by Brian Libby

Mark Pulte followed in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one. Just as Bill Pulte started Detroit’s Pulte Group at the young age of 18 back in 1950 (eventually becoming the nation’s largest home builder), so too did Mark set out on his own at a young age. “When I was 24, while working for my father in the late 80’s, they transferred me to South Florida,” the younger Pulte remembers. “I observed that there was a lot of demolition taking place. People were tearing down million dollar houses and rebuilding.
I went to Pulte Homes and said, ‘You guys should start a high-end division.’ We bought five lots on the ocean. But right after we bought them, Pulte Homes decided they didn’t want to go into that market. My father said to me, ‘I still think it’s a no-brainer. Why don’t you go do it on your own? We’ll loan you the money.’

Flash forward 32 years, and Mark Timothy Luxury Homes is South Florida’s largest luxury homebuilder, with seven projects under construction. But it’s still the lessons of his father and a few initial clients that he believes set the company on its way. “The first few clients I had took me under their wing and gave me great advice,” he explains. First, it’s all about location: a residence along the beach trumps every other amenity. In the home industry, Pulte learned that it’s also important to never grow beyond what you can. But most of all, he says, “If you give a very good product for a fair price, the rest will take care of itself.” During the recession, for example, he noticed a trend towards more restrained luxury and an emphasis on trust.

“Our buyers are very wealthy, obviously. They can afford whatever they want. But they want to make sure that they’re paying fair market value. Maybe four years ago a guy might walk in and say, ‘How much are those kitchen cabinets?’ Regardless, the answer would probably have been, ‘No problem.’ Now they want to make sure they’re spending it fairly.” As an extension of that customer relationship, Pulte himself routinely calls homeowners long after construction is completed to assure they’re happy—even when the original homeowners have sold. “We knew immediately this was it. The workmanship is really astonishing, down to the very smallest detail,” recalls one such second owner, Mel Weitz, who, with his wife, purchased a Mark Timothy home in Palm Beach County. He says Pulte even still visits the house occasionally to this day.

Unlike many homebuilders who retain an in-house design staff, Mark Timothy Luxury Homes does work solely with outside firms, which Pulte believes gives the company more flexibility to accommodate buyers’ wishes. That said, the company has formed a long partnership with Marc Michaels Interior Design out of nearby Winter Park, Florida.
“The firm has a lot of young people. Who really have a good sense of trends, of what the buyer is looking for,” he explains. “Years ago, it was Mediterranean. Now it’s this more casual look with brighter colors. But most important, they design products that are timeless. So many of our south Florida architects are not timeless. They’re designing things that are in today and out tomorrow. You can never go wrong with timeless architecture.” Pulte’s homes also come furnished, be they built on spec or for a particular client. For the 521 South Ocean project in Delray Beach, Florida, for example, a grand staircase gives way to a grand piano atop marble floors, a master bedroom with elegant chandeliers and an adjacent sitting room, always with ocean and palm trees in the distance.

Pulte says it’s the variety that ultimately gets him excited to be in business. “Every house pushes your design ability,” he says. “Even though it may be traditional, you still push the envelope, particularly on the interior finishes. Each buyer is different, too. Every location is different. The oceanfront in Ft. Lauderdale is different from the oceanfront in Palm Beach.” But the connecting thread amongst these projects, as his father taught Pulte, is a willingness to build quality and to be there to serve buyers long after they move in.

See more work from Mark Timothy Luxury Homes.

by Brian Libby

Quinn Boesenecker, president of Pinnacle Architectural Studio, could be called the mad scientist of Las Vegas luxury home design. A 39-year-old largely self-taught architect, he took just a few vocational drafting classes before completing much of his education (and passing state architect licensing exams) on the job. Back in high school, Boesenecker, then an aspiring computer programmer, had actually taught his drafting teacher how to harness the class’s heretofore-unused computer for producing blueprints. The same happened when he went to work for esteemed Las Vegas architect Richard Luke, with whom Boesenecker spent a decade; he helped modernize the firm’s computer-aided drafting tools while learning the nuances of architecture: how to make clients’ dreams built reality.

