“MATERIAL GIRL" BY ZOË WOLF
Architect Barbara Bestor spins industrial ingredients into a Los Angeles home that’s as much about a way of life as it is a design statement. She explains the philosophy behind her affordable-and totally Californian-modernism.
Among the many things that prove Barbara Bestor isn’t interested in keeping up with the Joneses is her black house-actually, a mixture of dark blue and black, for “the twilight factor,” says the 39-year-old front woman of Barbara Bestor Architecture. Come dusk, the noir silhouette disappears; all you see are glowing windows and trees and plants illuminated by landscape lighting. It’s magical.
What’s more, the house is constructed of low-cost materials that are sustainable and virtually indestructible-much in the spirit of Case Study architects such as Neutra and Schindler. The siding is Hardiplank, a chap fiber cement board that looks like ‘abstracted wood,” while the roof is made of galvanized aluminum typically used for farm buildings. “I like thing that come in units, so you can really see how they’re built,” Bestor says. “And I like repetition. I often ask myself, What would Judd do?” (As in, artist and architect Donald Judd.)
Her belief in the transporting possibilities of architecture has not only garnered her impressive client roster but also helped her translation to life as a single mother. In 2002, recently separated from her then-husband, Bestor was looking for a new home and a fresh start. She happened upon a run-down cabin on quarter acre while cruising the hills of Echo Park. She bought the property for $180,000, and with a $300,000 budget rebuilt it as the kid-friendly, high-design oasis it is today. This loosened-up take on modern architecture is the subject of her new book, Bohemian Modern, the term she coined to describe the homes of her friends and neighbors living in and around Silver Lake.
ROOM IDENTITY
“What I like about interior decorating versus architecture, which tends to be more monotheistic, is that each room has it’s own three-dimensional playlist,” Bestor says, borrowing iPod terminology. The small office, a hypergraphic counterpoint to her all white bedroom across the hall, is swathed in mod-folksy wallpaper custom colored by graphic artist Geoff McFetridge (who also did the illustrations for her book). A magenta wall frame is used as a spatial divider, demarcating the living room from the adjacent open kitchen and dining area. In lieu of having an indoor fireplace, Bestor installed a concrete fire pit to create an outdoor “living room” that serves as entertaining central. The inexpensive square concrete pavers are a testament to her love of grids and formally defined spaces.
SOFA: Custom “One” $350/foot (excluding upholstery) 10ten (323) 663 3603
PILLOWS: Alpana Bawa cotton $95 and $125 Lost & Found (323) 856 5872
STOOLS: Lacquered palm trunks from $750 each, Lawson-fenning.com for information
CHAIRS AND OTTOMANS: Eames form $3,000 per set, Skank World (323) 939 7858
PAINT: Regal Wall Satin in Gypsy Pink benjaminmoore.com for stores
OUTDOOR ROCKING CHAIRS: Banana-fiber “PS Gullholmen” $59.99 each
OUTDOOR FABRIC: (similar to shown, on long cushion) $19.95/yard, outdoorfabrics.com
WALLPAPER: Solitary Arts “Shadows of the Paranormal #1” from $350/45-foot roll, the champ@championdontstop.com
DAYBED: (similar to shown) About $1,875 Spruce Design + Décor (845) 687- 4481
TABLE: (similar to shown) Bedside “Case Study” $475 modernica.net
THROW: Cotton $135 Lost & Found (323) 856 5872
INDOOR-OUTDOOR HARMONY
“I wanted to be able to move though the house and grounds the way you do at a nightclub, a day-care center or even an aquarium-in open loops that allow you to circulate without retracing your steps,” Bestor says. At her frequent dinner parties and kid-centric brunches, guests are encouraged to flow from the interior dining area to the exterior entertainment zones (there’s an outdoor dining table and banquette to the left, in addition to the fire pit), with the horizontal glass wall providing visual continuity between the two. An awning of landscape mesh supported by wires spans from the house to the back fence, shading the windows and planter beds below. The wires also come in handy for hanging low-voltage lights-the better to mill about with drinks after dark.
