Black Pool
Photographer Nadav Kander and his wife built a finca-style home in Ibiza as a retreat for their family. Can Luna, as its known, encourages a more rhythmic pace compared with their life near London.
The outdoor dining area is connected to the new kitchen through a fine frame double glazed sliding door by Sieger Systems. This was one of the more expensive features of the renovation—the doors and triple-glazed windows throughout cost just over $27K in total—but was essential to achieve the connection the client was looking for. The slatted screen was another important feature. “It creates a backdrop for the dining area that makes the terrace feel more like an outdoor room that is separate from the rest of the garden,” explains architect Julia Hamson.
Engelsman gave the kitchen an L-shaped layout with a large island workspace at the center, and pushed the tall storage into the garage, to create a wide circulation space to access the dining room and backyard.
The ocean is a short, twenty-minute walk away, but the whole family enjoys the pool on a hot afternoon.
The pool's long, rectangular shape mimics the verticality of the main living structure just beyond.
The main living barn opens to a covered outdoor space for eating and lounging, and in the summer, doors and windows can open up completely to blur the line between inside and out. The table is from Kettal and dining chairs are from Tolix.
Low-slung modular seating by B&B Italia provides enough space for a party without encumbering the view.
Tall hedges and greenery surround the backyard pool, ensuring ample privacy.
The new mudroom has enough space for all-season gear, including seats to put everything on comfortably. "Sam is passionate about spending time in the mountains, including hiking, rock climbing, and especially skiing,
Kenyan designer Naeem Biviji, cofounder of Studio Propolis with his wife, Bethan Rayner, added a 250-square-foot extension to their Nairobi home. The new living room has sliding doors made of recycled wood that open onto a trellis-topped terrace filled with plants grown from clippings harvested from Naeem’s mother’s garden.
A 46-inch spray of Italian ruscus can take a centerpiece to new heights. Displayed in Afloral’s creamy gloss ceramic vase, the gorgeous branches make a dramatic impact alone or part of a larger arrangement.
In pleasant weather, most entertaining takes place on the expansive terrace, connected to the interior through swaths of floor-to-ceiling glass.
The couple noticed the evolving trend of open kitchens in restaurants, and drew inspiration when designing their own: “Kitchen restaurants used to be enclosed in the back. Now in restaurants the kitchen is almost like a DJ booth where the chef is in the middle of it and it's a glass you can look into, Carlos says. “We wanted to open up the kitchen so that you could see into the house when you were cooking. There was a big armoire that divided the dining room from the kitchen. We opened all that up and then positioned that kitchen island so that you're facing out when you’re cooking. We wanted it to feel very open with a nice flow. We sit at the island all the time to have breakfast and dinner.”
A painting by Cándida hangs in the primary bedroom, whose sliding doors were relocated from the front room. She bought the chair at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena.
"My wish for the bathroom was for it to feel like walking along a creek through the Tasmanian wilderness,
After: Kelly uses her office less, but the cabinet hides one element that's used every single day: a foldout ironing board, a necessity for the couple who founded the gender-defying fashion brand Kirrin Finch.
"The marble was chosen to complement the tones of the timber floors,
Towering sea grapes conceal the backyard, ensuring plenty of poolside privacy. Beyond the pool is a deepwater boat dock with a lift for cruising to nearby Sarasota Bay and the Gulf.
An expanded home office for Julie was a necessity in the latest renovation, and new skylights bring natural light throughout the day.
The family’s backyard features a grape arbor and a vegetable garden. “I began gardening so our son could understand where his food comes from,” says Onna.
The couple took advantage of numerous municipal programs when landscaping the backyard. Mandy recently completed a free course through LADWP, who also promotes resources for the SoCal Turf Replacement Program, to become a certified California Native Plant Landscape: “There is an amazing amount of knowledge and resources for transitioning yards with more native/drought-tolerant plants through LADWP and the Theodore Payne Foundation,” says Mandy.
The new annex's kitchen is around the corner from the dining room (its French doors are on the far right) if you're traveling inside, but just steps away via the outdoor patio.
Cori’s 12-foot-long Paradise painting adds a dramatic touch to the living room.
The large pantry allows all the food to be in one place, visually out of the way, yet still super convenient to the rest of the kitchen.
A built-in desk sits right off the living area, beside plenty of closed storage. Baker's team thought that placing the pendant off center complemented the home's asymmetry.
The walls, floor, and ceiling are all covered in waterproof lime plaster, Mortex by Beal.
The built-in furniture, including the couch, low shelf, and coffee table, is all made from the same wood with the same finish so as to bland with the floors. Bespoke velvet cushions line the couch and the artwork is by Jon.
After: The front room on the top floor was split into two offices, near mirror images of each other.
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