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Design of this home features a two-story high central space where the family can gather, as well as more private common spaces such as a playroom in the basement and a library-style living room for the grown-ups. The two-story family room opens up to the back patio with a disappearing sliding wall of glass that is18’ wide. The pool, backyard barbeque and outdoor fireplace are close to the home and the relationship of the home to the outside is very natural. After moving in to the house, the homeowner commented: “In all the many tours we have done showing people around the house, the comment we get the most is how smart and well thought out the architecture of the house is – from the open feeling, the flow, to the perfect symmetries of various doorways and lines of the house. There is a great feeling of being together, with other family members, yet private if you seek it. And for a house of this size, it is incredibly cozy and warm – a perfect “Cape Cod”. We love everything about our house and would not change a thing. It is absolutely...
I completed the redesign and expansion of the Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant in Orlando Florida. A new dining room structure was added to the building and the existing space was remodeled for better customer flow and visual appeal. The restaurant now has double the previous seating capacity. The restaurant’s contemporary design features the brand’s deep chocolate brown and accent green colors, sumptuous leather booths and banquettes, light wood table tops, and two family-style tables. Other design features include black and white photos of Chef Puck and fresh ingredients that are commonplace in the kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors offer a complete view of the bustling dining room from the new and expanded patio with brick columns and awnings. I was pleased to create an open and inviting atmosphere for the restaurant by fashioning the existing space as a large eat-in kitchen with community tables and hanging pot racks, and adding a new vaulted-ceiling dining room for more...
I have crafted several titanium art pieces that are framed as paintings and embody the excitement of a new form of abstract art. Titanium can be colored with an industrial process that can yield colors such as blue, green, yellow and even purple. The colors also have a glow which I enhance by a process of preparing the metal prior to coloring. I was looking at titanium jewelry and the lovely colors that the material can take on. I then researched how to accomplish the colors on a larger scale that results in framed titanium panels that take on a glow of their own due to the surface texture of the material, coupled with a treatment that gives the opportunity of combining several colors on the same piece. This medium employs what is most modern in our present day culture, demonstrates some of the different ways that light can interact with materials and yet resonates with elemental concepts of beauty for its own sake. If our long-ago ancestors used the local clays and ash to make cave paintings, what is more natural than for us to look at new materials in our daily life and turns those into art? Most of the initial run of several art pieces has been sold out but more are...
A coffee-shop restaurant with a very modern twist. A restaurant has been completed in the town of Santa Paula, California with a theme of high-tech automotive materials. This is no coincidence as the restaurant is built right up against the structure that houses ARP (Automotive Racing Products). I have brought to this project years of experience in the restaurant design field as seen on the website: http://www.eckelberry.biz/ . We picked a bright range of colors for the walls and fabrics that are reminiscent of customized cars and used materials in the decoration that would also be used in race cars such as stainless steel, titanium panels and carbon-fiber look countertops. Some of the wall decorations selected are of race cars that currently use ARP’s line of fasteners. Although the menu is relatively simple, the quality of the ingredients is top-notch as the owner of the restaurant is a very conscious of what is expected in fine dining restaurants and the results are very appetizing. Lisa McKinnon of the Ventura County Star had this to say about the restaurant: “Hozy’s Grill continues to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner -the latter with a wine list- in a snazzy red-and-orange setting that belies its industrial-park neighborhood.” The restaurant caters to local customers that live in the Santa Paula and Ventura area and also those that work in nearby office and industrial buildings. The restaurant’s design contributes to the ongoing transformation of Santa Paula as a tourist destination and emerging fine-dining...
We are in the process of totally remodeling the interiors of several apartment properties in Honolulu. Individual apartments on Waikiki beach and the Gold Coast area of Honolulu are in a very special location and are now excellent properties to modernize and improve. Interior designer Loren Eckelberry and I provide a total service of interior architecture, interior design and furniture selection to update these ocean-front homes. The homes are being remodeled in a contemporary style that is inflected by island-style materials and furnishings. High-end appliances are seen side-by-side with exotic wood cabinets and view windows overlooking the surf. It’s a great pleasure to be working in the Hawaiian Islands because the locations are so attractive and the people we work with are so friendly. These projects enable us to bring a sophisticated mainland and European design sensibility to these projects that now cater to customers that have homes around the world and wish to have a particular Hawaiian feel to their properties in Honolulu. The very latest in German plumbing fixtures are utilized in the bathrooms and the kitchens are built using the best of American appliances. The finishes show a refined choice of materials that are understated and luxurious at the same time. We are so excited to be bringing our talents to bear on these exceptional...
