in
Lagos, yet I found what I needed in five
minutes there, which fascinated me.
Afterward, I would just go there, some
Saturdays, to observe the small-scale
sand-casting using melted scrap—people
making door handles or window frames.
I got told off for trying to take photos, but
despite that, I wanted to have a dialogue
“ Even though Africa has become
a continent of consumers, things are still made here.
40
with this community, so I engaged them
through creating objects together.
What did you make with them?
We made five vessels, a single seat, a
bench, and a moon. The name Tales by
Moonlight comes from a television series
that was broadcast each day after school,
where an elder sits under a tree, telling
folk stories to children. The work presents
new typologies that explore the multifunc-
tionality of objects and how a modern-day
African would want to sit and how they
could interact with material or form.
I wanted these designs to be obtrusive,
because design in Africa is obtrusive—it’s
right in front of you.
This work is the second installment
in your Oríkì design series, which you
started in 2022. Can you describe the
practice of oríkì in Yoruba culture and
I’m seeking to celebrate that.”
NIFEMI MARCUS-BELLO
how you’re applying it to your work?
Each person has their own oríkì, a sort
of poem which is spoken and memorized
to be told to the next generation. The
objects in this series archive a story that’s
passed on from one generation of maker
to another through their materiality, tech-
nique, and the object itself.
In 2019, I started a research project
called Africa – A Designer’s Utopia, where I
archived anonymously designed objects,
for example the wheelbarrow-like meruwa,
which is used to transport water, and the
kwali, a structure used by street hawkers to
sell small items such as snacks. It opened
my perspective to how design could be
practiced around West Africa: community-
led and open-sourced. It’s not pretentious,
but it’s in your face, true to materials, the
user, and every single stakeholder.
Similarly, I approach my work for the
galleries as an archival practice. My
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 C O N V E R S AT I O N

previous work for Marta gallery in Los

Angeles in the Oríkì series, Friction Ridge,
investigates the age-old material tech-
nique and technology of bronze-casting.

Did this collaboration with the Owode

Onirin community cause your approach
to design and production to evolve?
The Tales by Moonlight objects are largely
unfinished, which reflects how we interact
with materials here, where we appreciate
the rawness. That’s a change.

There’s something specific about a lot

of production in West Africa and the
wider region that embraces what
the West might call “imperfection.”
Design priorities are different here.
Exactly! I’m relearning that through mak-
ing here, which allows me to be true to
how perfection is understood within our
way of living. My mindset has shifted
quite a bit as I’ve been getting in touch
with cultural nuances and the evolution
of materials here.

You also designed Omi Oyo., a reflective

boatlike, sculptural installation that
holds salt, releasing it in a pile below,
over the five days of Design Miami.
What inspired that?
This work is about young Africans risking
their lives to cross the Mediterranean
because of the socioeconomic hardships
that result from systemic inequity and
lack of opportunity. I was visiting the
Venice Architectural Biennale, and I had
a conversation there with a Senegalese
migrant who told me his story, and it was
just heartbreaking. The only thing he
joked about was that when he got to Italy,
he didn’t want to have anything with salt
in it for a very long time. He said, “All
I could taste was salt in my mouth.” That
inspired this five-foot half-sphere that
releases salt to the ground, echoing the
capsizing of a boat.
You went to school in the U.K., and
you’ve set up in Nigeria. In both envi-
ronments you have access to certain
technology, certain material, but there
are also boundaries around the type of
production that you would do in each
place and the access you would have to
particular things. What do you see as
the advantage of producing in Nigeria,
conceptually but also technically?
Conceptually, there’s a shift in how mod-
ern-day Africans live, with more people
Designer Nifemi Marcus-
Bello worked with a
group of aluminum sand-
casters to create his Tales
by Moonlight series. It
includes a bench and
“moons” (above) as well
as vessels and a seat
(p. 38). Marcus-Bello lies
on blanket-covered pro-
totypes (opposite).
occupying smaller flats, compared to
previous generations who lived in larger
houses. This creates a space to begin a
dialogue around new, everyday typologies
and forms. For example, Tales by Moonlight
presents multifunctional pieces that have
been designed to work as seating, a table-
top, or even storage. Their use can be
adapted based on the scale of the space.
When I eventually moved back to Lagos,
people in Europe would suggest that I
return because they didn’t believe that I
could design from West Africa. I consid-
ered it, but when I opened my third eye,
I realized that design shouldn’t be unat-
tainable because it’s everyday, especially
on the continent. It’s not documented, it’s
not spoken about, but it’s ubiquitous.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 41

BAC KS TO RY

Architect Rick Cook (left) imagined

his ideal family home and then found
something surprisingly similar for
sale on a wooded two-acre lot in
Palisades, New York. Rick and his
wife, Ellen, collect classic cars,
like their 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Z11 (top), and are experienced
auto racers (posing in some of their
gear, above), but speed had nothing
to do with their renovation. Cost,
indecision, and the scale of the
project, which included the original
4,000-square-foot home and a siz-
able addition (opposite), all slowed

Great Minds the pace, but so did the couple’s

After drawing up a design for
his family home, architect
Rick Cook discovered someone
had already done it better.
desire to honor the intent of the
original architect, Charles P. Winter,
who designed the house in 1972.
“It made me think about every move
we made,” says Rick.

TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @FRANCOISDISCHINGER

Ameena Walker Francois Dischinger

42 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL


In 2000, after being urged by a friend
to look at homes in Snedens Landing, a
neighborhood in the hamlet of Palisades,
New York, that’s filled with historic resi-
dences, architect Rick Cook and his wife,
Ellen, toured a four-bedroom built in the
early 1970s. The exterior wasn’t especially
intriguing, but then they stepped inside.
“I was like, Oh my goodness, this looks
like what Rick designed,” says Ellen. Rick
had made a similar sketch when dream-
ing up his ideal home, though there were
a few differences in the real building. “I
really liked the way the proportions were
tighter in the foyer and then opened up
in the living room, where you get views
of the woods,” he says.
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
The 4,000-square-foot residence had
been designed by architect Charles P.
Winter, whose homes can be found across
Rockland County. They typically have one
dominant view of the Hudson River, but
this one, a three-level glass-and-wood box,
captured multiple views of the sky and
surrounding woods. “Given our fascina-
tion with architects like Andrew Geller
and Horace Gifford, we saw Charlie in this
context of important architects who never
had the fame of the New York Five,” says
Rick, referring to the group of ’70s mod-
ernist designers.
Rick and Ellen bought the house from
the family that commissioned it. Shortly
after, they adopted twin baby boys and
BAC KS TO RY
began making updates to the decades-old
home—but not without some guidance.
“Charlie was still alive when we bought
the house, and he came and met us, which
was very cool,” says Rick. “I wanted to
hear what he was trying to accomplish,
and we tried to stay consistent with that.”
The original plan remains. The foyer
provides a glimpse of soaring ceilings
punched with skylights and leads to the
living room, a box of light with a patch-
work of oversize windows. On one side
is a nook where Rick updated a brick
hearth with a gas fireplace insert, and on
another is a double-height covered porch.
Up a set of stairs from the nook is the
dining room, which shares the second
43
 BAC KS TO RY

level with the kitchen and a family room.

The third level holds the primary suite
with a porch, the kids’ bedrooms, and a
gym/meditation room.
Rick, one of the founders of Cookfox
Architects, has faced his share of chal-
lenges, having designed dozens of
projects, including the Bank of America
Tower in Manhattan and Brooklyn’s City
Point, a mixed-used development. But
nothing was more daunting than renovat-
ing his own home, he says. “It’s very easy
to make decisions for other people, but
making decisions for yourself and your
family—that was really unique.”
The kitchen was especially trying. “We
probably went through, without exaggera-
tion, one hundred different layouts,” says
Rick. “But because Charlie believed kitch-
ens should be modest and didn’t like a lot
of cabinets, we kept that basic concept.”
The family stuck with the original pantry
but added new appliances and open shelv-
ing and created a breakfast nook. The
most significant change is the addition of

In the living room (above), soft-hued

seating arranged in a circle is perfect
for entertaining. On the far wall,
Sunrise Over the Hudson, by Erik
Koeppel, competes with the stunning
scenery outside. “Charlie was inter-
ested in skewered views, like looking
straight up at the sky and then out
to the woods,” says Rick. A brick
hearth designed by Winter (left) was
updated with a gas fireplace. The
couple redid the kitchen (below)
without enlarging it, in an effort to
stay true to Winter’s plan. “We were
trying to do a modern version of what
would feel right in a house designed
in the ’70s,” explains Rick.

