This Park City Property Boasts Stunning Views and Elevated Amenities

Gated communities are not usually known for their architecture. Houses are often dated and ostentatious, with little connection to their surroundings. The Iluminus Group wanted to prove the stereotype wrong at a private enclave in Park City, Utah. The development firm hired CLB Architects to design a timeless residence that was simpler and more elegant than its neighbors—though just as enormous—and would appeal to potential outdoors-oriented buyers. “Their goal was to establish a new standard for thoughtful design in this part of Utah,” CLB partner and architect Eric Logan explains. At the same time, the house would have over-the-top amenities like a climbing wall, sports court, bowling alley, and spa. CLB showed that these directives need not be contradictory.

The 4.9-acre site is on a steep slope in the Wasatch Mountains, thick with spruce, fir, and aspen trees. At 8,500 feet above sea level, the property has commanding views of the Park City Mountain resort and across a valley. CLB approached the landscape with respect. Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Bozeman, Montana, the studio has decades of experience designing high-end mountain residences and strives to honor the natural beauty of each location. “We take the notion of connecting with place very seriously,” Logan says. “We’ve been lucky to work on some incredible properties in the West, and we try not to screw them up. Sometimes I think, You should do nothing here and make it a park. But something will be developed there, so we do the best work we can.” At the Park City site, CLB aimed to make the house as compact as possible given the extensive program and keep it from sprawling too far into the forest.

CLB built the home, dubbed Monitor’s Rest, into the hillside and designed an L-shape plan. Approaching from above, visitors enter a courtyard and see a structure that looks smaller than its 18,000 square feet. “The courtyard creates a quiet space where you can take in the sky and get oriented, and it also brings light into the home,” Logan says. The building’s exterior establishes the material palette used throughout: Croatian limestone, shou sugi ban cedar cladding, steel-framed windows, and a copper roof. Its simple form is designed to withstand the harsh winters; anything too expressive will leak or get scraped off in the snow.

The experience of the enclosed, serene courtyard deliberately contrasts with the openness of the interior. A limestone foyer, the nexus of the two-story house, leads in three directions. You can turn right to go to the primary bedroom suite and the office or left to the living and dining areas. Straight ahead is a dramatic atrium with windows facing the forest and stairs leading down to the guest bedrooms and bowling alley.

At the back of the ground floor is a small tower. Since the house is built into the hillside, Ostrander wanted a pop-up perch where residents could take in 360-degree views. Measuring 19 by 19 feet, it has a wraparound balcony and references the forest-fire watchtowers found in national parks. “It’s a little retreat that’s whimsical and unexpected,” Ostrander says. Warm and intimate, it practically begs for a kids’ sleepover, though a floating fireplace, rosewood table, and Moroccan Mrirt rug make it plenty sophisticated for adults. Like the rest of the property, the tower is both fun and refined, and brings a whole new perspective to the neighborhood.

clb architects: andy ankeny, brent sikora, jake ostlind, cassidy stickney, jaye infanger, erica hawley

design workshop: landscape architect

magelby construction: contractor

sherwood design engineers: civil engineer

kl&a, inc.: structural engineer

energy 1: mechanical/electrical engineer

orsman design: lighting designer

jouffre: custom sofa (living room)

Eny Lee Parker: lamps

semeurs d’étoiles through invisible collection: custom chandelier (entry)

konekt: ottomans (hearth room)

pierre augustin rose through invisible collection: custom coffee table

place textiles: custom sectional fabric

daniel becker studio: custom chandelier

through tom robinson: vintage dining chairs

miksi through invisible collection: custom rug

christopher kreiling through blackman cruz: lamp (office)

ski lift designs: custom ski lift chair (stair)

bourgeois boheme: custom chandelier (den)

dornstab through kalmar: floor lamp

stark: rug

brunswick bowling: bowling alley

restoration hardware: side table

fromental: wallcovering

juniper lighting: lights (guest bath)

