Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1344685
A covered outdoor kitchen and lounge area. The living room is seen through a wall of glass. Opposite page, clockwise: In the entry are a concealed blackened-steel coat closet, live-edge bench, and Apparatus bronze-and-horsehair sconces. In the family room are a Modloft sectional reupholstered in green Duralee velvet, custom pillows from Muriel Brandolini and Seema Krish, and Noir side table. The living room's custom sofas are in leather and wool bouclé. Ligne Roset lamp. Coffee table from Cantoni Trade. Mark Jupiter credenza. Thom Jackson's Judd Gym photograph. house is set back as far as possible on the lot and totally private behind a sleek wall of limestone. "Once you're inside, you don't feel like you're on the street at all — it's like being on vacation," Jason says. The design revolves around a stunning glassed- in courtyard that drenches the house in light and connects each room visually with nature. Mesa Design Group designed all the landscape architecture, including river birches planted in the courtyard; the slim trees are native to the American South, with textural peeling bark and serrated leaves that flutter and glint in the breeze. Light filters through the courtyard differently throughout the day, and in winter, the trees shed their leaves for an ever-evolving show. An expansive covered porch at the front of the house is designed for cooking, dining, and lounging. With retractable screens that allow year-round use, it's Kelly's favorite place for watching a football game and Philip's go-to spot for barbecuing. Skylights are plentiful, including a long narrow one in the back prep kitchen that produces a ribbon of light that travels like a sundial throughout the day. The couple makes coffee there in the mornings and can tell if they're running late by where the light has landed. Signe says, "The Parsons liked the idea that much of the house's decoration comes from nature and the play of light and shadows, rather than architectural flourishes." Clean lines and glass are set off by robust materials such as Lueders limestone, which elegantly wraps walls and is punctuated by large, dramatic plates of blackened steel. "Steel isn't something you often see in a single- family house, but it brings interest and surprise," Jason says. "It's also not thought of as a natural material, but when it's hot-rolled and waxed so that the small imperfections are visible, it feels like each piece has personality, much like stone or wood." White oak floors and cabinets are a foil to the seriousness of stone and steel, and help accentuate the darker materials. "Kelly and Philip weren't interested in living delicately in their house — they really use all of it, so it has to last," he adds. In the kitchen, dark bronze aluminum cabinets and durable sintered-stone countertops are a bulletproof combination. Interior designer Jean Liu, who had collaborated with Smitharc on a number of previous projects, was the Parsons' first choice after they'd interviewed several interior designers. "The architecture of the house is rigorous, so I wanted to make sure 74