“ Most people make these giant family room

kitchens, but we chose to redesign ours in the
same square footage as before.”
RICK COOK, RENOVATION ARCHITECT AND RESIDENT

44
 BAC KS TO RY

The central stair landing (left) terrace complete with outdoor

doubles as a music room. “In many
ways this is the center of our home,”
says Rick. “The entire house liter-
ally circles it.” Hanging on the wall
is a 16th-century Tyrolean wood
figure of Christ purchased from the
original owners. A 580-square-foot
kitchen (below) sits above a new
garage. The terrace’s design was
inspired in part by New York’s High
Line, says Rick, with its varied and
immersive plantings, expanded
steel-mesh guardrail, and lighting
beneath ipe handrail caps.

an elevated garden terrace with an out-

door kitchen above an enclosed garage.
Connected to the home’s second level by
a short bridge, it was designed by Rick
with references to Manhattan’s High Line.
Although he and Ellen had ideas for
their dream home even before purchasing
the Winter residence, creating one still
took 20 years. But in their minds, hurrying
along the process became less impor-
tant once they were committed to honor-
ing Winter’s vision. “That’s the thing
with renovating an architect’s house,” says
Rick. “I would rather have it unfinished
than done poorly.”

Woods Road N

ARCHITECT Charles P. Winter RENOVATION ARCHITECT Cookfox

LOCATION Palisades, New York

A Entrance H Garage N Terrace

B Office I Kitchen O Outdoor Kitchen
O C Living Room J Dining Room P Gym
D Porch K Landing/ Q Bedroom
H E Bathroom Music Room R Laundry Room
N
F Garden Study L Family Room S Primary Suite
G Carport M Powder Room

E D
G D Q R
L Q
D F M

E G I

P
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT

D K Q
A

E
J D
C S
B
D

Ground Floor Second Floor Third Floor

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 45

INTERIORS

Breaking the Mold

TEXT BY

Laura Mauk

PHOTOS BY

Nicholas Albrecht

Haddock Studio preserves a

San Francisco apartment’s
Victorian details while giving
its interiors a sculptural twist.

46 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL


Just a few years after getting married
and settling down in Palm Springs,
California, Keith Jordan and Aamer
Mumtaz found themselves dreaming of
the Bay Area. “We’re both urban people,
and we wanted to live in a city again,”
Aamer says. “There’s just so much going
on in San Francisco.”
They’d each lived there in the past, and
Keith still owned an apartment in an 1880s
Victorian in Lower Pacific Heights, so they
decided to return in early 2020. Perched on
a corner lot, the building has a gray-and-
white facade with classic detailing, tall win-
dows, and a bright red front door. Inside,
the living and dining areas have original
molding and ceiling medallions with icing-
like swirls, which Keith and Aamer love—
but the 1,196-square-foot one-bedroom
lacked key features.
Since Keith, a mortgage banking profes-
sional, and Aamer, a digital healthcare
entrepreneur, work remotely, they needed
office space. Keith, who loves to cook,
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
wanted a professional kitchen, and they
also longed for a powder room for guests
and additional storage space. A place for
Aamer, an amateur artist, to paint would
be a bonus.
As they searched for an architect, a
friend of a friend recommended Tommy
Haddock—and the three clicked immedi-
ately. “Like us, he was eager to do inter-
esting and offbeat things—nothing
cookie-cutter,” Aamer says. “We hit it off.”
In the living room, Haddock refurbished
the original marble fireplace surround
and added a new steel insert. “I’d wrap this
whole place in marble if I could,” Keith
says. The architect converted a closet in
the dining area into a compact office
sheathed in walnut, and he turned a hall
closet into a powder room wrapped in
cream-speckled vinyl.
At the end of the hall, Haddock practi-
cally gutted the kitchen, removing the
pantry and a large stone chimney to create
more space and installing a semicircular
INTERIORS
Returning to San Francisco, a city
they knew and loved, Aamer Mumtaz
and Keith Jordan (opposite) decided
to revamp an apartment they already
owned in Lower Pacific Heights.
In the living room (above left), the
black circle chairs are by Haddock
Studio, the firm that did the rede-
sign. The dining room (above)
includes a 1980s Philippe Starck
armchair. The trays, also by Haddock
Studio, are part of a group of pieces
made from old redwood boards
found in the building’s basement.
The rugs in the living room and hall-
way (top) were selected by Aamer
in Pakistan and custom overdyed.
47
INTERIORS
Keith is passionate about cooking, so
architect Tommy Haddock designed
an industrial-style kitchen (above)
to meet his needs. Aamer’s paint-
ings hang throughout the apartment,
including over the refurbished mar-
ble fireplace (opposite). Haddock
considered Keith and Aamer’s book
Jordan-Mumtaz Home
ARCHITECT Haddock Studio
LOCATION San Francisco, California
I A
K G
J C
H
D F
C B
G F
E K
48
granite tabletop and new cabinets with
a forest-green stain that lets the wood
grain show through. A massive, custom
stainless-steel hood and appliances from
Thermador, Bosch, and Zephyr give the
room an industrial gleam.
The primary bathroom is Haddock’s
favorite part of the redesign. “We did this
big, chiseled sink that looks like sculp-
ture,” the architect says. There’s heated
marble flooring and marble trim and gray
ceramic wall tile. “It’s this calm little world
that feels a bit like a cave,” Haddock says.
The home reflects who Keith and Aamer
are and what they love. Aamer’s paintings
hang on the walls, and rugs made in
Afghanistan and custom dyed in Pakistan,
where he grew up, lend warmth to the hall
and living room. Keith, originally from
Guyana, collects classic design pieces,
including the Isamu Noguchi coffee table
in the living room and the Philippe Starck
dining set.
“The goal was to make the apartment
feel bigger without making it bigger,”
Haddock says. “We were frugal and care-
ful and made everything fit,” explains
Aamer—and they did so while preserving
the apartment’s Victorian details. “We’ve
had a few dinner parties since the project
finished,” Keith says. “It’s great fun to
have people over to just eat and chat—I
think that’s what life’s all about.”
collection and designed sleek floor-
to-ceiling shelving. “After our first
Zoom meeting, Tommy came back
with renderings that blew us away,”
Keith says. “He got what we were
trying to do.” The sink in the tiled
bathroom (right) was hand-carved
from a block of Carrara marble.
N
Entrance
B Living Room
Dining Room
A
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT
D Workspace
E Bathroom
Bedroom
G Closet
H Patio
I Laundry Room
J Kitchen
Powder
Room
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 INTERIORS

“ How do we make an art gallery? How do

we make a chef’s kitchen? Those were
two very important elements in the design.”
TOMMY HADDOCK, ARCHITECT

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 49

 P R O M OT I O N

Creature
Comforts

Derek and Venea Meyer use desert-inspired design

elements, indoor/outdoor architectural details, and
organic forms to envelop their energy-efficient home.

For Derek and Venea Meyer, building a new
house was never part of the plan.
The young couple, who were looking to
move back to Arizona after a 10-year stint in
California, had been searching and searching
to buy a turnkey home but very quickly real-
ized most of the houses they even vaguely
liked would require massive renovations.
However, a random marketing email from
Zillow about a plot of land suddenly changed
“For us, sustainability means maximizing
comfort and longevity of a home while mini-
mizing the impact and use of earth resources
and footprint,” says Derek of their three-year
build process. With the guidance of Andrew
Tuttle at Beckett Construction, the Meyers
opted for wool interior insulation and ZIP
System R-sheathing for exterior insulation,
which reduces the amount of lumber and
chemicals used to protect the home from
Joel Contreras Design. Using sustainable and
organic materials was especially important for
the Meyers, since they share the home with
their children, five-year old Abigail and two-
year-old Mason, as well as their dog, Lady.
For the mattresses in all the bedrooms, the
couple decided on Avocado Green mattresses
because of the company’s environmentally
conscious and sustainable business practices,
as well as how luxe and relaxing the mattresses
PHOTOS: DWELL CREATIVE SERVICES

their trajectory: “They had an aerial view of the
lot, and you could see the sunrise, the moun-
tains,” says Venea. “So I had this crazy idea—
what if we build?”
The couple soon began construction on a
3,000-square-foot, sustainability-focused
home at the heart of the Ahwatukee Foothills,
a small community in the southernmost part
of Phoenix.
the Arizona heat. They also used drought-
resistant plants in the landscaping to
conserve water as well as a heat pump water
heater and energy recovery ventilator to reduce
their energy use.
The Meyers’ eco-conscious mindset is
evident throughout their five-bedroom,
four-bathroom home, which they designed
alongside Joel Contreras and Amy Williams at
are to touch. “Avocado ties into our house
beautifully from a sustainability perspective,
and they’re really paving the way for other mat-
tress companies,” says Venea. “Their entire mat-
tress is certified organic by the Global Organic
Textile Standard, which I loved as well, and it
honestly feels like you’re sleeping on a cloud.”
Read more at dwell.com/avocado.

