unite

Zarkon Group Real Estate Builders & Developers > Blog > unite

Tag: unite

Lovers Unite revives interiors of mid-century Silver Lake home
CategoriesInterior Design

Lovers Unite revives interiors of mid-century Silver Lake home

By Zarkon Group,

California design studio Lovers Unite has reinvigorated a 1950s home with sweeping views of the Los Angeles hills, turning an unused balcony into an extension of the indoor social space.

The wooden dwelling in LA’s Silver Lake neighbourhood belongs to production designer James Chinlund and artist Clare Crespo.

Wood-lined room with dining table and six chairsWood-lined room with dining table and six chairs
Lovers Unite renovated the home for a creative couple in Los Angeles

A “previously a boring, nondescript mid-century house”, according to Lovers Unite, the property required some imagination to bring its interiors up to par with its setting.

Therefore, the studio “introduced a few carefully plotted architectural interventions and material shifts to completely reimagine the interior of the home and take full advantage of its prime site”.

Dining room with large windows that have a view of hills in the distanceDining room with large windows that have a view of hills in the distance
The house has expansive views over the city’s hills

The most impactful of these interventions was to bring an underutilised balcony at the back of the house into the envelope, extending the open-plan living and dining area by several feet.

Beneath the large windows that were installed to fill the gap, Lovers Unite placed built-in seating with teal-upholstered cushions for relaxing and enjoying the panoramic vista.

View of wood-lined kitchen with a peninsula in the foregroundView of wood-lined kitchen with a peninsula in the foreground
Plenty of wood was used throughout the home, particularly in the kitchen

“With a large window wall and generous built-in banquette, the room finally celebrates the expansive views that had always been there,” the studio said.

In the kitchen, dark green soapstone used for counters and the backsplash contrasts with the honey-toned cabinetry, and a shiny copper range hood matches a panel installed at the back of a bar area on the opposite side of the room.

Honey-toned wood kitchen with soapstone surfaces and a copper range hoodHoney-toned wood kitchen with soapstone surfaces and a copper range hood
The honey-toned wood contrasts with soapstone surfaces and a copper range hood

Elsewhere, colourful furnishings, collectible design pieces and bold artworks stand out against the predominantly wood interiors.

A timber-lined lounge area features the classic modular Togo sofa system by Michael Ducaroy, which is wrapped in yellow corduroy fabric.

Meanwhile, in the den, a purple armchair is positioned beside a giant chair that Chinlund used as a prop for a shoot by Italian fashion outfit Roberto Cavalli.

Wood slats were employed to partially screen the staircase opening on the upper level, next to a central fireplace with a raised hearth.

Teal-upholstered window seat with a reading nook at the endTeal-upholstered window seat with a reading nook at the end
As part of the renovation, an unused balcony was incorporated into the social space and a long window seat was installed in its place

Other decor items like vintage rugs, embroidered cushions and plenty of art and design books add even more character to the spaces.

“Ultimately, the mood of the home reflects the spirit and talents of the estimable homeowner,” said Lovers Unite, noting that Chinlund has worked as a production designer for the Avengers movie franchise.

Den with a purple armchair and an oversized chair with a disco ball on its seatDen with a purple armchair and an oversized chair with a disco ball on its seat
Colourful furniture and set props are scattered through the different rooms

Silver Lake is home to a variety of architectural gems, many built on dramatically sloping sites, including residences designed by notable mid-century architects like Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler.

Led by Karen Spector and Alan Koch, Lovers Unite is based close to the neighbourhood, and has previously wrapped a bar and restaurant in Pasadena with expressive drapery.

The photography is by Chris Mottalini.

Reference

Lovers Unite wraps Bar Chelou in Pasadena with expressive drapery
CategoriesInterior Design

Lovers Unite wraps Bar Chelou in Pasadena with expressive drapery

By Zarkon Group,

Late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude influenced the dramatic drapery around this restaurant in Pasadena, California, designed by Los Angeles studio Lovers Unite.

Conceived by chef-owner Douglas Rankin as a take on a Parisian bistro, Bar Chelou opened earlier this year in a building in a Spanish Colonial Revival plaza next to the Pasadena Playhouse.

Curtain pulled back to reveal a mirror
Natural muslin is draped around Bar Chelou, emulating the works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Lovers Unite had just a few weeks to transform the space into an operational dining room, so looked to ways it could make maximum impact with minimal time.

The studio found inspiration in the legacy of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who famously wrapped some of the world’s most recognisable monuments in giant swaths of fabric – most recently the Arc du Triomphe in Paris, which was realised a year after Christo’s death.