I have designed two hillside homes in California’s Topanga canyon that take advantage of ‘passive-solar’ design. These homes provide the best of California’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle living accompanied with spectacular views of the rugged landscape in Topanga canyon. Both homes are of a passive solar design, meaning that the home have been configured to take energy-saving advantage of the local breezes, sun orientation and heat-storing finish materials. It’s wise to design the homes to naturally take advantage of the local climate and we find that configurations that save energy make the house more comfortable year-round. Design features that reduce air-conditioning also reduce glare and increase the enjoyment of views. The homes were designed in a generous 4,000 square foot size and feature a kitchen open to the family room, a bright and sunny staircase in the center of the house, four bedrooms, a media room and a three or four-car garage. Interior living spaces are accompanied by shaded outdoor patios that can be used for a large part of the year; Rooms flow to the outdoors to enjoy the California climate. The exterior materials of the buildings have been selected for their fire resistance and the landscaping around the homes will complement the design features while also increasing fire safety. The choice of a Mediterranean design brings to mind similar houses dotted in the landscapes of Spain, Italy and the South of France. My frequent travels to those countries result in designs that include old-world comfort and enjoyment of life incorporated with a tasteful use of all modern conveniences. The honest forms of Mediterranean homes go well with a contemporary...
We are announcing the successful release of the renovation of the façade of the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The owner of the hotel, Dale Lohrer, said: “The Cecil Hotel began its gentrification to restore it to its former glory of the 1920’s when it was one of the largest hotels on the West coast. We peeled away decades of remodeling that had all but covered up its grand days.” Dale continues: “With the lobby completed, we were faced with the monumental task of how to regain the grand look of its existing storefronts along Los Angeles’s Main Street. We consulted with Anthony Eckelberry on historic and beautification imagery. He was hired and provided detailed plans that would discard the drab 1950’s remodeling and restore the storefronts beyond their original splendor. A year in the making and the unveiling of the facade revealed sculpted columns, moldings and fascia, creating a refreshed look for this landmark property.” It was a challenge to remove the facade of the building’s street level and replace it with a design that fit with the remaining classical elements of the hotel. I endeavored to give the façade a style that looked as if it had been built that way originally yet was actually a step up in quality and finishes. My research background in classical architecture helped me contribute elements that seem natural for a structure of the 1920’s, yet these forms relate to our modern necessities for visibility and security. I have completed the design of numerous hospitality design projects. I have been involved in renovations of two Beverly Hills hotels and have...
We completed a new home that expresses new concepts of luxury and informality in contemporary home design. The owners of a Los Angeles property commissioned my firm to design a minimalist-style home that would accommodate their simplified lifestyle yet feel expansive and uncluttered. Due to the sloping land and the desire to have the house fully accessible, I came up with the idea of linking the two main parts of the house –bedrooms and living areas- with a long sloping hallway. To accentuate the hallway’s dimensions, I designed 20 foot high ceilings and curved the walls on both sides. This turned the hallway into a dramatic three-dimensional space that engages the viewer by changing with every step. The living areas that overlook the garden pool are tall, well-proportioned spaces that can open up completely to the outdoors with folding glass door panels. Along with the sense of drama imparted by the soaring spaces, the rooms feel comfortable and in the words of one viewer “just right”. The builder remarked “Anthony has a wonderful grip on quiet elegance.” Growing up in Paris I experienced homes and public spaces with a large scale and grandeur about them yet possessing a sense that you could pull up a chair and relax by the fire. I try to impart that quality of a wide-open space that feels informal enough for a quiet conversation. With this new home, it appears that we have succeeded in conveying grandeur and informality all at...