Duravit: sink

clé: tile

marrone: custom range hood (kitchen)

wood stone: pizza oven

Dornbracht: sink fittings

old plank collection: art sheep (hallway)

response hg: flooring (sports court)

the court company: wall panels

luxury mrirt rug through benisouk: rug (tower room)

grand splendid studio: rug

through two enlighten: vintage mirror

crump & kwash: custom desk (guest bedroom)

made goods: desk chair

sutherland furniture: lounge chair

masterpiece millwork & door: custom millwork

craftsman upholstery: custom sofa fabrication (hearth room, bowling alley, tower room)

newell studio: custom coffee table (living room); custom dining table (hearth room); custom wall panels (office); custom shuffleboard table (bowling alley)

through 1stdibs: vintage chair (office); armchairs (den); bench (hallway); table, lamp (tower room)

blueprint lighting: custom pendants (primary bedroom, primary bathroom)

marset: reading lights (bedrooms)

watermark: sink fittings (bathrooms)

This Tropical Modernist Miami Home is at One With its Surroundings

“This house is surprising for Miami,” admits Max Strang, founding principal of Strang Design. While the city’s name typically conjures up visions of South Beach residences packed on prime palm-tree-lined waterfront properties, he and firm partners Alexandra Mangimelli and Elizabeth Starr created something altogether different for a family relocating from Brazil. On an estate-sized oak grove just 20 minutes from downtown, the project accurately reflects the couple’s heritage in everything from the layout and materials to the landscaping and furnishings.

The house that originally stood on the lot was torn down, allowing a new one to grow from the ground up. The studio specializes in contextualizing homes to their immediate surroundings via use of natural materials, eschewing plain white boxes. Here, this approach translated to an earthy palette and the placement of plant life—and the structure itself—in a manner that blurs the line between building and landscape. “We were careful to work with existing oaks and gumbo limbos when siting the house,” Strang recalls. The firm designed planters to wrap the second-floor exterior, supplemented by aluminum privacy louvers that double as trellises, enabling vines to climb up the facade. “Eventually, the elevations will be partially enveloped in the growth,” he predicts.

The project, Strang continues, “presented an opportunity to marry our firm style, which we describe as ‘environmental modernism,’ with the more tropical modernism of the Brazilian aesthetic.” An H-shape footprint creates a series of wings, a configuration that allows light to spill into every corner. Multiple rooms feature floor-to-ceiling glass pocket doors that open onto a pool, abetting an easy rapport between indoors and out while upholding a strong sense of privacy. The sliders are also practical: “Miami is hot as hell, but as long as you have generous shade and a little bit of a breeze, you’re fine,” Strang notes. Starr adds that the openness of the layout suits the clients’ lifestyle: “How the family entertains informed the variety of seating areas and the circulation between them, as well as the creation of interior and exterior spaces that flow into one to another.” The latter include a patio-adjacent club room equipped with an exhaust system to handle cigar smoke.

The furnishings, many of which were collected by the owners over the years, pay poetic homage to the concept of relocation. The living room contains midcentury pieces by Jorge Zalszupin, who moved to Rio de Janiero in 1949 after fleeing his native Poland to escape Nazi persecution, and Jean Gillon, born in Romania and later based in São Paulo. Both were known for their use of local materials and traditional furniture-making techniques. Also inhabiting several rooms is seating by Sergio Rodrigues, frequently referred to as the father of Brazilian furniture design, who made languorous pieces that responded to his country’s tropical climate and easygoing way of life. They’re right at home here.

While the palette is predominantly earth-tone, with travertine flooring and abundant teak paneling, generous moments of color are provided by the homeowners’ art collection. Works on display are drawn from an international roster, including Ethiopian talent Elias Sime; Munich-born New York–based Janaina Tschäpe (who was raised in São Paulo); and Amir Nikravan, an American artist of Iranian and Mexican descent. The design team provided settings that create a rich, varied backdrop. One piece, Sime’s Tightrope: I Want to Slow Down and Think, 2017, a collage of repurposed electronic components, was bought while the house was under construction, “so we had to find a wall that would work,” Mangimelli says. A secondary seating area in the main living space became the designated spot. “The piece really looks like it was meant to be there,” she notes of the serendipitous result.

In keeping with South American tradition, the kitchen is not the central hub, but rather positioned off to one side of the floor plan. That said, it’s no wallflower—note the dramatic geometric-patterned backsplash tile. “It was definitely the right way to go,” Mangimelli says of the attention-grabbing encaustic mosaic.

