Burkhart says. “Pocket doors use less space; we gave rooms and cabinetry
multiple functions; things were built into voids of walls, like bookcases
and cabinets; window seats cantilever out toward the ocean. The scale is
modest and yet the perception is that of a big house.”
To match the exterior palette, floors with radiant heat are of troweled
concrete; some exterior board-formed concrete walls, also visible inside,
have no other finish. “Fewer materials and fewer trades kept costs just
under $600 a square foot,” Burkhart says.
“I concentrated on varying the interior palette,” Hudson adds. “Instead
of predictable furniture such as a black Corbusier sofa, which can be stiff,
I looked for practicality and comfort.”
In that vein, he picked weather-resistant bronze finishes for aluminum
Fleetwood windows; unexpected dark textured Ann Sacks concrete tiles
for the master bath; earthy dark-brown solid Corian countertops; and
blackened steel cladding for the wood-burning stove in the living room.
The natural fabrics and carpets he chose help soften the interior. Cherished Domestic bedroom furniture by artist Roy McMakin, which the pair
acquired during the 1980s in Los Angeles, suits the spare spaces filled with
wool rugs specially designed for them by Angela Adams, their longtime
favorite from Portland, Maine.
There are other old standards, including Mario Bellini leather dining
chairs that they also chose for their home in Palm Springs. “When we have
only one house, we will consolidate them,” Hudson says.
Just off the kitchen, a dining area overlooks the living room. The custom table of
salvaged American elm from Urban Hardwoods is surrounded by red leather Mario
Bellini 413 Cab chairs by Cassina from Arkitektura. In the living area, a custom
wood-burning stove is one source of heat. The concrete floors also have radiant
heat. In the den, left, artwork created from graphics in a Red Cross first aid manual
is paired with another Angela Adams rug; In the master bath, right, a Badeloft
bathtub is a sensuous shape against Ann Sacks tiles designed by Clodagh.
