Dwell May/June 2018

Every year, when the weather gets warm and new buds start to sprout, Dwell steps outside the home and dedicates a few pages to the unbuilt environment and the natural world. The Outdoor section is usually a place for celebration, full of bright ideas for green thumbs, immersive landscape environments, and roundups of products that maximize seasonal recreation. But this time, things feel different. On the heels of last year’s vicious hurricane and wildfire seasons, it’s hard to enjoy the outdoors with the same carefree abandon. From the rolling hills of Northern California to the rainforest of Puerto Rico, nature no longer feels like a place to retreat, but a force to retreat from. Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. Scientists have been warning us for years that…

There are many houses that reek of $$$ that don’t necessarily have that “it” factor. The Lake Forest house in March/April seems to combine a big budget with a sense of balance.—Lenore Cymes A quick perusal of March/April showed another issue of wonderful houses, BUT… on pages 90 to 93, there are photos of The Desert House [“Palm Springs and Beyond”]. OMG! We’ve never seen anything like this that didn’t exist only on paper or as a model. Two wonderful spreads and… nothing more!?! No story, no interior shots? What a tease! We truly hope that you’ll feature this amazing piece of architecture in a later article. —Bob Fisher and Carol Hassen Editor’s Note: It’s true. The Desert House is a one-of-a-kind place, a triumphant oddball even by the standards of…

The Slow “Get here fast and take it slow” is the code at a surf-inspired escape in Canggu Beach, Bali. The Slow hotel is the brainchild of George Gorrow, the designer behind streetwear label Ksubi, and his wife, Cisco, a model. Together, they collaborated with GFAB Architects to create a stunning work of what they call “tropical brutalism,” a style defined by native woods contrasting with industrial elements. Each room features floor-to-ceiling windows, local crafts and furniture, and lots of indoor greenery. The couple’s art collection and background music from rock podcast Reverberation Radio elevate the alt-island vibe.…

The biggest challenges for us were the things the factory (now out of business) wouldn’t do. They would only work with existing suppliers, so to get the fixtures, kitchen, and flooring we wanted, there was so much finishing after the delivery. It felt like we could have built it on-site and had a very similar experience. Would I do it again? Maybe. Zach M The greatest challenges in the process can be the coordination between the factory and the site work. The building costs from the factory don’t include costs such as the demolition of existing structures; electrical, sewer, and plumbing connections; and foundations. Plus, the state permits and inspects the buildings in the factory, but the local building departments provide permits for the site work—and the buildings must comply…

“Before construction, we removed every finish and covering to expose the layers beneath. It was almost like an archaeological exercise.”Allison Reeves, architect When Joe and Ali Pivar purchased their 1890s townhouse in Red Hook in late 2012, their realtor told them they got the last good deal in the transitioning Brooklyn neighborhood. But like all good deals, it came with a downside. The house, unaltered since the ’70s, was a warren of small, windowless rooms, serviced by ancient utilities. A gut job was needed, which Joe largely took on himself. By the time the couple met their architect, Allison Reeves of ardesign, through friends, the house had been hollowed to a shell. “Whenever there was an option between something fussy and something stripped down, we chose the latter,” says Ali.…

Send no flowers. Not when you can order a potted plant instead. With big-box stores like Home Depot moving greenery online, and local players like The Sill, Bloomscape, and Lula’s Garden growing nationally, the nursery now comes to you. But if your heart is set on a flower, then at least skip cut stems and send a living bulb. When they’re in season, Terrain can deliver an unsprouted blue grape hyacinth, like this one, right to any door. Plants Landscape pros from across the country share the species they really dig. Products Furnishings and accoutrements for every kind of outdoor obsessive. Thoughts As disasters worsen, the debate rages on about how to coexist with the natural world.…