Although the residence is well-suited to entertaining, it does have a public/private divide, with the more tucked-away second floor housing bedrooms, a family room, and a gym. One wing is devoted to guest quarters and the two childrens’ rooms, the other to the primary suite. Despite the home’s generous size—10,000 square feet—it contains only five bedrooms. The intent was to create spacious sanctums, Mangimelli says, “rather than see how many bedrooms we could fit.”

As for the 1.5-acre plot, the clients’ request was a garden that gives joy. To accomplish this, Strang Design collaborated with La Casona Garden to create a “manifold sensory experience of sight, smell, hearing, and taste—a garden of earthly delights,” landscape designer Ana Miron explains. Plantings are diverse, a mix of ground cover, flowers, small bushes, and various sizes of trees, designed to complement the oaks. Native species are included, as well as a section certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat, with the land offering ideal conditions, Miron says, “for companion species, birds, bees, butterflies, and squirrels.” And, of course, the property’s human residents.

strang design: maria ascoli, vanessa arteaga peña, viviana conley, catherine crotty

la casona garden: landscape consultant

francisco cuello jr.; henry vidal & associates, inc.: structural engineers

jorge g. maldonado: civil engineer

contemporary builders, inc.: general contractor

david krynauw through southern guild gallery: chandelier (dining room)

restoration hardware: armchairs, tables (patios); beds (primary bedroom, daughter’s room)

apparatus studio: ceiling lights (club room, primary bedroom)

mia cucina: cabinetry, countertop (kitchen)

artistic tile through ceramic matrix: backsplash tile

subzero-wolf: wall ovens, cooktop

ligne roset: ottoman (daughter’s room)

Duravit: toilet (primary bathroom)

vola: sink fittings

opustone: travertine

es windows: windows

dn design studio inc.: millwork

SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli Collaborates With Valerio Berruti on the Artist’s Live/Work Space in Italy

Valerio Berruti has always wanted to be an artist. Piedmontese by birth, the 45-year-old Italian sculptor-painter is firmly rooted in his profession—when he exhibited at the 53rd Biennale di Venezia in 2009, he was one of the youngest participants—and his homeland. He is also open to experimentation and collaboration, which is revealed in two recent projects. One is at Cracco, the Michelin–star Milanese restaurant owned by famed chef Carlo Cracco. There, in the eatery’s semicircular lunette windows overlooking the city’s thriving Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade, is Credere nella luce, or Believe in the light, three figures of girls, frescoed and backlit, that are not only a message of hope in this pandemic era but also evoke the magical moment of childhood, a constant theme in Berruti’s oeuvre. “This is the first time I used direct light in a work,” he says. “Believe in light and science. This is my invitation.”

Milan happens to be the home base of architect Giuseppe Blengini, cofounder of the firm SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli and an integral collaborator in the second of Berruti’s recent projects: his home in Alba. The Piedmontese town is where Berruti was born and where he first discovered—and fell in love with—Blengini’s architectural vision, in a shop he designed there that no longer exists. Blengini was invited to dinner at Berruti’s house at the time, a small 18th-century deconsecrated church in nearby Verduno that the artist had converted into his residence and studio. During the evening, Blengini, who’s also passionately Piedmontese, noticed a detail: a window that connected the atelier and the former sacristy. And that—the perfect demarcation, clear but not too much, between intimate space and working space—was the jumping off point for the new home and atelier he would build in Alba for Berruti and his family.

Unique and complex, the resulting 5,000-square-foot structure is the product of four years of close four-handed work, a dialogue made up of flying notes, sketches drawn on restaurant napkins, and phone calls between artist and architect when Blengini traveled around the world to his firm’s other construction sites. “For this project, Valerio was the client and my assistant at the same time,” Blengini recalls smiling. Indeed, Berruti was on-site every day, following the group of local artisans and construction step by step. The 5-acre site itself was chosen for its peaceful and panoramic qualities—vineyards rising toward the house, fields of meadows all around, the hills of Alba stretching into the distance. These aspects dictated the basic lines of the residence, the orientation of its spaces, and the openings to the outside. In fact, its stepped, three-story form “recalls the terraced hills ringing the Piedmont region,” Blengini notes. The roof folds its pitches like origami to create an observatory terrace.