Today Pinnacle, with a staff of 13, is one of the only Vegas firms that experienced no layoffs during the Great Recession of 2008. The firm is rooted in Boesenecker’s whiz-kid-like gift for the technical side of architecture, as well as a borderless style. Pinnacle regularly designs not just houses but also lighting, furniture, landscaping, interior design and manages construction.

That varied skillset exemplifies the Desert Contemporary Residence, which is both a demonstration project for Pinnacle and a home for Boesenecker. Although primarily a contemporary style, it also shows a nuanced incorporation of Mediterranean, Asian and Southwest vernaculars. “To pick something that will appeal to everybody is not so easy,” the architect explains. “We wanted a house that is contemporary but is still warm.”

That warmth is achieved in part by the firm’s ingenuity with materials. Whether it’s a rock sculpture inside their own custom made fireplace, bamboo embedded in plastic to form transparent wall space above the kitchen cabinets, a copper ceiling or an entry bridge over a water feature, the firm uses a variety of textures and surfaces to keep one’s eye moving around the room. Every inch of the house is thought out for maximum effect, from the glass-tiled swimming pool to bamboo pieces of varying sizes embedded into limestone flooring. “Our clients who have seen this said, ‘Can we put steel in the floor or can I put walnut?’” Boesenecker adds. “Whether you loved that house or not, you could tell a lot went into it. A lot of detailing. Whether somebody likes contemporary or whether they like something more Tuscan, a woody feeling, they both got it.” Even at the entrance the home’s iron gate was custom-designed to match the ironwork at the courtyard entrance, and the driveway itself is clad with basaltic lava rocks.

The firm also relies on detailed site analysis to maximize views. In a city where views of the neon-ensconced Strip are at a premium, for example, Pinnacle used on this project, as with others, a detailed computer-mapping of the topography to pinpoint particular casinos and orient sight lines of the house accordingly (with an extra outdoor room on top). And it was all on a site sold on the basis of not having a proper Strip view. That same technology helps orient the house to solar angles so as to minimize summer sun and maximize it in winter.

Pinnacle’s business success has increasingly come from their variety of services. The Desert Contemporary Residence, from its media room to its wellness area, its lanai and game room to powder rooms, children’s bedrooms study and second master bedroom, was done entirely by Pinnacle. “Every time I’d done a house before I’d counted on someone else. On this one I said, ‘Let me just take it all and if it goes bad, it’s my house,’” Boesenecker recalls. “I really wanted to know how far you can take it. We’re always told we have limitations. Can we make our own fireplaces? Can we put copper on the ceiling? Can we make our own lighting fixtures? That’s been tremendous for our business. We can oversee the building, the interiors, the landscaping, everything—and make sure you’re getting the best shake.”

See more work from Pinnacle Architectural Studio.

by Lauryn Allison Lewis

Located near the Gallatin Mountain Range, Schlauch Bottcher Construction draws inspiration from the lush landscape to create luxurious constructions.Chad and Jamie Bottcher, brothers and principals of the SBC firm, understand the importance of melding the great outdoors with opulent interior features. “Our clients have several things in common: they seek a lifestyle that puts nature at the forefront, something more pure and less tied down. They’re looking for a getaway. They love the mountain setting, the view.” Every effort is taken to meld the elements of nature with building materials which reflect the landscape. Chief Cliff stone walls reflect the buttes beyond, uninterrupted views blur the boundary between indoors and out, and weather-worn timbers are reminiscent of ancient Douglas Fir forests.

Together the brothers have meticulously managed the construction of luxury homes in Montana’s southwest region since 1996, and, between them, they hold degrees in Architecture and Civil
Engineering from Montana State University. “We were raised in country like this,” says Jamie Bottcher. “We’re familiar and appreciative of the land, and of its natural beauty.”

In 2009, Jamie and Chad parted amicably with Mike Schlauch, an originating partner and credited with one half of the firm’s namesake. “The community has come to recognize us as SBC. Our brand is associated with quality work, integrity and sound business practices.” Jamie explains. “When we took ownership of SBC, there was never a thought to changing the name. Also, we still work closely with Mike [Schlauch]. He’s working with us on a project right now.”

Just how did the SBC team achieve such recognition? “We don’t cut corners; in the long run, that’s not the way to save time or money. We are fair, open and honest with our clients, and we stay in constant communication with them through each step of the process,” says Chad.

