Name: Yoshihiro Makino, Yuka Izutsu, Shimpei Yashima
Location: Pasadena, CA
Size: 2000 sq. ft.
Years lived in: 2 years
Yoshihiro, Yuka and Shimpei live and work altogether in this wide open Pasadena home where art, craft and an affinity for the midcentury aesthetic are all merged together into a beautiful hodge podge of bohemian-style modernism where all three can find inspiration for their creative work. Oh, and did we mention a rescued dove and pigeon navigate and happily live with the household of photographer, illustrator and graphic designer who also call the textured and warm hued space a home?
>> AT Survey:
My/Our style: Midcentury modern in bungalow type of house.
Inspiration: We were inspired by the Midcentury aesthetic.
Favorite Element: high ceiling, top light, big windows, lots of green outside.
Biggest Challenge: having two working spaces and living space in the same room without destroying the atmosphere which the house originally has.
What Friends Say: They love it, it's a perfect artistic studio and home for a photographer (me), an illustrator (Yuka), and graphic designer (Shimpei).
Biggest Embarrassment: the design will not allow for the installation of an air-conditioner.
Proudest DIY: the spiral stairs in the guest room. Te guest room used to be a stable 50 years ago. And we renovated whole room to be a studio space.
Best advice: Paint the whole outside walls to be black or grey to make it look like more modern architecture. Or paint the wall inside of the house to be more white or beige to brighten up the interior.
Dream source: Case study houses, Mark Brazier-Jones, I want to combine both of midcentury modern and new art essences into our home.
Resources: OSH, Ikea, art supply store, vintage finds.
Furniture: eBay, Floorplan in North Hollywood, DWR, flea market, El Paso on Sepluveda Blvd in West Los Angeles.
Accessories: Marimekko, Kim Seybert, Barney’s NewYork Interior section, Flea Market, Ebay, the antique stores where we run into give us happy accidents.
Lighting: eBay, Rose Bowl Flea Market, DRW
Rugs and Carpets: Pasadena Rug Mart, the best!!
Window Treatments: My friend, an architect.
Artwork: Things we create, and our friends’s.
Other: Our pet, Pyururu (male) and Morli (female) white pigeon and dove. We rescued in Hollywood and Pasadena.
(Thanks, Yoshihiro!)
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Really lovely, shades of the Eames House, very inspiring.
This is one cool, ecclectic, organic, and fun pad. I will be bookmarking this one for many future references! Thanks so much and enjoy your space! I'm jealous....
definitely cool & cozy space with lots of visual interest. the rescued dove looks very happy!
Beautiful piano. Lovely space. Good mix.
Dreamy and original. Everything about it is unique, including the combination of people who live there. And the birds!
You can feel the creative energy here. I like the earthiness to the overall space. Its a very cool building!
Thanks for the rescue, the bird looks happy.
It's very lovely---what a sweet bird by the way
Beautiful space. However, forgive me for being crass, but I have to ask... what about the poop? I love the idea of having birds that just hang out in the house, but are they house trained? How do you house train a dove/pigeon? Birdie diapers?
Please humour me :)
Fantastic!!!!
@thehalfie that was my thought exactly!
My family used to nurse the occasional rescued/injured bird, and to put it bluntly, they have no ability to control themselves - this is a physical thing, not about house-training.
Cosy home, bit too much brown for my liking but you have some beautiful objects, and it all goes together well.
This has so much 'mind'! I really don't know how else to put it but the entire house (structure, interior and exterior, vertical and interstitial space not just the floor plan) shows that thought and serenditpity both went into how the eye and the body would move through this space. Yes, this is an artists' home, controlled yet creative.
It's been a long time since I enjoyed a post so much, no offence to others ;-). There is so much unexpected detail here, so much 'time.' Beautiful space.
About the concern about birds:
As someone who has had a mynah for 13 years now, and many other rescued creatures in between, I would say that:
(1) there are ways of controlling and teaching them. Free-roaming parrots and other birds don't always soil all places. I'm not sure if you noticed the cage? It's useful and often the bird likes to rest or bawl in a smaller space....Mine does.
(2) Being unable to control themselves is a sign of trauma in animals, too. Yet, animals have a sense of surprising hygiene, when they are physically and mentally able to use it. Their health and survival would depend on it. I'm sure these birds and their humans have found a happy system.
Adding to some of the other great comments ("thought and serendipity," "organic"...) : whimsy. Makes you want to hang out here!
I think it's funny that the MCM stuff was highlighted in the post and comments (that's AT for you). It actually didn't jump out at me so much. What impressed me was how well the mid-century and modern was integrated with more traditional and cottage-type furnishings. The end result was warmly eclectic without seeming too studied.
It does have its own merits. Unfortunately really not my cup of tea!
Interesting space. The colors are far too muted for me, though. But to each his own...
I love places that have lots of interesting stuff helping to tell the story of the owner. I wouldn't call it mid-century modern. I think it is more artist retreat than modern glamour. I saw a fantastic eclectic home full of charm and ideas on www.heartanddesign.blogspot.com
@FigurativeSketches thanks for the input, interesting - we only nursed our rescues back to physical health, and let the family/flock do the rest - they did, but regardless of any concern for decor, anyone who gives an animal a break after tough times deserves utmost respect. ;)
Love the collection- can anyone source that bench or something similar for cheap? I've been looking for months!
I agree that the colors are muted...but that's what stands out to me, if that makes any sense. Also what makes it seem authentically vintage. Regardless - I love it, and I love that rescue bird on his little bed!
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This is one of my absolute favorite house tours. Just perfect. Perfect!