DWELL AVOCADO
 DW E LL I N G S
January/February 2024

Artful
additions
create new
homes out
of historic
TYPEFACE DESIGN: ECAL TYPEFACES

buildings. 51
DWELLINGS

A CHEF TURNS A
WALLED-IN
PROPERTY IN A
BAJA CALIFORNIA
SUR MISSION TOWN
INTO AN OASIS
FOR FRIENDS AND
FAMILY.

TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @FERNANDOMARROQUINT

Duncan Nielsen Fernando Marroquin

52 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

Near Mexico’s Pacific Coast,
chef Ernesto Kut Gomez trans-
formed a property with two
dilapidated buildings into a
food-focused retreat. Its pièce
de résistance is a tower with
guest suites and views of the
area. Ernesto’s partner, Ellen
Odegaard, collaborated on
much of the property’s furni-
ture, including the pool lounges.

53
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 DWELLINGS

It’s a pleasant May night in Todos Santos,

Mexico, as most are this time of year in
coastal Baja California Sur. In the court-
yard at chef Ernesto Kut Gomez’s tucked-
away home toward the edge of the historic
downtown, he and his assistant are pre-
paring dinner in an outdoor kitchen. They
set dishes on a slatted-wood table, start-
ing with bean tostadas and ending with
slow-cooked lamb stew and baskets of
warm tortillas.
Before we eat, Ernesto provides a little
backstory about the environs. Established
as a mission in 1724, Todos Santos was
gradually abandoned after the missions
were secularized, but by the middle of the
century it had been resurrected by sugar-
cane growers. “People settled here because
it was an oasis,” he says.
Its fertile grounds and its history are
what attracted Ernesto to the area, which
some know better for its surfing beaches,
gringo outpost Hotel California, or bou-
tique retreats like Hotel San Cristóbal and
the Paradero. He’d been making regular
trips between Vancouver, which he calls
home, and Mexico City, where his parents
live, when, seven years ago, he stopped in
Todos Santos to see a friend. “I fell in love
with the place,” Ernesto says. “I loved the
beach and the ruggedness and everything.
And I’ve always loved historical buildings.”
On that first trip, an 1800s brick struc-
ture used in the sugarcane industry

The gallery (opposite) has a new
whitewashed pine roof that cov-
ers the main villa, which includes
two one-bed suites and one of
the property’s three and a half
kitchens. “We think it was a little
church before,” says architect
Yashar Yektajo. The brick was
stripped of plaster from a prior
renovation. “It was completely
rotten because there’s so much
humidity here,” he adds. “Now
the brick can breathe, and the
whitewash brings it together.”
Pinto, one of the couple’s two
dogs, rests under a coffee table
Ernesto and Ellen designed.
The gallery is lined with original
arches (left) that lead to the
courtyard. Ernesto designed the
villa’s kitchen more “for every
day,” he says, but the one added
to the courtyard (above) has
a professional range and par-
rilla to accommodate groups. “I
don’t need super-fancy equip-
ment,” Ernesto says. He and
Yektajo designed the bar stools.

55
DWELLINGS

“This is a place to host friends and friends of friends.

It’s a really magical spot—it has this aura.”
ERNESTO KUT GOMEZ, RESIDENT

56
 DWELLINGS

The courtyard and open-air

kitchen are the home’s hub,
where Ernesto’s guests can con-
vene for meals he prepares using
local ingredients. “There is an
incredible amount of produce
in the area. It’s the simple
things,” he says. Ellen designed
the table and benches, which
are surrounded by plantings
added to the property.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 57

DWELLINGS

Casa Melina N

ARCHITECT Yektajo Architects

LOCATION Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A Entrance
B Living/Dining
C N Area
C Kitchen
D Guest Room
E Bathroom
Third Floor Rooftop F Primary Suite
G Loft Suite
H Entertainment
E Room
K I Garden
E D J Outdoor Kitchen
K Tower Bedroom
L Laundry Room
First Floor Second Floor M Mechanical Room
N Deck

K M
E
L

H J
I

B C
G
E
D F

A
Lower Level

“This is where we had a little fun
with the carpentry work,” says
Yektajo, referring to the slatted-
wood inserts covering the open-
ings in the villa’s primary suite
(above), as well as ones in the
guest suite and loft. “You can’t
add more windows in the facade
of historic buildings, so that
was the only way to get ventila-
tion,” he adds. Ellen designed
the bed frames with built-in
nightstands for every room. For
one in the guest room, Yektajo
made wood boxes for the show-
ers that rise partially up the wall.
“We liked the idea of having a
different height for everything
that’s new,” he says. The tower
has a sunken ground-floor suite
(opposite), which allows for a
higher ceiling and helps it stay
cool, as does the window fac-
ing the pool. “The wind passes
over it and brings in fresh air,”
Yektajo says. “This is how pools
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT

the primary bath (right) and the are built in the Middle East.”

58
caught his eye. “It was beautiful, but it was
really in ruins. Like, it didn’t have a ceil-
ing. It was like it had been neglected for at
least thirty years and nature had taken
over,” Ernesto says. Two impulses led him
to purchase the building’s lot, which con-
tained another historical structure as well.
“One was to inspire other people to pre-
serve the history of the town—it’s very
easy to destroy heritage,” he says. The sec-
ond was to create “a place for hosting all
kinds of friends in the food, music, and
art industries. I wanted to have a place
for residencies and cultural events and to
open the door to the community.”
At first, he and architect Yashar Yektajo,
one of the designers of the Paradero, were
going to preserve the property’s structures
as they stood. Then, when the humidity
and salt air peeled back a chunk of plaster
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
left over from a prior renovation, Ernesto
saw the potential in exposing the brick
structure inside and out. “I said to Yashar,
‘I think we need to have a chat,’ ” Ernesto
recalls now, laughing.
Today, the property holds five beds and
six baths across four buildings, old and
new. Stepping through the main villa’s
unassuming entry off a quiet street, you
move through an open-air foyer and into
a gallery, where the exposed brick has
been repaired. It’s topped with a new
wooden roof that connects four broad
arches with two suites, the dining room,
and a kitchen that’s partly open to the
elements. “It’s so Baja that the ‘indoor’
kitchen is still pretty outdoor,” says
Yektajo, adding that it’s one of several on
the property. Here, before dinner, Ernesto
serves baguette slices smeared with local
goat cheese and topped with figs plucked
from a tree in the courtyard. “You have to
get to them before the birds do,” he says.
The bedrooms, too, are airy, with soar-
ing ceilings and porous tornillo-wood
doors designed by Ernesto and Yektajo.
“I love the draft of air, but I hate mosqui-
tos,” says Ernesto, who put mesh screens
over the windows so he could enjoy
breezes without pests. Ernesto met his
partner, Ellen Odegaard, partway through
the renovation. An architectural designer,
she offered some guidance on the project
toward the end and shaped a lot of the
furniture, like bed frames, tables, and
nightstands; anything made of wood was
built on-site.
The main villa shares a wall with a
new studio suite, accessed from the gal-
lery’s concrete patio via a set of stairs.
59
DWELLINGS
The tower (opposite) was lim-
ited to nine meters in height
(because it’s sunken, it rises to
about eight and a half), but the
construction style emphasizes
its stature. “We did the board-
forming top to bottom to give it
a sense of verticality,” Yektajo
says. “It makes the tower seem
way taller.” The concrete’s
rough texture and brown pig-
ment complement the adjacent
brick building, now a lounge.
60
The third-level bar and kitchen-
ette (below) have four openings
with wood coverings that slide
away. The space is perfect for
“wine and ceviche—for enjoying
the sunset,” says Ernesto. The
table, designed by Ellen, nests
into concrete banquette seat-
ing. To connect the bar with the
top-level viewing deck, Yektajo
inserted a spiral staircase (right)
with a compact footprint to
preserve the views.
The gallery looks out over the courtyard,
flanked on one side by the outdoor kitchen
and, on the other, the property’s second
original brick structure, a sunken space
that’s now a lounge. Next to it is the
compound’s most dramatic addition: a
board-formed concrete tower containing
bedroom suites on the first two floors,
an open-air kitchenette and bar on the
third level, and a rooftop deck with mul-
tiple vantages. It provides a bird’s-eye view
of the property and vistas of the town,
lush palms, the rolling desert, and, in the
distance, the Pacific Ocean.
At first, Yektajo and Ernesto weren’t
sure how they were going to add more liv-
ing space to the property, given that the
city and federal government limit the
footprint of new structures on historical
sites. But Ernesto was determined to build
more accommodations and, in addition,
was going to be disappointed if there
wasn’t a view. “I was putting in all this
energy, but I wasn’t going to be able to
watch the sunset or see the ocean,” he
says. On a hike, a stout variety of cactus,
known as bisnaga, gave him the idea to
build up instead of out. “I was like, That’s
what we need to do,” he says.
Despite all you can see from the tower,
it’s invisible when you’re standing on the
street in front of Ernesto’s home. The resi-
dence melds with the rest of downtown
Todos, a patchwork of cobblestone streets
with sun-faded buildings occupied by
taquerias, tiendas, and oficinas. The
home’s only tell is the freshly hewed tor-
nillo-wood front door, ready to welcome
those who know where to go.
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
“We made the tower’s third-level
windows the same size so you can
look to the town, the mountains,
the ocean. We didn’t want to favor
one view over another.”
YASHAR YEKTAJO, ARCHITECT