Another reason for SBC’s acclaim is because they make every effort to ensure that environmentally responsible building practices are implemented whenever possible. “In both the Richards and Locati homes, Jerry Locati (AIA, principle of Locati Architects in Bozeman, MT) used reclaimed wood in his designs. The massive timbers in both homes are reclaimed Douglas Fir. The siding on the outside of the Locati home is reclaimed as well.” Is this a move toward cost effectiveness? Of course we are very conscientious of costs. In the case of using reclaimed materials, it’s not always a cost-saving measure as an aesthetic one.” Jamie explains, “There’s just no way to replicate the effects of weather and time on wood without resorting to methods that could be damaging to the environment. In this case, it makes sense to use what’s already available.”

SBC’s teamwork philosophy makes good sense also. The brothers agree, “Our entire team–the architects, the subcontractors, the concrete crew and the painting crew–all deserve recognition. We all share our client’s vision and work together to build it.”

See more work from Schlauch Bottcher Construction.

by Brian Libby

Just over 10 years ago, Tom Fanning underwent a career change taking him, in a matter of speaking, from Jay-Z to Jay V. After spending the 1990s as a music video producer–working with rockers The Rolling Stones, pop stars Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, and rappers like Dr. Dre and the aforementioned Jay-Z–today, through Bowery Design + Development, Fanning designs and builds high-end homes such as the Queens Way residence, in collaboration with architect Jay Vanos of Vanos Architects. Yet the climate of collaborative creativity remained the same. “It’s actually very similar to what I was doing as a producer,” Fanning says. “We were creating a product that was very creative and visual but had a sophisticated business side to it.”

The Queens Way residence, which sits on a cliff-side perch above the famed Sunset Strip, was initially intended for Fanning and his wife. But having children, as well as the opportunity to use the house as a showpiece for Bowery Design and Development, prompted him to make it a sale-home instead. After all, Fanning and Vanos had created the ultimate pad for an aspiring young entertainment star, given not only its panoramic view of iconic Sunset Strip spots like SkyBar, Chateau Marmont, and the House of Blues (and the ocean in the distance), but the simple, luxurious interiors and enough outdoor space for the ultimate backyard party, overlooking Tinseltown.

“I know what I look for in the design for a home: how spaces should be, the volumes, the different things that make spaces impressive. I design homes that I would like to live in: modern but warm, and Jay has an incredible way of bringing them to life,” Fanning says of his collaborative relationship with Vanos. “A lot of other architects aren’t willing to work with creative points of view that stray from their voice. It can be very difficult if you yourself have a strong creative point of view. Jay is incredible to work with in that way because he is incredibly talented and very collaborative.”

The site necessitated some architectural gymnastics given its steepness and relatively small footprint. But Vanos, who spent 15 years running the office of legendary L.A. architect Eric Owen Moss, was used to tough assignments. “The process of design was never assumed to come to a conclusion,” Vanos remembers of his time with Moss. “If an idea contributed to the project, it would be pursued. That gave me an enormous amount of freedom and opportunity. But at the same time, buildings are put together by people, for people. Making sure the role of the craftsman has a role in the building is important to me too.”

The house, with its views extending to the Pacific, takes advantage of its steep site, with an entry bridge overlooking and giving way to a living room one level below. The space blends with an outdoor patio and infinity-edge pool via a dramatic 34-foot wall of glass that all but disappears. “The idea is that the whole wall of glass disappear, so the outdoor interacts with the indoor—to take the floor out to the pool. It feels like the pool is literally inside your living room,” says Fanning. Upstairs on the third floor is a master suite, also with its own terrace, as well as its own disappearing 20-foot wall of glass.

Fanning and Vanos preferred warm, natural surfaces inside, and stuck to just a few materials to maintain uniformity and clarity: white oak flooring, a limestone chimney and a ceiling of wood reclaimed from an old barn. And though the gray stucco façade seems to spring out of the property’s rocky hillside, the interior is all about lofty volumes and especially—thanks to the disappearing walls of glass, expansive pool and patio beyond—a sense of openness between indoor and outdoor that is ideal for this city, where desert meets ocean.

“You’re in your own little world: extremely private, like atop the line resort,” Vanos says. “It all comes back to the idea that this is an L.A. house.”

