Poolhouse Nestled Into the Earth

JUNE 3, 2019

Architect Roger Ferris Designs a Minimalist Poolhouse Nestled Into the Earth The poolhouse in Connecticut is a stroke of genius READ MORE MAGAZINE Architect Roger Ferris Designs a Minimalist Poolhouse Nestled Into the Earth The poolhouse in Connecticut is a stroke of genius By Pilar Viladas May 30, 2019 A Connecticut poolhouse by Roger Ferris + Partners (ferrisarch.com)Photo by Paúl Rivera. The architect Roger Ferris is known for designing modern, statement-making homes. But his latest project, a waterfront poolhouse in Westport, Connecticut, is magnificently minimalist in form, its single story concealed beneath a verdant berm out of deference to the landscape. Save for the skylight that runs the length of its green roof, the building is hardly visible as you approach it. Even the entrance—a sloping lawn down to the front door, between two angled retaining walls—looks more like sculpture than structure. A view of the structure from the waterfront reveals its single-story elevation. Photo by Paúl Rivera. “I just wanted this gentle rise, with as little of the building showing as possible,” Ferris recalls of the project, designed for Fiona Garland, an avid swimmer, and her husband, Andrew Bentley. “The poolhouse is something you should discover.” Inside, elegant concrete walls bookend a 75-foot-long pool and, on the other side of a barely-there glass partition, a generous living-dining room with a Grayson Perry tapestry. The latter room doubles as guest quarters thanks to a fold-down bed hidden behind Douglas-fir paneling. (Becky Goss of the local design store The Flat consulted on the other furnishings.) While the northern side of the floor plan, tucked into the earth, contains the kitchen, bath, and changing areas, the south-facing window wall offers breathtaking views of the Long Island Sound. The pool is framed by window walls, Douglas fir paneling, and a tapestry by Grayson Perry. Photo by Paúl Rivera. The doorway leads to the changing areas, kitchen, and bathroom. Paúl Rivera. Garland, an art historian, and Bentley, a commodities trader turned graphic designer, had purchased the property intending to build their main house on it. But then they bought the lot next door, with a Shingle Style cottage that Ferris had designed for Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue. After approaching Ferris about making alterations to the residence, Garland and Bentley changed course, asking him to design a contemporary barn and poolhouse on their original plot instead. An aluminum trellis casts dynamic shadows inside and out. Photo by Paúl Rivera. The poolhouse at dusk. Phot by Paúl Rivera. The couple wanted the poolhouse to be invisible from the main house, even resisting the prospect of a front door. “But Roger said that without a front door, the building would look like a bunker,” Bentley reflects. “He is so good that we knew even the choices we questioned would be right.” This was also the case with the terrace’s aluminum trellis, which he and Garland at first thought just a superfluous flourish. They have no regrets. “Now we have these fabulous shadows on the wall and pool,” says Bentley, comparing the effect to Frank Stella’s geometric abstractions. Swimming or not, the couple can’t keep away from the poolhouse. “I always thought of it as main living space,” notes Ferris. “The site is too spectacular not to treat it as a place to dwell.” Inside, the structure is a study in spare forms and sophisticated materials. Photo by Paúl Rivera

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I Forgot to Budget for Art. Now What?

Advisors from Saatchi Art weigh in on how to get creative when you’re strapped for extra cash

By AD PRO

May 29, 2019

Illustration by 501room/Getty images

Dear AD PRO,

I blew through most of my design budget—but totally forgot to think about art. Now what?

—Artless and Helpless

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Dear Artless,

Two words you may have heard before: Prints, please!

“Prints are an excellent option if your art budget is tight,” says Rebecca Wilson, chief curator & VP, Art Advisory, at Saatchi Art. The key is giving the sense that they’ve been collected over time, even if that’s not the case. To do that, Wilson suggests pulling together a wide-ranging selection in different frames. “You can also combine new works with existing pieces, such as children’s drawings and family photos,” she says. “It will all come together to create an eclectic, cost-efficient mix, giving personality to the overall design.”

Saatchi Art offers budget-friendly, limited-edition artworks such as Patricia Rain's Gianneschi's Fallen Bird print.