Part of the need for a new home was Berruti’s growing family. “With the birth of our two children, Nina and Zeno, we had to change from the church residence.” (His drawings, paintings, and sculptures, by the way, reproduce images essentially from his everyday life and family affections.) It encompasses three bedrooms and three bathrooms across its three levels and is better separated yet still connected to Berruti’s studio, thanks to Blengini’s thoughtful plan. “My years of training have taught me to dare, not to fear obstacles, and rather find solutions without preconceptions,” the architect says. Berruti adds, “Living and working in contiguous spaces offers great advantages. If I happen to wake up at night pushed by a new idea and the desire to make something happen, going down to my atelier is easy. It also applies to the time I dedicate to my children, since proximity allows me to be with them more easily.”

Materials throughout—local sandstone, concrete, oak—are pure and honest, in step with the natural mediums Berruti employs in his artwork—jute, steel plate, plaster. “With the same cement the mixers produced for the concrete, I created panels to cover the wall that leads from my atelier to our home,” the artist recalls. The large, rectangular panels could be a contemporary art installation themselves. They’re gently illuminated by an asymmetrical skylight, its trapezoidal shape “recalling the geometry of the house,” the architect says, that helps naturally brighten the studio, as it’s partially below-grade. Berruti’s finished and in-progress works are peppered throughout, like Fragments, his site-specific work of 196 reinforced-concrete and fresco tiles that lines the short stairway leading from the studio to the home’s living quarters.

There, the dominant material changes from cast on-site concrete to oak, all of which came from a single batch. It composes the flooring, paneling, and furnishings—the latter, Blengini says, “99 percent of which was designed by Valerio and me.” These include the stools along the kitchen island, the dining area’s oval table and pendant fixtures, the main bathroom’s built-in vanity, and the beds.

It’s all evidence of Berruti’s humanist approach—in his art and his life—that makes him open to new ideas and alliances, whether with chefs, children, or world-class musicians (last year, he and pianist Ludovico Einaudi created The Carousel in Venaria Reale together). A similar alchemy must have occurred when he met Blengini, and what materialized is a courageous architectural work. “It combines taste and needs,” the architect says, “in a decisive way.”

cassina: chairs (dining area)

Doimo: sofa (living area)

elica: hood (kitchen)

carl hansen & søn: chairs (study)

flos: pendant fixtures

Duravit: sink fittings, tub (bathroom)

Gessi: sink

Bianca: bedspread (bedroom)

rubelli: cushions

On the Move: Recent Promotions and Hires in the Design Industry

Perkins Eastman

Harold Thompson has joined Perkins Eastman in the firm’s Dallas, Texas office. He joins Colletta Conner, managing principal of ForrestPerkins, in the Dallas studio. In his 25-year career, he served as chief operating officer at CallisonRTKL, having previously held a position in Dubai as the firm’s Middle East regional director.

Fritz Hansen

Marie-Louise Høstbo has been appointed head of design at Fritz Hansen as that company celebrates its 150th anniversary. Høstbo worked on the Fritz Hansen Anniversary Collection and 2022 product launches.

Olson Kundig

Olson Kundig announced multiple promotions within the firm. Justin Helmbrecht and Jordan Leppert have been promoted to principal, while Megan Adams, Clay Anderson, Jeff Busby, Amanda Chenoweth, and Claudia Maggiani have been promoted to associate. Additionally, nine principals have been added to the firm’s ownership through their promotion to principal/owner. They are Marlene Chen, Jerry Garcia, Edward Lalonde, Blair Payson, Steven Rainville, Daniel Ralls, Jamie Slagel, Enrique Vela and Ming-Lee Yuan.

Ware Malcomb

Julio Braga has joined as regional design director in Ware Malcomb’s New York City office, where he will lead the design studio that supports the firm’s Northeast region projects. He spent the last 15 years at a leading design firm’s New York City office, most recently in the position of co-managing director. He is an International Interior Design Association Fellow and was formerly President of IIDA’s International Board of Directors. Additionally, René Sanchez has been promoted to studio manager, architecture in the firm’s Mexico City office. Sanchez joined Ware Malcomb’s production studio in 2013.