See more work from Vanos Architects.
See more work from Bowery Design + Development.

by Amy Howell Hirt

Every work of art needs an inspiration, and for custom luxury home builder Dave Jenson, clients are both patron and muse.

The owner of Jenson Construction, based in St. George, Utah, only accepts one or two projects a year, allowing him to become fully immersed in every detail of the design.

While the tastes of his Utah clients predominantly lean toward Tuscan, Southwestern and traditional styles, from time to time he’s called upon to create something contemporary or altogether different. A recent client in Wyoming, for example, requested that his new home have interior finishes in-line with his rugged ranch property, but an exterior that was “tropical and lush.”

“Every project takes on a life of its own,” says Jenson, who opened his business more than 20 years ago.

When Jenson decided to participate for the second time in the St. George Area Parade of Homes in 2011, he had no shortage of inspiration, building for his good friend
Lanny Smith, on a lot that gazes over the beauty of Pine Valley Mountain, Zion National Park and the city lights of St. George.

“We’ve known each other for 15 years, so it was fun to collaborate with him,” Jenson says of Smith, who founded a top-selling automatic pool-cover company. “He was instrumental in the design and finish.”

While anyone would feel at home living in the sprawling 10,764-square-foot ranch, it was designed as a retreat to share with friends and family.

“Lanny’s idea was that every guest should have the same experience he does,” Jenson recalls.

Jenson outfitted each of the four master suites with a kitchenette, laundry amenities, a walk-in closet and covered veranda.

Breathtaking views are a large part of the experience, and Jenson focused on creating this impact in both interior and exterior spaces. Curvilinear shapes appear throughout the residence: in the doorways, tray ceilings and two rotundas, all developed, in part, from the use of curved windows that significantly enhance the view.

“It’s probably the best view in St. George. It’s a 275-degree unobstructed view from the top of a stone cliff,” Jenson says.

Natural finishes like tumbled-brushed marble from Spain, walnut hardwood flooring and all-natural stone on the eight fireplaces internalize this beauty.

In some spaces, the mountains not only inspired the colors and materials, but also the designs.

Artist Juergen Dzierzon, who is known for his work in Mormon temples, etched the view of palm trees and mountains seen from the back of the house into the hand-blasted glass shower walls in the master bath.

On the garage doors, artist Mike Dumas replicated landscapes of Zion National Park – photographed by Jenson – using varying tones of copper inlays.

With 300 sun-drenched days a year and mild temperatures, by Utah standards,
the home isn’t merely an observer of nature. For fair-weather days, a retractable glass wall opens the family room to the patio and outdoor kitchen, and the master bedroom connects to an outdoor shower.

Because Smith planned to use the home primarily for entertaining, Jenson included retreat-worthy amenities like: a green, 13-seat theater room with a 160-inch projection screen from Stewart Filmscreen; an exercise room; sauna; outdoor pool; spa; sunken fire pit and a fireplace in the private courtyard.

In the kitchen, two Sub-Zero refrigerators, double warming drawers, trash compactors and dishwashers easily handle the load of dinner parties.

Beyond the supplemental options, there are practical considerations that lie at the heart of Jenson’s construction. In addition to the seven dual-fuel HVAC systems from Day & Night that provide customized climate control and greater energy efficiency, the home includes premier components that Jenson considers standard, like reinforced concrete flooring, insulated interior walls and a pre-wired automation system — all top features that make the home both cutting edge and cozy.

See more work from Jenson Construction.

by Samantha Bohnert

The Napoli Residence in Brentwood, CA is an exclusive estate with golf course access and ocean views. Endless rays of light cascade throughout the home, an effect that architect Abramson Teiger of Culver City, CA captured with a skylight and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The bronze-adorned mahogany windows and doors are not only eye-catching, but also help deflect the often harsh Southern California sunlight.

With the infinity edge swimming pool flowing toward the golf course, the outdoor backdrop mingles harmoniously with the interior of the house and brings in a breathtaking backdrop of scenery and landscapes.

