California’s Luxury Designer…. Steve Hermannnn!

28 August, 2011 No Comments

Have you ever seen a €27 million house… ?

If we take a look at this particular work of Steve Hermann, a designer of upscale homes for artists and entrepreneurs in California, we are witnesses of a showcase of modern design and minimalist luxury in architecture. The lighting is extremely well distributed around the house, enhancing its existing open spaces, and the house’s finishing touches are impeccable.

As its name emphasizes “Glass Pavilion”, the majority of its facades are made of glass. For its implementation they have chosen a particular type of glass that is especially bright and clear, the one used for cabinets of jewelry stores.

The construction was completed during the summer of 2010.
It’s an unusual residence, with an area of 1,289 m², built on a large plot that allows it to maintain total privacy from neighbors. It is located in Montecito, California, although at a first glance you might think its a European home due to its design.

The owners enjoy high quality comfort and at the same time are completely surrounded by nature.
The residence counts with 5 bedrooms and 5+ bathrooms, and wide living and dining rooms. The kitchen is highly designed, spacious, bright and functional at the same time. The house also has a large wine cellar, and what can be described as corridors or areas that have been decorated with pieces of art from the owner’s collection.

It also has an unusual garage, to name it, with a space for 32 cars that currently accommodates the owner’s entire collection of classic cars.

If we look at the property from the main entrance, it gives us the idea of a one level house, because we can only appreciate a single level above the ground. However, the architect actually played with the uneven piece of land to build an inferior level, which is also quite exterior, where the garage seen in the picture is located.

It is difficult to find a flaw in the house’s design or decoration. I believe it is visually stunning and that conveys a feeling of fresh luxury …… But if I were to live in it, and if I am allowed a suggestion, it wouldn’t hurt to put some blinds in the bedrooms to avoid the morning light and to get more privacy, and perhaps to make it warmer.

From an architectural point of view, it does not add anything new, since it is similar to the Glass House designed by architect Mies van der Rohe, founding father of the theory – less is more – where we also see a minimum number of different materials used, and the avoidance of ornamental decorations. The idea being that the glass transparency allows the visitor to feel protected by the roof, but without the feeling of being inside a building because its transparency makes the exterior its decorative element.