An artist and her film-producer husband owned a small one-story home in a fashionable West Los Angeles neighborhood. As an architect, I interpreted their wishes into a classic Spanish-style home that is now twice the size, keeping the authentic feel of the traditional home. I see too often house additions that are modern structures set onto an existing house, so the art is to make it look like it was all created at the same time, but long ago. When construction was over, the homeowners said: “We had searched for over a year to find an architect who could renovate our 1920’s Spanish home while maintaining its sense of character and charm…and you did it!” The old home had attractive touches in the front but the back portion felt cramped and was isolated from the garden. I left just enough of the old house facing the street to maintain the authentic character, and took down the structure behind the façade to create an entirely new two-story building. I blended the old with the new by adding a full-height curved entry tower. The homeowners added: “Anthony was wonderful at adding just the right touches and incorporating some of our ideas into the plans.” In commenting on the design process, the owner said: “I really appreciated Anthony listening to our desires and the time he took with the preliminary drawings to create such a spectacular home.” This project shows that homes in our cities can adapt to our growing families while preserving the character of traditional...
Planning to build a home in Los Angeles, the Liebermans bought a parcel of land with commanding views, high up in the Hollywood Hills. With two grown children, they wanted a house with an open floor plan that would still provide private spaces for the visiting family. The Liebermans contacted me to design the new home. “We envisaged a voluminous open plan design, with a great room which would feel like a loft overlooking the city,” said the Liebermans. “We wanted a home office which would be separate, but with a good flow from the living room to also take full advantage of the view. We wanted a dining are to be incorporated into the kitchen.” “Anthony interpreted our requirements into a lovely contemporary home with a fabulous imposing entry area, and incorporated some wonderful finishes.” They added, “The house is a wonderful space in which to live and the house flows beautifully into the outdoor area.” The result was a happy combination of architect and owner. The Liebermans enthused: “We are delighted with the dream house which Anthony Eckelberry designed for...
Beverly Hills hair stylist Maxime called on me to craft an elegant, modern atmosphere for his new salon on Rodeo Drive called The Salon by Maxime. I brought experience in designing high-end restaurant and retail spaces to this project. Says Maxime: “the work experience with creating was great.” The construction project was a courteous collaboration of owner, architect and contractor. Adds John Murawski, president of Cal Asia construction: “As on all the projects we have worked on together, Anthony Eckelberry had a ‘team’ attitude and the net result has been happy clients and well-done projects.” Maxime commented: “The clients of the salon say that the space feels so comfortable that it’s like an addition to their own house”. As the salon has been fully booked virtually since the doors opened, the customers have shown their appreciation for Maxime’s hair-styling skills and for the location he now works in. Building this salon shows that modern architecture can provide a comfortable space to house a thriving...
This new restaurant design strikes the perfect balance between modern and ethnic influences. When Tony Boon decided to renovate his Hollywood restaurant of 16 years, Pink Pepper, he turned to my firm; the result was a warm, appealing modern space with a strong Thai influence. The Pink Pepper restaurant in downtown Hollywood, California is a Thai restaurant with a fresh, new modern look of a European café with an Asian inspiration. The owner, Tony Boon, hired me to modernize the space by raising the ceilings and giving the restaurant a new palette of finishes that would reflect the Thai influence. The restaurant caters to local customers primarily in the entertainment business and was designed with a new energy to match and to appeal to a larger local audience. I showcased my unique, elegant perspective to renovating this Thai restaurant by using a combination of exposed concrete ceiling and floor contrasted with the luxurious finishes of Teak paneling and hand-finished Venetian plaster. We used teak paneling and luxurious silk-like fabrics at the level where the customers sit and left the exposed concrete ceiling and steel ventilation ducts above for a hard-edged look. Covering the walls in a mustard-color Venetian plaster with a light rubbed-gold finish gives the room a comfortable glow and sets off the collection of Thai antiques that the owner has brought to the space. The owner, Tony Boon commented: “The clients really like the new look and marvel at the luxurious wood tables and chairs.” The restaurant’s new design contributes to the ongoing revitalization of downtown Hollywood as a destination and vibrant social...