Credits
Contractor:
AJ Engineering &
Construction
Andrew Jagoda &
Isaac Zachary

Structural:
Sigma Design
Hovik Khanjian

Landscape:
Stout Landscape Design
Tom Stout

Photographer:
Jim Bartsch

See more work from Abramson Teiger Architects.

by Saundra Marcel

Interior designer Magdalena Keck has been transforming commercial and residential spaces for 15 years now, but one Manhattan abode has stolen her heart. “It’s definitely my favorite apartment. You know, it’s just so tiny. I’ve done really large spaces but this little one is the closest to my heart. It has a special energy; it’s so quiet and peaceful,” Keck says.

Located in the exclusive Greenwich Village neighborhood, the apartment is only 600 square feet. But despite its size, it’s the perfect pied-á-terre for Keck’s European clients, who already have one home in Rome and a second in Washington D.C. This one-bedroom apartment is all they really needed for weekend getaways to the city. Keck was brought on to create a calm oasis for the couple, and from the very beginning of the project client and designer seemed perfectly aligned. “Right away, we were very ‘into’ each other,” says Keck. “In terms of style, we were exactly on the same page, and they just loved every idea that I had, and I just loved their sensibility.”

Like any project, there were a few obstacles, but for Keck even the challenges were a breeze. “We did have a relatively modest budget—compared to what most clients are willing to spend. But it was no problem, the budget was just something we had to keep in mind. ‘I can work with that,’ I told them,” reports Keck. Her solution was to keep the space minimal, and to mix only a few luxury pieces with more budget-conscious items. “We mixed some high-end with some low-end. It’s like playing, trying to get the perfect mix of expensive and inexpensive,” she says. The other potential obstacle was a tight timeline, also easily accomplished. From start to finish the job took only six months.

The Greenwich Village apartment is angelic in its simplicity. White walls are a constant, and everything is trimmed and adorned in white: the sofa and chairs; and photo frames, dishes, accessories, and linens. Even the books are wrapped in white dust jackets. Color punctuates the space in scant instances: in the all-white kitchen, red and orange appear to brighten and cheer up the scene. Wood floors, a few pieces of vintage wood furniture, and carefully selected gold and brass accents add warmth to the seemingly clinical environment.

The biggest transformation was the bathroom. The room appeared to be a standard and unimpressive small space. But its one curious attribute turned out to be its redeeming factor: a low ceiling. “We had no idea what was going to be up there until we started demolition. It turns out, there was nothing there,” she says. So after raising the ceiling and knocking into an adjacent closet, the bath gained three more feet in height, and 30 more inches of width, and became a radically different space.

When Magdalena Keck opened her own interior design firm 10 years ago, she thought that she would only be working on commercial spaces. But it was quickly and seamlessly that she began working on residential interiors. And like the Greenwich Village home, most of what she creates employs modest decisions and the bare minimum of accents. “A lot of designers make spaces that are just so packed with stuff: curtains, pillows, flowers, just too many things. I think the most important thing is not what you do—but what you don’t do.” Her motto is “no frills,” one that is perfectly executed in the Greenwich Village property. “You should have in your home only what’s beautiful and absolutely necessary,and nothing else,” she says. “That’s what I live by.”

See more work from Magdalena Keck.

 by Amy Howell Hirt

Steve Kadlec, a registered architect and principal at Kadlec Architecture + Design, has a residential portfolio that runs the gamut from stamp-sized urban lofts to sprawling country getaways. Throughout his 20 years in the world of architecture and interior design, Kadlec has cultivated a common thread that runs through his work; each project has an elegant simplicity based on his reverence for the basic tenets of individual design styles.

“Most of our work, whether contemporary or traditional, is based on the essence of a particular style,” said Kadlec, who founded his company in 2004.

In the Urban Terrace Project, located on the 18th floor of Chicago’s iconic Palmolive building, Kadlec created a refined sanctuary that embraces the owner’s classic tastes, the building’s art deco history and its jaw-dropping location overlooking Lake Michigan.

Affording a sweeping panoramic view of the Chicago waterfront and an additional 2,600 square feet of livable space, the terrace was a major player in the layout and use of the rooms. It wraps around three sides of the unit and can be accessed from all three bedrooms and the living room.

To conceal the roof’s exposed unfinished structure, Kadlec created a border of planters with boxwoods and other evergreen varieties to provide year-round color, supplemented by seasonal annuals, lilac bushes and crabapple trees— hardy enough to withstand brutal Chicago winters—to complete the vision of a modern-day Eden, set against the backdrop of the city’s skyscrapers.