61
62
 DWELLINGS

OCCULT
FOLLOWING

Actor, writer, and producer

John Cameron Mitchell stands
at the back door to his home
in the Bywater section of New
Orleans, a city he felt drawn
to as more and more theater TEXT BY
friends moved there and he Madeleine Davies
began to seek a laid-back
alternative to New York. But not
PHOTOS BY | @CHANTALAANDERSON
entirely laid-back: The house,
formerly owned by a mystic Chantal Anderson
religious society, includes a
45-foot ballroom complete with
stage (opposite), where John
hosts parties and performances.
“I always wanted a venue,” he
says, “but not the business.”

HOW JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL

TURNED HIS NEW ORLEANS HOME
INTO A QUEER ART CHURCH.

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 63

DWELLINGS
John Cameron Mitchell has always been
drawn to religious iconography, largely
inspired by his late mother, who would
travel the world seeking out visions of the
Virgin Mary. “She said she had messages
for us,” John says, looking up at his favor-
ite Mary statue, which he found at a flea
market in Bordeaux. “The messages are
always very banal.”
This bit of personal history makes it
especially fitting that John’s 19th-century
home in the Bywater neighborhood of
New Orleans served as a church for several
religious denominations since at least the
1930s. The ground floor of the looming
creamsicle-colored, two-story Italianate
house is dominated by a 45-foot-long
ballroom, perhaps constructed in 1934
as an auditorium for a Catholic church,
64
fittingly named St. John’s. The building
has also served as a meeting house for
Seventh Day Adventists and been home
to a mortuary, a Baptist mission, and,
most recently, the secret society Ordo
Templi Orientis (OTO), which was once
led by notorious British occultist Aleister
Crowley. Vestiges of religious practices
can be found throughout the building.
In one room, a numerology mosaic called
the Square of Jupiter is embedded in the
tile floor; another has planetary religious
symbology painted on the walls; the
opening to the downstairs kitchen (yes,
there’s an upstairs kitchen, too) is a
dramatic arch that, before John decided to
remodel, was covered in gold.
Since purchasing the house in 2021,
John—star and cocreator of Hedwig and
the Angry Inch—has morphed the space
into a style he’s dubbed “modern gnostic
nouveau.” Rooms are full of lush textures
and bold colors. Floors are covered in a
myriad of antique rugs. Much of the furni-
ture comes from the Art Nouveau move-
ment, or at least is inspired by it.
“It’s been two and a half years since I
bought the house, and it’s been through a
lot of things,” John says. “It’s been through
hurricanes. It’s been through Covid and
inflation. Supply chain problems kind
of doubled everything. The whole thing
fell apart for almost nine months.”
In that time, John also had to temporar-
ily relocate to Australia to film Peacock’s
Joe vs Carole, which meant overseeing an
extensive renovation from the other side of
the world. The endeavor might not have
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 Against a backdrop of honey-
colored paneling and wide-
plank floors, John and his lead
designer, Mitchell Kulkin, filled
the 90-year-old house with
patterned rugs, tons of artwork,
and cool lighting fixtures, like
the carved flower pendants by
Romanian sculptor Lazslo Tompa
that illuminate the upstairs hall-
way (opposite). The “batwing”
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
desk, by Michael Gregorio of
Modern on the Hudson, is one
of John’s favorite pieces. His
Nouveau-inspired bed (above)
was purchased in London while
he was filming a series. In a
sunny corner (below) hangs
a painting of indeterminate
origin. “A friend said it looked
like me, but we never found
the provenance,” says John.
65
DWELLINGS

been possible if it weren’t for his friends

The Temple N Mitchell Kulkin, who worked as lead deco-
ARCHITECT Studio West Design & Architecture rator, and Justin Barton, who acted as
LOCATION New Orleans, Louisiana project manager. Kulkin, who’d previously
been in theater design, became John’s
close creative collaborator.
A Entrance
F F B Ballroom Buying in New Orleans also meant
D E G E C Powder Room more room than John could afford in
D Lounge many other cities, a requirement, consid-
E Bedroom
F Bathroom ering that he wanted his residence to
K
J H G Dining Area double as an event space. For the restora-
H Kitchen tion, Studio West Design & Architecture
I Lanai
J Landing and Arch Builders were brought on as
Second Floor
K Kitchenette/ architecture firm and contractor, respec-
Living Area tively. Two half bathrooms were added
beneath the fully reconstructed staircase
to accommodate the large numbers of
F guests who might come for a musical per-
D I formance or reading. The front parlor of
B G
the house—the small ballroom—was for-
tuitously outfitted with a stage already,
E H thanks to the OTO. At John’s request,
A
C C Arch Builders partner Jacques Magne
First Floor
had the stage extended; though it can fit
a full band, it takes up only a small por-
tion of the ballroom.

The house has two full kitch-

ens, one on each floor. In the
upstairs kitchen (left), black
appliances are joined by swirl-
ing Tortuga Bay quartzite
counters from Triton Stone and
a large custom black hood.
The downstairs kitchen (oppo-
site)—the one for “the riffraff,”
jokes John—is reached through
an original pointed arch and
features blue and white con-
crete tiles from Granada Tile
and bright white cabinetry. A
selection from John’s extensive
collection of glass purses is on
display above the open shelv-
ing. “I love Murano glass and
came across these inexpensive
purses on eBay and Etsy, so
I just started collecting them,”
he explains. “Mitchell had the
idea to mount them on the wall
and make them into planters.”
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT

66 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

DWELLINGS

67
 The rear of the ballroom holds
an early-20th-century credenza
that John bought at his favorite
New Orleans consignment shop,
Renaissance Interiors. “We’ve
made it our multifaith altar,” he
says, “with an antique meno-
rah, a Balinese Perpetual Face
Buddha, and a Spanish Madonna
with human hair and Jesus
springing from her shoulder like
68
a parasitic twin.” The chan-
delier is from Italianbraslights
on Etsy. John scours sites like
Facebook Marketplace, 1st
Dibs, and Chairish for good
deals and unique pieces. “I love
to haggle online and meet peo-
ple who are making things,” he
says. He recently held a party
(opposite) to welcome neigh-
bors into the renovated home.

