Dwell January/February 2020

Happy New Year from Dwell. After the holidays, you might be more interested in hibernating than in hosting company, but forget ambitious menus for dozens of guests and Instagram-breaking table settings for a moment. In this issue, we’re celebrating a more casual kind of entertaining and some of my favorite types of events: Tuesday dinners with a few friends, cocktail parties for no reason, impromptu barbecues, and spontaneous living room dance parties—in short, occasions with no occasion and the convivial spaces that make them special. The homes in this issue throw their doors wide open. A British Columbia vacation house (p. 76) with many handmade details sleeps up to 20 while still reserving private spaces for its owners. A home in Hermosa Beach, California (p. 58), opens up to its…

“I absolutely love the Clive Wilkinson house, from the materials to the aspect to the angles. It’s fun and warm and not faddish.”—Carolyn A. via Dwell.com Feedback I’d like to commend you for featuring products that are handmade in America [Modern World, November/December]. I’ve worked with my hands for 50 years as a sculptor, making one-of-a-kind art directly in metal. Working with my hands is important to my well-being. Thank you for featuring artisans and the pride they take in their expressions. JEFFREY MARON, NEW YORK CITY Black siding on three sides and the roof, in a place [Phoenix] where the temps regularly reach 118 [“Cactus Power,” November/December]. Hope it’s super well insulated, or the AC will be running nonstop. MISTYG, VIA DWELL.COM ARCHITECT CAVIN COSTELLO REPLIES: The house performs…

The best way to experience design is in person. Dwell+ videos are the next best thing. Subscribers get access to exclusive home tours, studio visits, and more that bring our stories to life. Try Dwell+ for free at dwell.com/subscribe. 1. A Cor-Ten Steel Cabin in Vermont Olson Kundig designs a family getaway in the woods where multiple generations can gather. 2. A Quirky Retreat on Long Island While closing on an Andrew Geller house in East Hampton, a couple hit the mother lode: original drawings signed by the midcentury architect. 3. Pigeon Toe Ceramics Founder Lisa Jones demonstrates how she casts pieces in her Portland, Oregon, workshop. 4. Berkeley Aerie An architect couple turn a midcentury house in the hills into a stunning three-story home overlooking San Francisco Bay.…

Pizza slicer, which I use for cutting my kids’ pancakes. It’s also good for grilled cheese sandwiches.Jess Sulli via Facebook A large silicone fork and mini whisk for quick and easy scrambled eggs. @Kristencesiro A potato ricer I got at an antiques market in Paris outside Les Halles. It was free as the stall owner was having an argument with another customer and told me just to take it. @Occult_tattoo Three-in-one avocado knife, scoop, and de-stoner. No more hand injuries. @Clairewatkins76 My Lee Valley Tools garlic mincer. Works so well and cleans up like a dream! Janette Niwa The jar opener under one of my cabinets. It’s just two strips of wood attached strategically . . . never fails me! @Lauralee_ann Can’t lie, it’s the air fryer. @Downtown. collective Oxo…

“We gave the architect a hard time by being ourselves, by being very stubborn.” Roi Shachnay Chen, resident When Zahi Wasserstein Ronen found an entire small building for sale in downtown Tel Aviv, he and his longtime friend and former design school classmate Roi Shachnay Chen jumped at the chance to purchase it. Their idea was to create a new, two-apartment home on the site for the eight members of their families. “Building with or without friends is awful, but it’s definitely easier with friends,” jokes Roi. After an 18-month build, a four-story home with open and airy living spaces rose from the compact, 2,000-square-foot lot. Designer Yulie Wollman’s concept—a sleek, industrial villa—unifies both homes through materials and color. Board-formed concrete framed by matte-black steel makes up the bulk of…

HOW TO: POWER UP YOUR POWDER ROOM Interior designer Delia Kenza grew up in New York City and now lives in the Brooklyn brownstone her aunt once called home. It’s one of many townhouses she has renovated across the city, and she is an expert at revamping historic homes for contemporary living. One of the trickiest—and tiniest—spaces to add or update in these narrow buildings is the parlor floor powder room. Here are her tips for elevating your own. 1. KEEP WHAT YOU CAN “Sometimes the first reaction people have to old, narrow spaces is to gut the whole thing. There’s a time and place for that, but I love mixing new and old, adding modern details, furniture, and lighting to a space that still has its historic character.” 2.…