LAMP: Pendant “ris” $4.99 ikea.com for stores
TABLE: White-oak “Big Sur” $1,599 crateandbarrel.com
CAHIRS: Vintage Gio Ponti “Superleggera” about $300 each, Skank World (323) 939 7858
HANDBAG: $24 Lost & Found (323) 856 5872
COZY HIDEWAYS
“I wanted the kid’s bedroom to be their upstairs retreat when they are here; when they’re with their dad, the first level functions like a really nice one-bedroom apartment for me”, Bestor explains. The girls’ room, in the former attic, has plywood panels that along with the quirky angles create “boatlike warmth.” Bestor’s tiny bedroom feels more like space-age cloud. In both, she installed tracks from a hospital supplier to hang curtains that are functional as well as decorative-a trick inspired by architect and designer Pierre Chareau’s La Maison de Verre in Paris, in which a bathroom is carved out within a bedroom using a metal mesh curtain. Upstairs, bold Marimekko duvet covers (doubled up and hung) discourage nighttime gab fests and bring a jolt of color; downstairs, quilted batting cut with scissors and left unfinished (it costs next to nothing and doesn’t require sewing!) can be parked to let in light or shut it out.
CURTINF FABRIC: Marimekko “Unikko” $38/yard, txlart.com
RUG: Wool “Flokati” $69.99
DUVET COVERS: Cotton “Brunkrissla” $19.99 each, ikea.com for stores
CHAIRS: Arne Jacobsen child’s “Series 7” $450 each, kidonyc.com
SHEEPSKIN: Two-pelt rug $159 overland.com
BED: “Case Study” $1,350 medernica.net
Barbara Bestor, architect and author of Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake, takes us on a quirky tour of favorite places in and around that hip neighborhood of Los Angeles.
1. THE NEW AND IMPROVED RESERVOIR RAMBLE
The Silver Lake reservoir recently got a real footpath around it so all of us walkers can be safe (and can even pretend we’re in Central Park!). It’s the heart of the neighborhood.
2. NEUTRA ‘VDL’ HOUSE
Silver Lake is full of amazing homes by major modern architects that you can visit. Neutra’s former residence, an endangered world monument, is my favorite Neutra because it’s more radical than his other work, especially the way it uses mirror glass. When you’re outside, you feel like you’re inside.
2300 Silver Lake Blvd.
http://www.neutravdl.org
3. A+R
A tiny new store packed with serious design stuff: cool Sarah Finn light fixtures, reproduction Japanese water and soda bottles made of glass (my faves) and a “design” vibrator that looks like some kid’s toy-who that’s for I do not know!
1716 Silver Lake Blvd. (323) 913-9558
4. 10TEN
Run by interior designers who sell great ‘60s pieces by Saarinen and Knoll. Right now, they’re really big on architectural ceramics. And they have great sofas-I spec them for a lot of clients.
1724 ½ Silver Lake Blvd. (323) 663-3603
5. THE ECO NIGHTCLUB
The coolest place-it hosts bands but also serves as a community center. I recently took my daughters to a “kid’s disco”. They started out as wallflowers but by the end were winning prizes for stuff like “best atomic dog dance”.
1822 Sunset Blvd. (213) 413-8200
http://www.attheeco.com
6. PHO CAFE
I like how this Vietnamese restaurant exists in the mini-mall-you can see the gorgeous light fixtures from the outside. And I love the bright plate used to hold the condiments. I always get dish #13.
2841 West Sunset Blvd. (213) 413 0888
7. SHOW
A great objet d’art store owned by the lovely Brad Cook. He has such a good eye, especially for emerging design like Sarah Cihat dishware and Jason Miller antler light fixtures. Any time I need to buy a gift, I know I’ll find something fabulous there.
1722 North Vermont Ave. (323) 644-1960
http://www.showlifestyle.com
8. THE TRAILS
This old-school food stand in Griffifth Park was recently reopened after being shut down for shady business dealings. A music producer and a TV producer turned it into a mostly vegan spot, with delicious homemade pies. I love that these guys cared enough to preserve this historic piece of L. A. infrastructure.
2333 fern Dell Drive (323) 871-2102
http://www.thetraillosfeliz.com
9. TENNIS COURT IN GRIFFITH PARK
Probably the most beautiful public tennis court in the world, cradled in Californian mountain valley. Sometimes I’ll see rabbits while I’m playing. You couldn’t art-direct it better.
Near the merry-go-round.
10. POT-TED
This local garden and outdoor pottery place has terrific landscape architectural pieces, like giant pots for plants, as well as recycled furniture and eco-friendly accessories. I just bought a simple concrete fire pit here.
3158 Los Feliz Blvd. (323) 665-3801
http://www.pot-ted.com