Dwell September/October 2017

Tomorrow’s success depends on the good deeds of today. If there has ever been an age in which progressive design thinking is required, surely this is it. Designers, architects, engineers, builders, innovators of all stripes: We need your ideas, your grasp of beauty, your rejection of banality and cynicism. The gifts of the creative mind must lead the way. Pleasant images of enviable homes are one thing, but architects exploring new materials and techniques are the real focus of our admiration. On Tasmania, an island state of Australia, a partially prefab retreat is surrounded by Tasman gold gravel to ward off the bushfires that plague the area (page 78). Architects Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi used cross-laminated timber, a building material that is gaining notice in the United States for…

@ArchitectMM Your “Editor’s letter” spoke directly to my heart and to what I believe resides at the core of my own design practice. Thank you for your words to live by: “Choose to be extraordinary.” —Wendy Polins Cool to open Dwell to see Exhibit Columbus projects featured. Excitement builds! —@DonnaSinkArch I wanted to tell you that I appreciated the focus on “making” and craft this last issue. The issue was rich with ideas, images, diagrams and details. I know this is satisfying to designers, who have an inherent curiosity about how details come together to create vibrant space, but the depth of reporting also helps raise awareness in homeowners that good design isn’t a commodity . . . a lot of thought and craft and focused work goes into it.…

Lately we’ve noted an uptick in feedback from readers asking about the absence of artworks in the homes we feature. While some residents intentionally eschew works that interfere with their house’s lines and views (page 90), it’s certainly not the norm. So we posed the question to our community. Our thoroughly renovated home (formerly a classic 1955 ranch, now minimalist and modern) has given us what we most wanted: great spaces. We’re being very careful to let the house talk and being cautious about hanging art. Daniel Barnes I love clients who have an art collection! Actually, I love clients who collect anything! The process of collecting helps to sharpen a person’s eye for proportion, color, and craftsmanship. This translates into a more meaningful dialogue with the client throughout the…

Photographer Adrian Gaut Carolina Haiku page 52 Originally from Portland, Oregon, New York–based photographer Adrian Gaut has worked for Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and GQ, among others. In the last year, he photographed projects in more than 10 countries, including China and the Seychelles. For Dwell, he visited Scaly Mountain, North Carolina, to shoot a little cabin that is the weekend getaway of Michael Neiswander and Nick Corsello. Gaut used a drone to capture exterior shots of the remote dwelling, set amid forests and mountains at the rural western edge of the state. Writer Sam Lubell Sunny Afternoon page 90 New York writer Sam Lubell is the author of seven books about architecture and has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times,…

Beverly O’Mara, an artist and teacher, and Mark Uriu, owner of a residential painting and finishing company, needed a place to work from home. So in 2014 the couple embarked on transforming a 2,700-square-foot loft located in an 1890 Wells Fargo horse-and-carriage facility in Jersey City, New Jersey, into a flexible art studio and residence. To make their redesign happen, the couple approached local architect Jeff Jordan. In deference to the building’s most notable aspects—a historic facade, brick walls, steel beams, and an 18-foot-high ceiling—Jordan opted for a no-frills palette of AC plywood and painted drywall, a simple yet aesthetically pleasing approach that fell within the couple’s budget of $250,000. The cabinetry was built on-site, another cost-saving measure. “As artists who planned to work in the space, they weren’t interested…

ZSUZSANNA HORVATH, YURI HIMURO, SUSANNE ROSER, MARTINA STAUB, EWA BOCHEN, MACIEJ JELSKI, ALBERTO BELLAMOLI, LUCE COUILLET, KIM MARKEL, CHRISTIAN LO, DAVID RYAN, OLIVIA LEE, SAMY RIO, ASSAF ISRAEL, DENI CORREA, URANI CORREA, ZZABI OLARIA AGIS, TOSHIYA HAYASHI, HOKUTO ANDO, EMILIANO MOLINA, LANI ADEOYE, MARYAM TURKEY, ANIA WOLOWSKA, DAISUKE KITAGAWA, SINA SOHRAB, JOSEPH GUERRA, AGATA NOWAK, NKULI MLANGENI DIIIS LOCATION Basel EDUCATION Roser: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Staub: The University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland Susanne Roser and Martina Staub debuted as Diiis Designstudio in 2015, and in the scant years since have introduced a slew of clever, sophisticated pieces for the home—from Sedo, a combination hand mirror, container and jewelry box, to Glaubi, a coat hanger that offers much more than a place to hang…