“ Before I bought the house, I talked to the neighbors.
Did it have a good vibe? I’m not superstitious,
Many of his friends from the New York
theater and art worlds had moved to New
Orleans, seeking out cheaper rents and
more affordable opportunities to create.
“I’ve lived all over,” John explains, but “I
haven’t really lived in the South. Obviously
this is a different kind of South, but it has
the good elements—the friendliness, the
down-homeyness.” Though he still keeps
an apartment in New York, he also wanted
a home base that was more low-key.
While the New Orleans Historic District
Landmarks Commission has strict rules
regarding alterations to historic buildings,
the regulations—in the Bywater, at least—
apply only to building exteriors and what
can be seen from the public right-of-way.
This flexibility allowed John and his team
to be more playful with the interior and
backyard. A major transformation on the
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
DWELLINGS
but it was a somewhat occult church,
and there’s energy in this house.”
JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL, RESIDENT
ground floor includes the kitchen and
dining area: Kulkin and John opted to keep
the arch but swapped out the gold for
white paint. A set of French doors, found
at an antiques store in Texas, leads to the
dramatic addition of a large screened-in
back porch. Designed by Studio West,
the arched, floor-to-ceiling screens show
off John’s Art Nouveau preferences with
curved, whipcrack muntins. The backyard,
with a hot tub, has been newly landscaped
for entertaining.
While the house’s downstairs was built
out with hosting in mind, the upstairs
is a haven of privacy. Technically its own
apartment, the second floor is a particular
point of pride for Kulkin, who turned a
utility closet into a laundry room, thereby
creating extra square footage for the pri-
mary bathroom. Of the dining area, John
DWELLINGS
More boudoir than bedroom,
John’s private suite has long
velvet drapes (above) and a
sitting room. “It feels like what
I imagine living in the 1920s
would be like—like, Oh, I’m in
my bedroom parlor,” he says
with a flourish. The view is of
a classic Bywater street (left),
with its colorful low buildings
of a certain age. John’s bath-
room (below) is an immersive
experience in Nero Levanto
leathered marble from Triton
Stone. Vintage French doors
open to a new lanai (opposite)
surrounded by custom screen
doors designed by the project
architect, Studio West. The
dining table and chairs put
the “modern” in John’s self-
described “modern gnostic
nouveau” style.
70
says, “This was the most crappy kitchen.”
He and Kulkin have since transformed it
with black cabinetry and appliances, along
with a backsplash and countertops made
from a dynamic green-gray quartzite.
Around the corner is John’s bedroom,
possibly the heart of the home—and not
just because of the walls’ deep red color.
He found his bed, a wooden tangle of
curves, while filming the Netflix adapta-
tion of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman
in London. The pièce de résistance is a
pair of custom Nouveau-inspired pocket
doors—designed by Studio West—that
divide his bedroom from the sunny,
street-facing, second-floor sitting room
and allow natural light to filter through.
While the home is finally starting to
feel settled, John still has his anxieties.
The recent writers’ and actors’ strikes
made it harder to move forward with
building updates, and he worries about
the amount of money he’s invested so far.
But he asked himself a more important
question when it came to his dream
house: Do I want to die here? “And so when
I’m buying things, I’m like, this is my
death bed,” John says. “My death couch.
My death kitchen. I mean, who knows?”
The touch of morbidity adds signifi-
cance to his plans, not only for the house
but for the people who have supported
him and whom he continually works to
empower. The home may no longer serve
a particular religious doctrine, but it
remains a spiritual place. “We want this
to be useful to the community,” John says.
“It’s going to be the queer art church.”
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
71
DWELLINGS

Belgian artist Eva Claessens bought

a decaying, 1,000-year-old stone
structure in a village in Provence
and turned it into a home and stu-
dio. Behind her (opposite) is one
of her canvases. Below the window
is a bench Eva made using an old
wooden plank and loose stones
found during the building’s renova-
tions. The curtains were handsewn
from pieces of lace she bought at a
flea market in nearby Arles.

72
 Pas de
Deux
AN ARTIST AND HER ONCE-CRUMBLING
HOME IN THE FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE START
A NEW LIFE TOGETHER.
Eva Claessens’s decision to buy and
restore a dilapidated 10th-century build-
ing in a tiny French village started with a
dream. In the spring of 2020, the Belgian-
born artist woke up with a vivid image of a
home in Provence and took it as a fait
accompli. “I bought all my houses because
I saw them in a dream, as clearly as a
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
TEXT BY
Paola Singer
PHOTOS BY | @ALEX_CRETEY_SYSTERMANS
Alex Crétey Systermans
photo,” she says matter-of-factly. “I always
take dreams very seriously. They are so
important.” Eva was in South America at
the time, in the rural plains of Garzón in
eastern Uruguay, which has been her main
home for the last 15 years. Although the
pandemic was still raging, she found a way
to make it back to Europe.
73
DWELLINGS

There were some twists and turns along

the way, but Eva’s keen senses led her to an
empty building in the Var, an area in
Provence known for its scenic hilltop
hamlets. The structure didn’t look like
much at all: a rectangular “tower,” as she
calls it, three stories tall, with crumbling
stone walls, no roof, and soil for parts of
the ground floor. The building had once
been part of a fortified wall that had encir-
cled the local town. The painter and sculp-
tor, known for her ethereal outlines of
human bodies, liked that it had wide
spaces she could turn into art studios and
was undaunted by the prospect of elabo-
rate renovations, but more than anything,
she felt a visceral connection to this

Vintage Moroccan rugs are strewn on

the floor of the second story (right).
The iron railing was crafted by a local
blacksmith who once worked for the
sculptor César Baldaccini. While on a
walk through a nearby town, Eva saw an
old door that caught her eye, knocked
on it, and offered to buy it. Now it’s in
her home (below left). She found glass
jugs (below right)—onetime olive oil
and wine containers—at flea markets.
There’s a small light behind them that
turns on at night to create an installation
of sorts. “I work a lot at night and have
little lights everywhere,” she says.

“ I observed the light for weeks to find

the perfect location to invite the sun inside
so it can dance on the walls.”
EVA CLAESSENS, DESIGNER AND RESIDENT

74
 unusual place. “The first time I walked by
the facade, I had butterflies,” she says.
Through a neighbor she befriended (one
of only 850 or so residents in the area), Eva
presented an offer to the property’s own-
ers, who were initially not interested in
selling. After nearly a year of negotia-
tions—there were three owners, all
French, with varying degrees of attach-
ment to this abandoned monolith and
varying financial aspirations—she was
able to purchase the building, which con-
sists of two nearly identical side-by-side
sections, plus a “mezzanine” that juts out
toward a neighboring structure. Then
N
began the reconstruction of the almost
10th-Century Tower Turned Into Living in Sculpture
3,800 square feet of interior space, with
DESIGNER Eva Claessens
LOCATION Mons, Var, France

Ground Floor First Floor Second Floor

C G J K
B F
E

A D H L

I F M

A Entrance H Yoga and

B Kitchen/Dining Area Meditation Room
C Ceramics Studio I Storage Room
D Guest Kitchen J Sculpture Room
E Painting Studio K Primary Suite
F Bathroom L Terrace
G Guest Bedroom M Mezzanine

In the sculpture studio on the top floor

(above), Eva turned an existing open-
ing into a decorative nook. The fabrics
on the bench are antique nets used for
olive picking. “They have all these olive
stains that are gorgeous—they are like
pieces of art,” she says. A 1930s screen
by Jomaine Baumann shields a duct
from view (right).
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024

An opening in Eva’s closet looks into
her bedroom. The photograph she is
adjusting was taken by her friend and
fellow artist Julian Lennon. “He is the
only person I take design advice from,”
she says, adding that the circular open-
ing was his idea. On her bed are Rose
and Lili, the mother-and-daughter pair
who have traveled the world with Eva.

76 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

 DWELLINGS
Eva designed new, curved stairs with a
smooth plaster surface that contrasts
with the roughness of some of the
exposed stones. A few of her ceramics
fill the niche under them, and skylights
bring in sunshine from above. The table,
bought locally for about 20 euros at a
garage sale, is made of olive wood.

77
DWELLINGS

Eva fulfilling the roles of architect and

designer. “When I see something, I already
see it finished. Otherwise, I don’t start,”
she says. “Everywhere I look has to be
beautiful and to feel soft—nothing
aggressive.”
Finding a contractor to undertake this
kind of project was not exactly easy; some
didn’t have the experience needed to
repair walls more than two feet thick, and
others came with unwelcome suggestions
about revamping the space. Eva made
some inquiries and found a builder whose
crew knew how to work with natural The primary bathroom (above) is deco- to her bedroom above but changed her
materials like stone and chaux, the French rated with found stones, a handmade mind. “I told the workers, ‘Leave the
porcelain candleholder, and other small stairs,’ ” she says. “Then I started to
word for lime plaster. She used chaux to objets d’art. In the guest suite (below) put some stones and pieces of leftover
cover nearly every interior surface, save is a staircase that goes nowhere. Eva chaux. It’s full of objects that aren’t
for a few walls where the original stones initially wanted to connect the space really anything.”

