10 years ago, we designed “A grown-up fort” for contemporary artist Greg Miller as his studio at the back of the property. In 2008, we expanded and remodeled the front house—designed as a place to create and show art but with a playful BIG KIDS FORT spirit continued throughout both structures. Each building experiments with alternative materials for the exterior and multiple circulation paths and points of entry.
In the front house we focused on creating one main two-story volume that would serve as a hub and provide large gallery walls display Miller's large canvases, while also retaining some of the playfulness of the studio space.
JD Wiseacre - Residence/Loft/Studio
This small 1926 Venice home's Spanish Eclectic style was preserved and revamped. While adding a large studio in the back, we took care to create a hidden profile, so not to overpower the neighborhood's cottage style homes and giving the clients their needed space. We took a Wabi-sabi approach on the exterior of the studio, using rusted sheet metal to clad the exterior, and reclaimed factory windows and plywood flooring to finish the warehouse look.
The goal with this structure was to see how modest in terms of square footage a couple could live while still maintaining elegance. This modest size live/work loft is 930 sqft with 18 foot ceilings. Most of the cabinetry, furnishings and fixtures are post-post consumer items, which means that they where post consumer items on past projects and relocated here. For example the bathroom, a vintage fire hose cabinet was used as a medicine cabinet with a locally handmade sink, both from a past residence, that we also originally designed. The tile in the bathroom is all remnants from a past project. The factory windows were pulled out the back off of a commercial building as the wrecking ball was coming in the front. All of the artwork is home grown by local Venice artists from the big names to the up and coming. The principle with this structure is to live simply with style.