Because the owner was moving from a large suburban home, most of her traditional furnishings were not appropriate for the space. “She was transitioning from a home for the family to a home for herself,” Kadlec said. “It gave her the latitude to do things the way she wanted.”

To give the space “a feminine quality that wasn’t too overt,” Kadlec used a mix of antique and contemporary pieces with soft curves and a lighter scale.

The owner loves bold colors and collects an eclectic mix of art, so Kadlec limited vibrant hues to the kitchen—separate from the living and dining rooms—and drenched the rest of the home in delicious creamy neutrals.The dining room has warm taupe walls. The entry hall boasts sepia-toned floral wallpaper and a rich chocolate area rug. In the living room, a glossy white sideboard contrasts with the brown of the rift white oak flooring that flows throughout the living spaces and bedrooms.

“The ‘restrained’ neutrals won’t compete with the art and will provide a unifying backdrop for the diverse styles,” explains Kadlec.

To add variety to the neutral scheme, Kadlec loaded up on warm textures, luxurious fabrics and sleek, metallic finishes.

“When you use a concentrated amount of pattern, and within a limited color range, texture is important for creating warmth,” Kadlec states.

Working with already selected interior finishes, like the granite countertops and espresso-stained oak cabinetry, Kadlec focused on accessories and finishes that bring soft sophistication to the space. His team added delicate chandeliers in the master bedroom and bath, and a mural of a landscape in the dining room—created by framing out a section of handpainted wallpaper.

Perhaps the most impressive change is in the foyer, where Kadlec married classic fabric wall paneling—used to disguise a series of closets—with a recessed ceiling detail that is a nod to the building’s art deco design.

 words by Saundra Marcel

It took Chicago-based design firm Gary Lee Partners three painful years to complete a monograph of its work. Published in 2002, The Complete Interior: Gary Lee Partners, is a textual history of the company’s steady success since it was founded in 1993. But even as he admits that this particular project was among the firm’s most stressful, principal Gary Lee reflects on the time with good humor. “I don’t give up on anything if it’s worthwhile,” he says. The book is a testament to a do-it-right ethic that has earned Lee the reputation of a man able to accomplish just about anything.

Combined with a stunning sense of style, the Gary Lee Partners’ portfolio of work is also one of beauty. The company’s core business is designing commercial interiors, but they’ve expanded dramatically into private residences, creating breathtaking homesteads that sing of high style. They also work in the hospitality arena, with design projects in the works for the Park Hyatt and Ritz Carlton hotels, along with several restaurants. Lee doesn’t stop at interiors—he also oversees product development, designing for a number of manufacturers including Knoll, Halcon and Decca as well as for its own luxury furnishings company, Chai Ming Studios, which injects artisan flair into its range of work.

On top of all this, Chicagoans this past fall witnessed the opening of Atelier Gary Lee, a furniture design showroom located in the Merchandise Mart complex. Always one to maximize opportunities, Lee combines his own products with a number of carefully curated pieces from around the world. The collection contains hand-selected vintage works, museum quality art deco reproductions, and handmade work from contemporary craftsmen like Nicholas Mongiardo, Pollaro Custom Furniture, and Bolier & Company, to name a few.

Drawing from a number of inspirations and combining pieces in interesting ways is just one aspect of what Lee calls his company’s “school of thought,” although he notes that the firm’s work cannot truly be classified. “So many design firms have a signature style. We choose to think that we don’t. Each new project and each new concept is unique to an individual client.” Lee and his loyal “right hands”—long-time senior staffers—are interested in mixing things up. “I don’t do trends,” says Lee, “but I’m always looking for something that adjusts the edge a little bit.”

A recently completed Highland Park residence in suburban Chicago is an example of Lee’s flexible style, this one an ode to art and nature. “The clients had an extensive art collection, so the furniture just needed to be high-style,” says Lee. “I wanted every room to look outside; to be able to use the outside as a wall, so to speak. So we didn’t use a lot of color in the furnishings. Whatever time of day it is, they will reflect the color of the light [outside]. It’s beautiful in the morning. It’s beautiful at night.” Lee’s favorite space is the central living area, where he plays within a subtle color palette and has included precious-yet-comfortable pieces like a gray, silk mohair sofa by manufacturer J. Robert Scott, silver upholstered arm chairs by Dessin Fournir, and a custom bronze and silver patina coffee table by designer Gary Hutton. Lee was specifically challenged to make this home family-friendly, and his clients have reported that it’s become a hub for get-togethers.