The duo’s seemingly effortless but meticulously planned drapery is echoed on a much smaller scale around the Bar Chelou space, which was formerly a Baroque-themed restaurant called Saso.

Dining room with copper tables and green floor
The restaurant in Pasadena features copper-topped tables that reflect light from an amber glass chandelier

“We felt the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work was a good conceptual fit for a project, which is supposed to evolve over time, but we’re able to be referential while being playful with our approach,” Lovers Unite told Dezeen.

“Translating the gesture of the wrap to a human scale and a hospitality context changes the meaning and impact of the gesture — it’s not necessarily an artwork but it’s evocative and surprising.”

Patrons enter via an arched doorway, and are immediately met with the sight of natural muslin fabric hung around the walls and above the bar.

Curtains surrounding dining room
Curtains surround the dining room and offer glimpses of the kitchen in places

“Upon entering, one might feel as if they are visiting an expansive and uncluttered artist’s studio in a transitory state; hints abound that change is coming,” said the Bar Chelou team.

Lifts and pleats in the curtains created by thick ropes reveal the chefs at work in the kitchen, as well as framing views of the arched windows seen in mirrored panels.

A dark shade of green was chosen to contrast the natural muslin and is used across the dining room floor and built-in leather banquettes.

Similarly coloured tiles clad the front of the walnut-topped bar counter at the front, which is slightly lower that the main dining area and offers additional seating.

Bar clad in glossy green tiles
A dark shade of green chosen to contrast the fabric covers the front of the bar counter

Thonet-style bistro chairs accompany polished copper cafe tables, which reflect the light from a custom, amber glass chandelier that spans the length of the room.

Walls were painted to match the hue of the curtain fabric, and the window frames are bright green.

Bar area illuminated by green-framed arched windows
Light pours into the bar area through arched windows with frames painted bright green

Pasadena located is northeast of Los Angeles, where many new restaurants with notable interiors have opened over the past few months.

Among them are the retro-futurist 19 Town designed by Jialun Xiong, and Great White Melrose, which offers outdoor dining on a pink-plaster patio.

The photography is by Chris Mottalini.

Reference

unite d’habitation shot by paul clemence in tribute to le corbusier
CategoriesArchitecture

unite d’habitation shot by paul clemence in tribute to le corbusier

By Zarkon Group,

unite d’habitation through the lens of paul clemence

 

Photographer Paul Clemence journeys to Marseille to discover Le Corbusier‘s Unite d’Habitation, one of the most recognizable works of modernism. Following his stay at the Hôtel le Corbusier, which occupies the third floor of the iconic building, the Brooklyn-based photographer offers new a glimpse inside the vertical city. The 1952-built project was first erected in response to the baby boom and subsequent housing crisis of post-war France, and takes shape as a monumental, seventeen-story block raised atop an array of heroic pilotis.

paul clemence le corbusier

images © Paul Clemence / ARCHI-PHOTO | @photobyclemence

 

 

discover the concrete city in the sky

 

Unite d’Habitation exemplifies Le Corbusier’s call for a new modern architecture, and is brought to life with modernist innovations a range of scales. An early example of the brise-soleil shows thoughtful, environmentally-responsive detailing, which integrates a system of sun shading directly into the facade. Meanwhile, a modular logic ensures that each narrow unit spans two levels and receives sunlight and ventilation from either end — this concept of a simple component to be aggregated is typical of Le Corbusier’s new school of thought.

 

On the whole, the project is designed to function as a city, a ‘machine for living in,’ and integrates all necessary amenities for its occupants to live. When first conceived, Unite d’Habitation was tightly fit with 330 units for 1,600 people, a post office, a two-level shopping center, library, restaurant, hotel for visitors, clinic, and a rooftop gymnasium and track. Even a school was located on the eleven-acre grounds.

paul clemence le corbusier

 

 

le corbusier’s mediterranean masterpiece

 

The design of Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation takes vernacular cues from the Mediterranean context — the French architect was largely influenced by his early travels throughout Greece and Rome, and drew from its built landscape of ubiquitous white walls and roof gardens. More than historical styles, he applied the spatial ideas of the urban armature to his work. Thus, the project harmonizes the individual dwelling with the ‘urban plan.’ 

paul clemence le corbusier
the monumental block rises seventeen stories, its modular logic expressed along its patterned facade

paul clemence le corbusier
the building is elevated atop an array of heroic pilotis

paul clemence le corbusierOra Ito’s MAMO (Marseille Modulor) art space occupies the rooftop (see designboom’s coverage here)



Reference