Photo courtesy Patricia Rain Gianneschi/Saatchi Art

Another option: Shop small. “I’ll often commission something from a local emerging artist, or even shop Etsy,” says Andrew Torrey, principal of Manhattan interior design firm B.A. Torrey. “The important thing for me is that it doesn't look cheap or like decorative filler. If, in fact, it is decorative filler, only myself and the client can know it!”

As Torrey points out, an obscure signed oil painting picked up for $25 and framed beautifully could be a family heirloom—who’s to say? "So long as there is a bit of mystery and age to a piece,” he says, “going that route can work beautifully!”

At Saatchi Art, Wilson and her team routinely inform designers about great up-and-coming artists, offering a complimentary advisory service through which they can recommend original works by younger artists at what she calls “extremely reasonable prices [starting at $300]. Plus there’s the bonus that if you buy a work by a young artist or recent MFA graduate, their work might go up in value.”

The next time around, of course, Wilson says a good rule of thumb is to set aside about 10 to 15 percent of your overall project budget for art. This will amount to three or four original works in key areas, supplemented by framed prints.

Beyond that, a low-art room needn’t be, well, artless. Torrey has worked with clients who simply weren’t art people. In those cases, he might incorporate mirrors and screens, or rely on wall coverings and bookshelves. Wilson concurs: “Wall coverings can be really accessible if you want to make a big statement on a small budget,” she says, “especially in a bathroom, entryway, or child’s bedroom. You can fill a whole wall with one stunning image and you won’t need any other art in the room.”

—AD PRO

Explorefeatures

Fitness Gear That Look Like Works of Art

   
          

IT'S A THING

7 Pieces of Fitness Gear That Look Like Works of Art

7 Slides

Home gym meets museum display

By Zoë Sessums

June 3, 2019

These days, there are so many apps and online streaming services to help you get in shape outside of a fitness center. People are buying sleek exercise bikes for their apartments. There are magical mirrors for a nearly invisible home gym. So, while it's easier to find the most accessible option for your lifestyle, let's face it, most workout gear is still usually an eyesore. It's not often that you think of a set of free weights or a treadmill as a beautiful piece of equipment you want on display in your home.

Considering most home gyms are set up in a garage or spare room, it's clear that these spaces and their furnishings are not meant to be on view. However, there's a way to make your personal fitness area look like a gallery display. Thankfully, a slew of designers are making dumbbells and benches you don't need to store somewhere when not in use—this stuff is stylish and functional and can be left out in any room. For a gym rat who still appreciates good aesthetics, here is training equipment that's too good to hide away.

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  Photo by Raphaëlle Mueller

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  This series of dumbbells and push-up bars are made of glossy, iridescent lacquered steel and can be joined together or stacked to form geometric sculptures. The chameleon paint sheen is showy, but also functional for some strength training. Designed by Candice Blanc and Ulysse Martel, the collection—called Olympia—is "both futuristic and retrograde at the same time."
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  Photo: Courtesy of Alexander Lervik

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  This wooden bench by the Swedish brand Tingesttakes inspiration from the classic vault horse. Upholstered in red leather, the piece makes for a great seating element even when you're not working up a sweat.

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  Photo: Courtesy of Alexander Lervik

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  Another Tingest design, called Tyngdlyftaren, these dumbbells are available in black and white marble and in iron. Each weight has a slightly sanded flat surface so they don't roll around—great for your biceps or for displaying on a shelf.

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  Photo: Courtesy of Alexander Lervik

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  The chicest Hula-Hoop we ever did see. Gymnasten, Tingest's bamboo creation, comes with a wall hook in leather and brass, so it's part fun and part elegant wall hanging.

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  Photo: Courtesy of Asa Pingree

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  Asa Pingree's Tidewalker weights look almost too beautiful to be useful. The set of solid wood weights are five pounds each, but can be customized up to 20 pounds. Due to the natural materials used, the grains and textures vary from piece to piece.

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  Photo: Courtesy of Asa Pingree

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  Another bit of fitness gear from Asa, the Tidewalker Workout bench folds down when not in use, so it can be enjoyed along with your other furniture. When open, it is a much more attractive version of a butterfly weight bench.

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  Photo by Frank Wiegand

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  Hock’s made-to-order Goldloft dumbbells might be a bit of a stretch to own, as they cost more than $113,000, but are perfect if you're in the market for grenadilla wood weights finished in 18-karat yellow gold. Handmade in Germany and one of 50, each pair is like a functional work of art.