The Architectural Team

Three longstanding senior team members have been promoted to the position of associate at The Architectural Team. The newly promoted professionals are Philip Renzi, Andrew Stebbins, and Anthony Vivirito.

Mary Cook Associates

Scott Durst has joined Mary Cook Associates’ executive leadership team as vice president of operations. Durst is a 17-year veteran in the hospitality industry, having held architectural design project management positions at London firms PLP Architecture and KPF Architecture, as well as Steelman Partners in Las Vegas. Most recently, Durst spent eight years as director of the hospitality interior design studio at The Gettys Group. 

Jeffrey Beers International

Jeffrey Beers International announced that Ira Imerlishvili has joined the studio as principal. Ira, the son of a famous Georgian set designer, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tbilisi, Georgia and began his career designing sets and costumes for premiere opera and theatrical performances. 

Relativity Architects

Los Angeles-based Relativity Architects recently promoted 10% of its workforce. The promotions are: Ginna Claire Nguyen to associate principal; Jianxin Sun to associate project manager; Taryn Zaragoza to associate operations manager; Clara Tresgallo to associate project manager; and Daniel Sosa-Navarro to senior project designer. 

Ted Moudis Associates

Six team members have been promoted in the New York office of Ted Moudis Associates. They are Douglas Wramage as senior associate, team leader; Omar Bustamante as associate, team leader; Elaine Thompson and Sam Rank as team leaders; and Jenifer Colón and Jennifer Adams as senior design directors.

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has promoted Maija Kreishman, as principal alongside founder Michael Hsu. The firm has also elevated four firm leaders—Jeff Clarke; Justin Gesch; Tracie Gesch; and Ken Johnson—to partner. 

Duravit

Robert (Bob) Downie has been appointed North American president of Duravit. Downie brings 30 years of experience in consumer and building product goods and oversaw the development and implementation of all channel-related strategies at his previous position.

Nemo Tile and Stone

Nemo Tile and Stone has promoted Matthew Coburger to director of purchasing, where he will oversee the company’s purchasing department. Coburger has 12 years of industry experience including four years as director of product merchandising for the company.

Caesarstone

Gail Conroy has joined Caesarstone as vice president of marketing for the Americas. She comes to the firm from LG Home Appliances, where she was head of marketing, having previously held senior leadership roles with Unilever, Samsung Electronics, IRI Worldwide and Kraft Foods.

FCA

Ten senior leaders have been appointed to the position of shareholder at FCA. They are: Joe Doherty, Dana Eddowes, Steven Stainbrook, Christopher Marotto, James Hammond, Charles Hemphill, Stephen Jouflas, Elena Casacio-Kotsur, Beverley Spencer, and Denis Kovalich.

TPG Architecture

TPG Architecture has promoted Ken Tracey to managing executive. He has been with the firm for 11 years. He has worked in project management roles with Sargenti, IA Interior Architects, and Corgan Associates over the course of his 25-year career. Additionally, Jennifer Haney, Doug West, and Ricardo Nabholz have been promoted to managing associate.

HOK

Sabret Flocos has joined HOK as director of interiors for the firm’s Washington, D.C, practice. She brings 30 years of experience planning and designing innovative workplace and interiors projects for high-profile clients including Cisco, Marriott and Oracle.

Additionally, Steven Burgos is the firm’s new Workplace Leader in South Florida, based out of the Tampa studio. He brings 10 years of experience leading projects in the corporate and commercial markets and has worked on projects for Mastercard, CBRE, Restaurant Brands International, Focus Brands and Tim Hortons. 

Perkins&Will

Two principals have been promoted to lead the interiors practice at Perkins&Will’s Austin studio. They are Matt Taylor to corporate interiors practice leader and Joe Gowing to director of business development for interiors. Taylor and Gowing have worked together in the Austin studio for over 20 years from its founding in 2002. Additionally, the Dallas studio’s principal and design director, Ron Stelmarski, has been named to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows.

Nelson Worldwide

Blaik Ritchie has joined Nelson Worldwide as vice president and mixed-use business leader. Ritchie brings over 30 years of experience to his new role and has produced projects throughout the United States as well as Africa, Europe, and South America. Additionally, Jennifer Acevedo has been appointed senior director of insights and brand marketing. She previously served as the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Visual Merchandising + Store Design (VMSD) magazine. 

