Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/845169
Above: French doors in the main living area open onto a terrace overlooking a nature preserve. Right: James Ferrara designed the master bath, which includes walnut and Calacatta gold cabinets, Wetstyle tub, Aquabrass faucets, and a Dornbracht towel rack. 68 planted. "In Italy, you'd often see hilltops planted with olive trees," Hocker says. "Here, I've set off the pristine architecture on a hilltop of possum haw, and mixed it with seasonally changing native prairie." The result is a mix of buffalo grass, little bluestem, inland sea oats, and wildflowers such as Mexican hat, red poppies, horse herb, and pink primrose. Much like the formal gardens in Italy, Hocker designed terraces that follow the land's natural changes in elevation. A small "bubbler" at the top of the terrace funnels water down a series of concrete steps, flowing into a modern interpretation of a pond at the bottom. When it's mild out, Ferrara and Griffin sometimes stage the lower terrace for movie night, with a film projected onto the fountain wall. While the inspiration for the house and gardens may have started with a villa in Italy, Ferrara and Griffin have made it their own, expanding the boundaries of design that appeals to many cultures. Ferrara says, "We frequently have people visiting from Europe and South America, and that's the first thing they notice: that the way we live is more like what they are used to seeing. This house has a very universal appeal." Sara Ball's Accused Part III, 2014; Sexual Perversion, 2014; Immigrants, 2015; and Denmark (Healthy Dane in Search of Pleasure), 2015. Vintage Cassina Cab chair by Mario Bellini. David Hocker created a contemporary version of a traditional Italian villa garden, with water runnel, pond, fountain, and decomposed granite gravel.