78
 Outside, Eva planted wildflowers,
grapevines, and other flora along the
perimeter of the home. Inside, a sitting
area by a Skantherm fireplace (above)
is a nice spot to cozy up with a book.
“It feels fresh, harmonious, and natural.
I’m at home a lot, and I’m always creating.”
EVA CLAESSENS
DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
were left exposed. At night, when the
workers were gone, Eva would come in
to work on these stones by hand, using
a hammer and other tools to carve them
just so, making crevices where she
planned to place votives and objets d’art.
“It was an amazing collaboration,” she
says of the renovations, which involved
more improvisation than most. “This was
for me like an artwork, like restoring a
piece of art.”
Eva directed the crew to create cement
staircases connecting the three levels and
to add a series of rectangular skylights,
some stacked on top of each other, to
bring in as much sunlight from above as
79
possible. (The exterior, which is land-
marked and can’t be altered, doesn’t have
many windows.) She decided to keep the
two main sections mostly separate: One
houses a kitchen with a dining area, a par-
lor, a painting studio, and a sculpture stu-
dio, and the other has a primary suite, a
guest suite, a kitchenette, and a ceramics
studio. A passage on the top floor between
the two sections completes the layout.
Nooks and crannies abound.
It’s an alabaster-hued hideaway that’s
both cozy and mysterious, filled with sin-
gular silhouettes, some broad and sculp-
tural, others slight and organically shaped.
Eva decorated the space with eclectic
antique finds and weathered wooden
planks used as shelving. It all feels like
80
something dreamed up by the offspring of By a window (above) sits a black
ceramic sculpture by Eva and a white
an architect and an alchemist. “The way I
clay one—the first sculpture she ever
want to live is not about luxury but about made, at age 16. The pillows on the
a certain aesthetic,” she says. bench are covered in textiles from ML
Eva’s relationship with the residents of Fabrics in the Netherlands. The home’s
this little corner of the Var, where she hilltop perch (opposite) provides long
views of the rolling French landscape.
now lives part-time, is a work in progress.
Some hail her as a kind of hero for having
restored this crumbling old tower, she
says, yet more-traditionalist locals disap-
prove of its new appearance. She’s still
learning, from inside her sanctuary, what
it means to be part of this community.
“It’s the first time in a long time I’ve lived
in a village. I’m used to being in the coun-
tryside,” says Eva. “But I close the door
and no one can look inside. It’s really like
a little world of its own in here.”
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
DWELLINGS

81
MY HOUSE

TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @GRETARYBUS

Debra Spark Greta Rybus

Display Case
A pair of vintage furniture dealers remodel
a rare Maine prefab into a backdrop for their
prized personal collection.
82 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 Meghan Lavery and Daniel
King bought a 1987 prefab
in Maine (left) to fix up and
fill with designs by mid-
century modern luminaries
the couple stock at their
Brooklyn furniture store,
Home Union. The living
room (opposite) features
a Noguchi lantern, a velvet
Soriana sofa by Afra and
Tobia Scarpa, Ingo Maurer
Uchiwa 6 fan lights, and
a teak Hans Wegner cre-
denza. The former sunroom
(below), now a guest room,
has a 1970s armchair by
Bruno Rey.

Meghan Lavery and Daniel King are

such design aficionados that they don’t
always part with what they find for
Home Union, their midcentury-focused
furniture store in Brooklyn. So in 2021,
following their decision to keep a wool
Cassina Soriana sofa, they told each other,
“We really need to get a house for this.”
After renting apartments together in
and around Brooklyn’s Williamsburg
neighborhood for nearly a decade, the

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 83

MY HOUSE
couple started looking for a home in
Maine, where Meghan grew up—some-
where they could eventually live full-time
that would sync with their penchant for
vintage. A house for sale near Portland by
Marcel Breuer was tempting but felt too
close to neighbors. There weren’t many
midcentury homes in the area and hardly
any by major modernist designers. Would
it be their only opportunity?
It seemed so, but that summer they
found something unexpected in the
coastal town of Harpswell: a 1987 prefabri-
cated home by Deck House, a company
akin to Eichler in that it produced mod-
ernist residences that were much more
“ It’s almost like we got the house to showcase our furniture,
which seems backward from what most people would do.”
MEGHAN LAVERY, RESIDENT
84
affordable than the custom equivalent.
Most often found in Massachusetts and
North Carolina, the designs vary but typi-
cally feature large windows, a waffle front
door in mahogany, a living area with a
vaulted ceiling, and a post-and-beam
construction. “We loved that it had a mid-
century feel,” says Daniel of the
3,000-square-foot space, which had those
fundamental Deck House elements, plus a
commanding view of Harpswell Sound
without a neighbor in sight.
The house had seen renovations after a
fire in 2011, but the changes weren’t neces-
sarily in the spirit of the original design,
so Meghan and Daniel decided to give the
home a complete restoration with a few
new ideas. “We wanted to refine the space
while not disrupting what makes the
house special,” Daniel says.
The couple touched every surface, they
say, working with Howe Building
Company to turn a sunroom into a bed-
room, create full baths on each of the
home’s three levels, and overhaul the
kitchen with custom cabinets by Good
Cube Studio. They enlisted Portland
architect Jocelyn O. Dickson to create a
Bauhaus feel in one bathroom, while
Meghan leaned into a Finnish sauna vibe
for another. They also refinished the
Douglas fir rafters, plastered the walls,
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
 The basement-level fam-
ily room (right) connects
with a guest bedroom
that features a painting by
Marleigh Culver. Beside the
sliding door are a beech-
wood Pigreco chair (left),
designed by Tobia Scarpa
in 1959, and a Bodyform
side chair by Peter Danko.
The Tulip table is by Eero
Saarinen.

Home Union House N added rift oak floors, used translucent
glass for interior windows, replaced the
ORIGINAL ARCHITECT Deck House
LOCATION Harpswell, Maine staircase’s heavy wood railings with cus-
tom steel, and painted the 18-foot brick
Lower Level chimney white.
Now, Daniel says, he and Meghan see
their home as “a perfect backdrop for our
somewhat eclectic furniture and lighting
A B collection, in that it doesn’t distract or feel
thematically competitive.” And their tastes
are wide-ranging. “We really love the
E D C
Italian stuff. We love the Scandinavian
stuff. We love the Japanese stuff. Our
brand marries those things and finds syn-
ergy between different design periods,”
Meghan says.
And the same is true with the ’80s-
vintage house, where virtually every room
holds an object by a beloved designer—
from an Alessi teakettle by Aldo Rossi to
that Soriana sofa, which is now right at
home in the couple’s upstairs bedroom.

First Floor The kitchen (opposite, left)

features custom-lacquered
K F cabinets with white oak
B
handles and, in lieu of
upper cabinets, a wall
J C niche to display dishes. The
I Bauhaus bathroom (oppo-
site, right) is named for the
H tubular pattern on the floor
G tile. A new deck (left) made
of garapa, a sustainable,
rot-resistant tropical wood,
Second Floor has a woodburning hot tub
from Goodland.

L
ILLUSTRATION: LOHNES+WRIGHT

A Den G Garage
B Bedroom H Entrance
C Bathroom I Kitchen
D Laundry Room J Dining Area
E Utility/Storage Area K Screened-in Porch
F Living Area L Primary Suite

DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 85

OFF THE GRID
TEXT BY PHOTOS BY | @MSCOTTPHOTO

Duncan Nielsen Mathew Scott

Up Around the Bend

A couple’s redesign of a 1975 Argosy is
calibrated for a blend of creative work and off-
grid bliss, whether they’re parked at the beach,
in the mountains, or somewhere in between.