Contrast the Highland Park residence with some of Lee’s other projects and his flexibility is immediately apparent. For example, he designed Chicago’s Sepia Restaurant, a warm and eclectic French American bistro with antique lighting and refurbished chairs. “That was in my eBay days, when I was madly scouring for vintage Knoll pieces,” Lee recalls.

Lee was eventually commissioned to design the Knoll Lee Lounge collection. “It was really the dream of a lifetime for me, being such a Knoll junkie anyway,” Lee admits. “The big joke in the office is that finally, after all these years in business, I get a commission from Knoll, and it ends up being one of the cheapest things they’ve ever produced.” But the result is translatable to different environments, and Lee offers, “it’s one of my favorite things that we’ve done.”

On his success, Gary Lee credits the support his loyal team, many of whom have been with him since the very beginning. But looking back over his portfolio through the years, this somewhat modest designer can’t help but boast just a little. He’s proud of every project, and his work, he says, “just gets better and better.”

 words by Brian Libby

If success is what one makes of it, Henrique Chor and Jorge Esteban have left very little to chance. Not only does their Miami Beach company, Accolade Construction, offer an eclectic array of styles from Mediterranean to Modern to French chateau, but also a range of design and construction services provided in-house. These aren’t off-the-shelf builder plans, but exquisitely refined homes that stay true to their stylistic roots.

“We try to say, ‘When you hire us, you’re hiring everything,’” says Esteban, who leads design for the firm while his partner oversees construction says. “Our product is very eclectic: we do a little bit of everything. Typically architects don’t get out of one style, or they try not to. We approach it differently. A client hires us to provide them a service. We try to build what they dream.”

Natives of Cuba and Brazil, respectively, Esteban and Chor have applied a strong immigrant’s work ethic to their education and careers; between them the pair have engineering, architecture and graduate business degrees, and each a contractor’s license. After working separately in the 1980s, Esteban running an architecture firm and Chor a construction company (and sometimes collaborating on the same projects), they came together in the early 1990s at another company, Breakstone, before buying out its architecture-construction wing to form Accolade. Though out of school for a few decades, their education is continuous as well, for central to an Accolade home is the extensive research that went into its style, function and form. They even once produced an illustrated book of homes in 60 different styles to teach clients. “I would have clients tell me, “I want a French house.’ And I’d say, ‘I’m sorry but that’s not French,’” Esteban laughs.“Sometimes people who grew up here and never moved out are never exposed to different cultures. But If I go to Italy, the first thing I want to see is the Italian architecture. The same thing goes for France or Israel.”

“We have here in South Florida something people call Boca Rattan style,” Chor adds. “They build these villas that are a mix of everything and end up having nothing. Jorge tries to stay true to one style. I think he has this gift, this gift of understanding, and the willingness to do his research.

The firm’s Coconut residence, for example, has an exterior befitting a Roman emperor: creamy white curving arches and columns with intricate carvings beneath rooftop master suite and deck, overlooking a pool that comes all the way into the courtyard between two wings. The kitchen is a study in contrasting tones and textures, from the rich red-brown cabinetry to the white marble countertops. The master bathroom is more like a spa, with its elaborate shelved vanity and generously sized tub. The Hibiscus Island house in Miami Beach, by comparison, is a modern design. Clad in classic Miami white stucco, its simple geometric lines and curves give way to the view outside to an outdoor pool and the bay just beyond. Besides its 8,000 square feet of interior space, a highlight is the outdoor kitchen under a pergola, nestled alongside an open spa overlooking the bay.

“Our clients love water, sound and views,” Esteban says. We try to make that a focus, while staying true to the original style. But we also give clients the best they can get. Today these houses are intelligent houses where the client can be on vacation and if someone rings the bell of his front door he can see on his phone who is there and even open the gate for a delivery. It also should be designed in a sustainable way. It’s all about putting a lot of thought into the design, and being a true style. But at the end of the day, whatever they’re looking for, we try to accommodate.”