apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the colorful chairs are wonderful. I wonder if we could hack something like this from Ikea's white chairs .. :)

Are the judges the same for all 4 cities? We're running in Toronto - err, Chicago :-) - area.

So if he's art director for DWR, are we allowed to say his home looks like it's straight out of a DWR catalog? ;-)

wende, since he is the art director, I would say he would regard that as a compliment, no?

this was in the sunday sf chronicle magazine a while back. i just actually saved the magazine spread i loved the design so much.

Ahhhh....so lucky to live in an Eichler!

Its got personality.... Someone elses. Not very original. Big letdown for the art director of DWR. Especially from someone so cocky:

Best Use of Space You've Ever Seen: my home (pics below)

Furniture does not make the space as we have seen in many of the entries. Your personal touch whether it be art, nicknacks, etc and this space lacks all of that.

I believe the reason you think it's "someone elses" personality is because of the proliferation of the mid-century modern look recently, which one could argue is a direct effect of DWR. Being the DWR Art Director, wouldn't that make this HIS personality that everyone else is copying? I'd be slightly cocky too if I were him.

BTW, nice Eichler. Nice to see the original kitchen intact.

These comments are funny.
I love this place & the art director has done a really excellent job.
I'd be curious to know what shape the place was in when he originally moved in there. That would give me some idea of how far he's moved along in the process.
I'd also like to see the bedroom.
Wende, when people have made that remark in the past about some peoples interiors, I've never really considered it a bad thing.
He has confidence which is cool. I'm wondering is that sori yanagi stool white in colour or is it just the light?

The place is beautiful, for sure.

But it's true: Every. Single. Piece.

goldtoof - I took that comment to mean he thought his home was architecturally well-designed, not well-decorated. I might be wrong, but why not give him the benefit of the doubt?

Because anyone with money can have this house. This could be anyones house. If you never knew that this house belonged to the art director of DWR, would you ever know? And to answer your question eec007, No. If you look at Eichelers in the 60's, they look just like this one. Similar couches, similar Nelson lighting fixtures. Except back then, it was all so new. New technology to create a new movement. His house is just a case study in modernism. So in turn, there is nothing original about this place and surely nothing to be cocky about. What made the Eames house(just for reference) so cool is all of their art and nick nacks that they collected from all over the world mixed in with their furniture. You could see a house like the DWR art directors in any Dwell. Theres no originality just the implementation of nice furniture.

I have to say goldtoof, I really hate this argument. To say it's got someone else's personality... Maybe he really loves this style, maybe he saw pictures of a similar house from the original era and grew up saying THIS is exactly what I want my house to be, period, I wouldn't change a thing. That's HIS personality. MY personality would beg my house t be completely different from what's pictured above but probably similar to TONS of other houses out there, seen and unseen. He has no art, nicknacks, etc? Maybe he hates art and nicknacks. I don't, you apparently don't, but maybe he doesn't like them. He should get some just because that way other people will think he's 'original'? What's originality?

Little off topic, but where can I find that great pink paisley wallpaper?

Could that place be more generic and uninspired?
answer.... Nope.

I agree with you bluestar. But for him to say that his home is the best use of space that he has ever seen is inviting criticism. He put it out there, not me. I thought that the winner of last years contest was a better, more inventive use of space.

ms on b - I think it's the Rajapur design from Cole and Son's New Contemporary collection - http://www.cole-and-son.com/collection.asp?ID=11

I really like the multicolored Jacobson chairs in the dinning room.

I also think you all are hilarious how critical you all are of Sainato's originality. So what if he wants to live in a home that looks like a 1950's time warp with modern touches? Good for him.

Yes Mr. Sainato is cocky, but so what? It's his home, he should feel some great pride in what he's created in such a wonderful light filled space, however, he's not breaking any new ground. In addition the seating in the living area as nice as it is doesn't invite one to sit in it so much as to wait for their next doctor's appointment.

lifeless modern... but so are the stores. just because you sell it doesn't mean you should live it, but to each his own.

Yes, it's a matter of taste whether you buy the whole mid century modern DWR look or not.

But does anyone agree with his comment that this is the best use of space? Nothing aside from the kitchen counter appears to be multi-functional. If I lived in that GORGEOUS house, I would be entertaining guests all the time. All of his furniture choices and arrangement don't seem versatile in terms of creatively and comfortably accommodating guests. Without cluttering up the whole clean "museum" aesthetic, I'm sure he could have done a much better job at making the space more practical and multi-functional-- the keys to great use of space.

he likes to get his feet dirty and doesnt care much for clocks.
other than that, his space can be overgrown by weeds as long as you dont take any of that away from him.

All the people sniping about the furniture and the sterility of this house just shows the ignorance of the visitors of this site. If we were looking at a Queen Anne Victorian would everyone be complaining about how cluttered it was?

The modernist movement was about simplicity of living, clean design, space, and a rejection of ornamentation. In keeping with those principles Mr. Sainato has authentically decorated a house built in the very essence of Mid Century Modernism. Seeing as DWR's foundation inventory are MCM pieces - yes his house looks very DWR. Its clearly the aesthetic that he ascribes to. He's an art director - so again, yes, he KNOWS how to clean his house before the photographer gets there.

Seriously folks, put the claws away!

Okay, I have to go to his favorite website extrasmall.com
I hope it's what I think it is.

Tony G.

the honerable mention he picked is full of DWR furniture.
imagine that.