“We’re not really adventure people,”
says Caroline Burke, but only after she and
her husband, Riley Haakon, have been
explaining for almost an hour how they’ve
been hauling a vintage trailer across the
U.S. and down dusty Baja roads for several
months. Once, in Mexico, they wound up
serving coffee to a beachful of local fami-
lies on vacation; in Washington’s San Juan
Islands, they almost saw their broken-
down truck burn up while it was parked
outside a bar that had caught on fire.
A pause, and then Caroline clarifies: “I can
count the number of hikes we’ve done in
the past two years on one hand.”
Okay, so not outdoorsy types, but prone
to adventure, say. A year and a half ago,
they were feeling burned out near the end
of a nine-month road trip in an Airstream
they had spent months renovating, but
they still couldn’t help but peruse listings
for other project trailers. Then they saw
their dream model for sale in Arkansas,
an Argosy built in 1975. “Caroline said, ‘Do
you wanna do another one?’ I was like, no,”
Riley remembers, laughing. “But we bought
it, and this is it.”
Today, the Argosy, glowing with a paint
job Caroline and Riley managed to apply
in a 40-mile-an-hour windstorm—in
December, in Massachusetts—is parked
in California’s Carpinteria State Beach
campground. The weather is temperate,
slightly overcast, and windless. The cou-
ple’s two cats, Pancake and Ophelia, and
dog, Cowboy, who’s dressed the part in

86 JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL

 OFF THE GRID

Caroline Burke and Riley Haakon

updated a 1975 Argosy (oppo-
site) with know-how gleaned
from a prior Airstream renova-
tion. A long maple butcher block
forming a kitchen counter and
work surface (above and right)
replaced one of the trailer’s two
twin beds. Riley sits on the other
(right), which now serves as a
reading nook with sliding poly-
carbonate partitions. The paper
pendant in the work area and the
one above the bed (below) can
be fixed to different points in the
trailer to accommodate needs
moment to moment. “It kept the
electrical simple,” says Caroline.

87
 OFF THE GRID
“We’ve encountered so much kindness in our travels,
which has been a huge learning experience.
We’ve looked for opportunities to pass that along.”
RILEY HAAKON, OWNER AND DESIGNER
a red bandana, laze on the bed, which is
surrounded by windows, a hallmark of this
brand of trailer.
“Anything that’s white is original, and
anything that’s wood is us,” Riley explains
about the updates he DIY’d. The couple
collaborated on the Airstream, but Riley,
who is transitioning out of advertising
with aims of turning an amateur passion
for design into a profession, was left to his
whims by Caroline this go-round: “I was
like, ‘You’re going to architecture school.
You do whatever you want.’”
The existing cabinets worked, so they
stayed, but wanting an open plan for more
88
flexibility, Riley removed partitions that
divided the trailer in half. “I was really
afraid to have a bed in the front,” says
Caroline. “I was like, ‘We’re gonna be
hosting…but we don’t host.’ ” Caroline,
a full-time editor and writer, is with her
computer where one of two twin beds
used to be, now a continuous surface that
serves as a desk or a place to prep meals.
Riley’s biggest experiment was the
flooring. A mesmerizing mosaic of wood
squares made of old- and new-growth tim-
ber, it defies the dogma that tiling does not
belong in a moving vehicle. “I had just been
nerding out over end grain, to Caroline’s
“We used construction-grade
four by fours,” says Riley,
referencing the tiled offcuts
that make up the trailer’s floor
(above left). For storage, the
couple created cubbies for milk
crates fixed with wood cutouts
(above center). A woodburn-
ing stove from Cubic (above)
provides ambience and supple-
ments heat from a furnace. “If
you can get it to burn through
the night without touching it,
that’s a win,” Riley says. “When
we’re in relatively cold places,
we’re constantly using it.” The
work area (left) looks out one of
the trailer’s many windows.
chagrin,” says Riley. Says Caroline, “I did
not think it was gonna work out.”
But things always seem to for this cou-
ple and often in unexpected ways. Riley
explains how, about two years ago, he and
Caroline were at Agate Beach in Oregon on
a walk—we won’t call it a hike—when they
shared a moment with an otter, a moment
so magical it convinced him to put off grad
school for a year so they could keep wan-
dering. Now, when an answer to a question
doesn’t readily present itself, they “chase
the otter god,” he says, which is what
they’ve been doing ever since. Wherever it
leads them next, it likely won’t be boring.
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 DWELL
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timberlyne.com
888.489.1680
 modern market
“The Barber” by Tim Collins
Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 48”
Presenting modern art abundant with personality
in various styles, sizes, and mediums. Located
in Central Ohio, the gallery also offers interior
design and real estate services. Commissions also
available.

centofantiandcollins.com l angelacentofanti.com

Bunkie
Reflecting on the year past, we’re always inspired how each client uses our Bunkies to build their
dream backyard. From home office to pool cabana, why not have both!

With 8 models to choose from and step by step instructions, our prefab Bunkie kits can be shipped
to you ready for assembly. See our website for more details.

EAT | WORK | PLAY | SLEEP

www.thebunkle.com

Modern Shelving
Renowned Pittsburgh Designer
Stephen Gates Chooses
Modern Shelving® to Complete
His Dream Home!
“Modern Shelving was the
perfect solution as the all-
aluminum construction gave
us the strength we needed for
our books and art, the design
was clean and modern, and the Rabbit Air
ability to do custom work meant A3 SPA-1000N Air Purifier
we could create exactly what we
wanted.” Discover Rabbit Air’s most powerful and
brilliant air purifier yet, with increased
Get Your Free Design coverage (up to 1,070 sq. ft.), additional wall-
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Zoom with You! sensor, automatic filter-status monitoring,
and wireless control via WiFi and Bluetooth.
This is the clean-air solution for those who
want it all.

Toll-free 888-866-8862
rabbitair.com
 Contact Our Advertisers

modern market
When contacting our advertisers, please be sure
to mention that you saw their ads in Dwell.

Avocado
avocadogreenmattress.com
Created Hardwood
createdhardwood.com
Henrybuilt
henrybuilt.com
Hunter Douglas
hunterdouglas.com
Lucid Motors
lucidmotors.com
Lindal Cedar Homes
lindal.com
Lumacast
lumacast.com
NanaWall
nanawall.com

Palm Springs Small Hotels

palmspringspreferredsmall-
hotels.com
Space Theory
spacetheory.com
Sossego
sossegodesign.com
Stillwater Dwellings
stillwaterdwellings.com
Suzanne Felsen Jewelry
suzannefelsen.com
Thos Moser
thosmoser.com

Visual Comfort & Co.

visualcomfort.com
Eureka
Modern Cold Plunge Tubs

Eureka cold water immersion tubs have the power and durability to meet the needs of health clubs
and spas, combined with the beauty and thoughtful design befitting fine homes.

Our stainless steel tub is housed in a skin of powder-coated aluminum and is powered by a
commercial-grade system that keeps the water cold and clean through simultaneous chilling,
filtration and ozone disinfection.

We believe in the power of cold plunge and our mission is to provide you with incredible tools to
help you optimize your health, performance and well-being.
eurekaspas.com
info@eurekaspas.com
888-599-5351

Maine’s Prefab
Pods
by Knickerbocker Group
Art-infused design that
maximizes light, space, and
connectivity to nature. We
provide 100% of the services
for our net-zero ready homes
and living spaces. Made from
as many renewable materials
as possible, sourced as close
to home as we can find them.
Carefully constructed at our
Maine prefabrication facility.

Featured is our Juniper model

in the modern style. 500 sq
ft of smart living. Additional
models available.

prefabpods.com
If you are interested in joining
Modern Market please contact:
sales@dwell.com
 sourcing

Explore the products, furniture, architects, designers,

and builders featured in this issue.

