“There is not any doubt we might do that collectively,” Momoko says of the reworking required for the Fifties California property bought by her sister Aiko. Whereas the footprint of the home was there, most of it needed to be reimagined. The home is essentially divided into two sides, however because it was constructed within the mid-century, the structure didn’t go well with a up to date way of life. The home used to have a small kitchen and eating room on one aspect, which Aiko did not like (she’s a self-proclaimed foodie). Bedrooms and places of work took up a lot of the bigger aspect of the property.
The sisters started addressing these considerations at an altitude of three,000 ft. They created bubble charts to stipulate a brand new circulation and structure of the home, which the architect and contractor rapidly acquired into the plan as soon as they have been on board. The outcome was basically a reverse model of how the mission had begun. Now the shared areas, such because the household room, eating room, and kitchen, take up the bigger aspect of the home, and the non-public areas are on the smaller aspect. “However it saved numerous schedule design time to determine that out already,” says Momoko.
For the interiors, Momoko wished to usher in Asian influences in honor of Aiko’s years dwelling in Japan and Singapore. “We have been additionally born and raised in Colorado, so I wished to include a few of these parts, equivalent to stunning stones, woods and metals, into the mission as nicely.” After all, the house’s unimaginable mountain views have been additionally taken into consideration. “Aiko loves pure mild, so we wished to seize the views in a means the entire household can take pleasure in.”
Total, clear strains and a impartial shade palette channel the calm and harmonious aesthetic of Japanese design whereas complementing the panorama simply past. However that is to not say there aren’t moments of shock scattered all through the home. “When you go into Aiko’s pantry, you may discover a very nice wallpaper,” says Momoko. “I prefer to put cheerful issues in utility rooms, as a result of they’re usually only for work.” Each time Aiko enters this a part of her home, she not solely will get a second of pleasure, but in addition a candy reminiscence of her sister via her signature transfer. —Katherine McLaughlin
