ar-spring16-30-39-ht2 · created date: 3/1/2016 6:03:29 pm
TRANSCRIPT
30atom
ic-ranch.comSPRING 2016
SPRING 2016atom
icranch
31
Just Ad
d A
rtA well-planned remodel,
vibrant color and anincredible art collectionbrought this home back
to its original glory.
text| Sarah Jane Stone images
| Dan Chavkin
neighborhood of Palm Springs, Robert Shiell describes his
home as a classic, quintessential A
lexander home.
The house
was
originally com
pleted by
Krisel and
Palmer architects in 1959 and w
as built by the Alexander
Com
pany. After purchasing the hom
e, Robert restored itback to its original footprint w
ith the help of Architect
Lance C. O
’Donnell, A
IA, Principal of o2 A
rchitecture, andC
raig M
. H
amm
ond, A
ssoc. A
IA,
Design
Director
ofH
amm
ond Habitat D
esign Studio. In his desire to honorthe intended floor plan, he actually reduced the housefrom
a 300-square-foot addition completed by a previous
owner. This addition had extended the living room
, butcaused the breezew
ay to be lost. Robert reestablished thebreezew
ay and converted the garage back to a carport.“The house originally had tw
o bedrooms and tw
o baths,but som
eone added a third bath,” he said.
Located
in the Vista La
s Palm
as
ROB
ERT’S ART IS SA
FEGU
ARD
ED A
RT BY U
V
WIN
DO
WS. H
E HA
D SU
NB
RELLA C
OVERS
MA
DE TO
CO
VER THE A
RT DU
RING
THE
STINTS W
HEN
HE LEA
VES TO SPEN
D TIM
E
IN H
IS LOS A
NG
ELES HO
ME.
SPRING 2016atom
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SPRING 2016
After 27 years as an attorney w
orking in children’s law and
representing social workers for the C
ity of Los Angeles,
Robert retired. He now
manages properties and focuses on
his passion for collecting art. “I caught the art collecting bugin early college years,” Robert says. In renovating the PalmSprings hom
e, Robert paid special attention to the walls—
ensuring that he would be able to display art on every w
alland specifically arranging lighting to show
case his collection.
FINDING “THE ONE” “M
y house in LA is from
1926 and is English storybook-like,but I’ve alw
ays had a bug for and interest in midcentury
style.” With a piquing interest in m
idcentury architecture,Robert w
ent on a Palm Springs hom
e tour that profiled mid-
century homes and attended M
odernism W
eek. “I had been looking for a w
hile and wanted a hom
e by anoted architect. In m
y neighborhood the primary architect
was Krisel and Palm
er—there are also a few
by Charles
Dubois.” Robert w
as drawn to the neighborhood due to its
high concentration of midcentury hom
es. “I didn’t want a
home that w
as too damaged—
I definitely wanted good
bones.” In April 2013, just tw
o weeks after retiring, Robert
was the first person to see the house, and he m
ade an offerw
ithin a few hours. In D
ecember 2013, the dem
olition andrenovation began.
THE TASK LISTA
mong the m
ost pressing items on Robert’s renovation list
was that fact that the hom
e needed insulation and that theplum
bing and piping was in need of repair and updating.
Despite this being Robert’s first tim
e taking on the renova-tion of a residence, he w
as determined to do everything
right. “In projects like these things are often underestimated.
I wanted to do the m
ost quality work w
ith the long-term of
the home in m
ind,” he said. D
espite the reduction of the home’s square footage, som
eareas inside w
ere updated to offer more breathing room
.“The once-claustrophobic m
aster bathroom w
as renovatedto feel far m
ore spacious by raising the ceiling, inserting aclerestory w
indow, and creating an outdoor show
er, therebyrenew
ing the home’s indoor/outdoor connection,” architect
Craig M
. Ham
mond says.
ROB
ERT HA
S JOIN
ED TH
E PALM
SPRING
S
ART M
USEU
M, A
ND
IN M
ARC
H TH
E CO
UN
CIL
WILL VISIT H
IS HO
ME TO
SEE THE A
RT.
“I have a killer view—it was one of the draw-ins along with the bones— I couldn’t top this.”