42 Great Minds zacharyadesign.com; for Softline .com; framing by

Oceanspray rug by softlinefurniture.com Framebridge
Cookfox Architects Crosby Street Studios framebridge.com
cookfox.com crosbystreetstudios 52 Hiding in Plain Sight 66 Kitchen masonry by
Structural engineering .com; Planck chandelier Favian Hurst linkedin
by WSP by Jérôme Pereira Yektajo Architects .com/in/favian-hurst-
wsp.com galerie-philia.com; yektajo.com 1881a869; Tortuga Bay
Landscape installation ceramic herb planter by Ellen Odegaard quartzite counters and
by Heyhoe Garden Cookfox and Simone ellenodegaard.com backsplash from Triton
Design and Summerhill Bodmer-Turner 52–53 Lounge chairs by Stone tritonstone.com;
heyhoegardendesign simonebodmerturner Ernesto Gomez, Yashar custom hood by
.com .com; Sunrise Over the Yektajo, and Ellen Opossum Woodshed for
summerhilllandscapes Hudson by Erik Koeppel Odegaard Arch Builders archnola
.com nhantiquecoop.com; 54–55 Lounge chairs .com
Lighting from Ketra kitchen bay window from and coffee table by Ellen 67 Blue and white
ketra.com Duratherm Odegaard and Ernesto kitchen tiling from
Interior venetian plaster durathermwindow.com Gomez; bar stools by Granada Tile granadatile
by Pietra Viva 45 Lattice design Ernesto Gomez, Yashar .com
pietravivaitaly.com Moroccan rug from Yektajo, and Estudio 68 20th-century
Roofing from Kemper Gallery 51 gallery51.net; Fedra estudiofedra.com credenza from
System guardrails by Prandoni 56–57 Outdoor table and Renaissance Interiors
kemper-system.com Fabrication & Design benches by Ellen yourrenaissance.com
Pas de Deux
Automated window prandonifabrication.com Odegaard 70 Bathroom masonry
shades and lighting 58–59 Bed frames with by Favian Hurst; Nero
control system from 46 Breaking the Mold built-in nightstands by Levanto marble from
Lutron Ellen Odegaard; Jipijapa Triton Stone Bieffeplast, and Le tub from Goodland
lutron.com Haddock Studio Palm lamps by Teterete 71 Stained-glass Bambole striped chairs hellogoodland.com
42 Deco sleeper sofa haddockstudio.com teterete.com transom window by by Mario Bellini from
and Asher leather 47 Circle Triangle 60–61 Dining table by Wendy Carter of Carter Home Union; rug from 86 Up Around the Bend
ottoman from Room & Square chair, end table, Ellen Odegaard; ceramic Royal Glassworks Beni benirugs.com;
Board roomandboard and wooden trays by tableware by Ernesto carterroyalglassworks marble nightstand from Riley Haakon
.com; Thyme side table Haddock Studio; coffee Gomez and Steven .com Design Within Reach rileyhaakon.com
from Greenington table by Isamu Noguchi Jacobi of Barro Sur dwr.com; ceiling lights in 86 Exterior paint in
greenington.com noguchi.org; Eave sofa barrosur.com 72 Pas de Deux amber glass from RBW Oyster White from Rust-
43 Charred-wood siding corner seat by Norm rbw.com; wool curtains Oleum rustoleum.com
from Nakamoto Forestry Architects for Audo 62 Occult Following Eva Claessens from The Shade Store 87–88 Lumber from
nakamotoforestry.com; audocph.com; Castore evaclaessens.com theshadestore.com; Dartmouth Building
green roof from Green Suspension by Michele Studio West BA Constructions bedding from Buffy Supply dartmouth
Roof Blocks and De Lucchi and Huub studiowest.design ahmed.boukayar73 buffy.co buildingsupply.com;
Conservation Ubbens for Artemide Arch Builders @gmail.com 84 Countertops from roller curtains from
Technology artemide.net; Philippe archnola.com Caesarstone Levolor levolor.com;
greenroofblocks.com Starck chair from the Antique doors from 82 Display Case caesarstoneus.com; wall kitchen sink and faucet
conservationtechnology Royalton Hotel starck Sugar Magnolia Farm & light from A-N-D a-n-d from Glacier Bay
.com .com Design and Olde Good Jocelyn O. Dickson .com; High Chair K65 by glacierbayshop.com;
44 Berk-Lock 3 in 1 48 Range hood cone Things instagram.com jocelynodickson.com Alvar Aalto for Artek butcher block countertop
chair from The Berkline cover and bathroom sink /sugarmag7 and Howe Building Company artek.fi; bathroom tiling from Hardwood Lumber
Corporation; bronze by Haddock Studio; ogtstore.com howebuildingcompany by Block Shop x Fireclay Company hardwood-
tripod table by Christian honed Capri gray granite 62 Stained-glass .com Tile fireclaytile.com; lumber.com; lighting
Liaigre studioliaigre.com; countertops from window depicting David Interior design by floating oak vanity by from Color Cord
VL38 floor lamp by Benattar Marble & Bowie and Mavis Staples Home Union Daniel King; bathroom Company colorcord.com;
Vilhelm Lauritzen Granite benattar.com; by Hadyn Butler; homeunionnyc.com fixtures from Waterworks rug from Blue Nile Mills
shophorne.com; Confetti range, refrigerator, and stained-glass window Cabinetry by waterworks.com; sink bluenilemills.com;
area rug by Mark Nelson dishwasher from depicting Gena Good Cube Studio from Kohler kohler.com teakettle from Le Creuset
Designs Thermador thermador Rowlands by Iurii thegoodcube.com 85 Pigreco chair by lecreuset.com; range
marknelsondesigns.com; .com; bathroom faucet Voloshchuk of Galician 82–83 Soriana sofa by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina from Furrion furrion.com;
A-Line lounge chairs by by John Pawson for Stained Glass instagram Afra and Tobia Scarpa Bastiano, side table by cushions by Deeana’s
Jens Risom Cocoon bycocoon.com; .com/gsg_art for Cassina, Metafora Eero Saarinen for Knoll, Designs etsy.com/shop
stamfordmodern.com; backlit round bathroom 64 Michael Gregorio coffee table by Lella and and Stool 60 by Alvar /DeeanasDesigns; wood-
Seymour curved chaise wall mirror from Zeek desk from Modern on the Massimo Vignelli, Aalto from Home Union; burning stove from Cubic
by Rodolfo Dordoni zeekliving.com Hudson Uchiwa 6 wall lamp by birch platform bed from cubicminiwoodstoves
ddcnyc.com; Little Petra 49 Clock by Haddock modernonthehudson Ingo Maurer, teak Floyd floydhome.com; .com
VB1 chairs by Viggo Studio; Neverending .com; Wilton rug from credenza by Hans bedding from Buffy; rug
PHOTO: ALEX CRÉTEY SYSTERMANS

Boesen for Matter Glory pendant by Jan Nazmiyal Antique Rugs Wegner, Timberline floor from Lulu & Georgia
mattermatters.com; Plecháč and Henry nazmiyalantiquerugs lamp by Mads Caprani, luluandgeorgia.com;
fiberglass and resin Wielgus for Lasvit lasvit .com; carved flower armchair by Bruno Rey, artwork by Marleigh For contact information
coffee table by Cookfox .com; Twilight sleeper pendants by Laszlo Farstar table lamp by Culver marleighculver for our advertisers,
and Zachary A. sofa by Flemming Busk Tompa laszlotompa Adalberto Dal Lago for .com; woodburning hot please turn to page 89.

Dwell® (ISSN 1530-5309), Volume XXIV Issue 1, publishes six double issues
annually, by Recurrent Ventures Inc., 601 W. 26th Street, Floor 13, Suite 1350,
New York, NY 10001. Occasional extra issues may also be published. Copyright
©2024. All rights reserved. In the US, Dwell® is a registered trademark of
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DWELL JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 95


An Indian yarn-making tool reminds textile designer
Arati Rao that preserving craft culture requires
human touch.
AS TOLD TO
Lauren Gallow
PHOTO BY | @IANSHIVER
Ian Loring Shiver
When I left corporate fashion
in 2010, I made a trip to South
India to see if there was a way to
work directly with weavers where
my ancestors are from, in
Telangana. Their craft heritage
has become devalued because
people want things faster and
cheaper, but the community
there has done an amazing job
establishing a weaving center,
Pochampally Handloom Park,
which operates like a co-op and
96
one last thing
is supported in part by govern-
ment funding. After that first
visit, we started working together
on creating throws and other
textiles from my designs, which
was how I started my rug and
soft-goods company, Tantuvi.
On one of my trips to visit the
center, its director, Damoder
Seetha, presented me with this
mini charka, or spinning wheel,
as a token of appreciation. The
cotton Tantuvi uses is hand spun
on wheels like this one, which is
about five inches tall, but bigger.
They are symbols of self-reliance
in India and were significant in
the freedom movement. One was
even included in a rendering of
the country’s flag in 1921.
I was so touched. I’m such a
tiny little business, so I wondered,
How is it that I mean so much to
all of you? I think it’s because I’m
not viewed as an outsider, even
though I am one. I was born and
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
raised in America, but I have a
unique understanding of weaving
culture because I’ve spent a lot of
time sitting with people in their
homes and connecting with the
community. To be able to support
this art form and the artisans has
become so personal for me.
How amazing it is that we still
have people among us that can
do this? Why would we let it go
away just because we want less
expensive things?
DWELL
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