M Moser Associates

M Moser Associates has announced that Sam Farhang has joined the firm as director, based out of the Los Angeles office. He most recently served as president and creative director at Rapt Studio. He has overseen projects across a number of industries, with clients including Dollar Shave Club, TBS, and HBO.

Sonneman – A Way of Light

Andrew Cogan has been appointed CEO of Sonneman—A Way of Light. Cogan previously as Chairman & CEO of Knoll for 30 years, where he helped orchestrate its sale to Herman Miller. Sonneman’s co-founder and CEO Sonny Park will become executive chairman and will remain on the company’s board. 

Carvart

The creative architectural product, custom engineering and fabrication partner Carvart has welcomed Wanda Dunaway as VP of sales, marketing, and customer experience. Dunaway brings over 20 years of marketing and sales leadership experience to Carvart, most recently with Shaw Contract and previously with construction management firms such as Balfour Beatty Construction. Additionally, Rachel Vance has been promoted to director of global sales. 

AECOM

Robert Yori has joined AECOM as digital solutions studio leader for its buildings and places business in the New York metro region. In this position, he will facilitate the strategic and quality delivery of AECOM’s digital solutions across practice areas and market sectors in the region. Prior to joining AECOM, Mr. Yori held leadership positions at several engineering and architecture organizations.

Michael Graves Architecture & Design

Michael Graves Architecture has acquired the Maryland-based planning, architecture, and interior design firm Waldon Studio Architects as part of a long-term strategic growth plan. WSA founder and principal Ravi Waldon will serve as principal as well as head of the firm’s faith-based sector. Additional WSA principals and directors will be incorporated into the company’s organizational makeup as principals of various practice sectors.

Room & Board

Room & Board has appointed Emily McGarvey as the company’s first director of sustainability. In the new role, she will be responsible for implementing environmentally-sound strategies. McGarvey brings 20 years of experience spearheading social and environmental strategies with a focus on product, supply chain, operations, and branding. She previously served as Target’s director of corporate social responsibility, where she helped develop the corporation’s sustainability program. 

SGA

The Boston and New York-based architecture and design firm has promoted 12 members of its staff. Matthew Fickett, Joe Mamayek, Brooks Slocum, Brian Slozak and Eric Svahn have been promoted to Principals. Scott Barnholt, David Enriquez, Marc Gabriel and Walker Shanklin have been promoted to directors, architecture. Caroline Bergin and Amanda Vicari have been named directors, interior design. Jessica Randolph is now director, project management. 

Harvard Graduate School of Design

Gary Hildebrand has been appointed chair of the department of landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Hildebrand, founding principal and partner of the renowned landscape architecture firm Reed Hildebrand, has been teaching at the GSD since 1990. He is noted for his advocacy for urban forests and related innovations. 

MKDA

Antonello Musumeci has joined MKDA in the newly developed roles of design principal and law firm practice area leader. He will work to enhance design quality and studio operations within the New York and Washington, DC studios; lead strategy and interior design on projects while growing the firm’s law firm practice; and recruit and mentor talent. Musumeci was most recently a design director at Gensler where his work included multiple office locations for multinational law firm Latham & Watkins LLP.

3form

3form has created the position of chief creative officer and appointed Ryan Grey Smith to the role. Smith previously occupied leadership positions within LightArt, a lighting and acoustic fixtures company that Smith founded in 2005 and 3form acquired in 2008. In the new role he will lead 3form, 3form Elements, and LightArt’s design approach and innovation. 

Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design 

Philadelphia-based Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design has promoted five long-time team members. They are design director Marco Angelucci and executive director and marketing director Katie Guzinski to principals; and Kaitlyn Murphy, Lauren Sillies, and Brian Bendel to senior designers.

Arper

Amy Storek has joined Arper as CEO of Arper Americas. She will lead the further development of the company’s strategic growth plans within the North America and Latin America markets. Storek has over 25 years of experience in the design and manufacturing industry and has worked in various positions for global companies such as Herman Miller, Vitra, and Haworth, most recently as chief revenue officer for Pivot Interiors.