Take Two
May 1, 2008
Details were not left to chance. To keep the minimal aesthetic from becoming coldly ascetic, Montalba proposed a warm, honey-colored limestone for the floor, and for furniture, a rosewood table and oak banquette. To aid the indoor-outdoor fusion, the same limestone was used on the patio. To increase coherence, the television’s backboard and wall-mounted storage credenza underneath, as well as several drawer and side veneers on the storage islands, were made in the same dark-washed oak panels found on the appliance wall. To maximize flexibility, Montalba engineered the flat screen to swivel, so it can be watched from the food preparation areas, the kitchen table, even the patio’s seating area. And to maximize flow during the Thomases’ oft-given parties, many of the decorative and architectural elements were designed for double-duty. The credenza, for example, can be easily transformed into a bar or buffet, and the outdoor staircase leading to the grassy yard can become makeshift seating, in perfect axial alignment with the kitchen’s islands and seating area.
Not that such meticulous planning didn’t leave room for the unplanned, purely serendipitous pièce de résistance—the outdoor movie "screen." As Montalba explains, "It was absolutely a surprise. We were putting in a wall for the fireplace, which is in front of a large retaining wall, discussing what to put on its surface, and Rob looked out and just saw it." It now serves as a theater under the stars.
Apparently in Hollywood, rehabilitations (a.k.a. renovations) can take hold, making for gripping second acts and very happy endings.
Montalba Architects, 310.828.1100, www.montalbaarchitects.com
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