Houzz Tour: Heavy Metal Rocks a Modern Missouri Home
http://www.decor-ideas.org 03/23/2014 22:22 Decor Ideas
Superman grew up in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas. But just across the eastern border of the state in Joplin, Missouri, lives a real man of steel. For Bill Perry, who owns a steel manufacturing facility, steel is his life. So when it came time to design his family’s single-level home, he knew just the material to use heavily.
Appropriately named Heavy Metal, Perry’s home features steel extensively inside and out. Gavin Snider of Hufft Projects, which designed the home, says Perry’s intimate involvement, ambition and creative spirit are what made the design possible. Maybe a little superpower, too?
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Joplin, Missouri
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms
Team: Architectural and interior design: Hufft Projects; landscape design: 40North; lighting design: Derek Porter Studio
Photography by Andrew Fabin
Although its geometric form is in stark contrast to the fluidity of its natural setting, the home’s layout establishes strong connections to nature. A link to nature from each interior space was one of Perry’s requirements. Another was flow. He wanted a single level that he could easily move through, from living space to office to photography studio.
Living up to its Heavy Metal name, the home has abundant steel. “Steel was introduced as an element to add a level of interest and texture from the inside out,” says Snider. Two hundred panels, each 4 feet by 9 feet, wrap the perimeter. The panels are untreated, left to rust to a warm patina, as seen in this view of the front facade.
The decision to embrace oxidation was arrived at during the design process. Snider recalls that the notion of the home’s changing over time especially appealed to Perry.
Some of the steel panels are solid, while others are perforated. The perforated panels are strategically located to minimize sun and heat gain as well as maximize privacy from the exterior.
This nighttime view of the front facade shows how the perforated steel skin becomes visually porous, offering an altogether different look from that during the daytime.
Snider says the level of openness on the perforated steel screens varies depending on what’s behind the panel — a wall, window, private room or public room. Perry’s manufacturing company, Cardinal Detecto, punched all of the steel panels from digital files that Hufft Projects generated.
In addition to the vertical screen panels on the exterior, a series of cold-rolled-steel screens cantilever from the roof to create shading on the home’s south facade.
To vary the amount of shading, the screens fold in half. When fully open, their shape and size mirror (and cool) the reflecting koi ponds just below.
Hufft Projects and lighting designer Derek Porter Studio masterfully integrated lighting in the space between the steel panels and the glass to provide ambient light for the rooms, but also to illuminate a linear strip of the adjacent landscape.
Although steel abounds inside, the vibe isn’t cold. Ample natural light pours through the floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a rhythmic connection to the exterior courtyard.
The home’s horizontal thrust is continued on the ceiling of the open-plan living room with warm-toned ¾-inch tongue and groove walnut planks. Hard lines and surfaces are softened by textures that appeal to the senses: thick area rugs, leather pieces and textile-covered seating, which were provided by the client.
The home was intentionally finished in a neutral palette to create a gallery-like setting. Perry’s collection of artwork pops against the white, ultrasmooth (level-5) gypsum-finish walls.
Polished natural concrete floors offer subtle textural mottling while reflecting light.
Wall paint: Super White in flat finish, Benjamin Moore
As with the exterior steel panels, Perry’s company fabricated the kitchen cabinetry, hood and concrete cast countertop.
The gunmetal kitchen cabinets are galvanized hot-rolled steel with a clear-coat finish over an MDF substrate. A testament to its rich, variegated color, no two are alike. Integrated edge pulls maintain minimalist simplicity without the need for additional hardware.
Borders of river rock were selectively introduced throughout the home to bridge the indoors and outdoors. This gallery hall leads to the master suite.
A blackened steel master bed and nightstand float off a walnut-clad wall and over another river rock border. Lighting controls were integrated into the nightstand for a clean look.
A large rock was placed in the center of the master shower as a seat (to invite a re-creation of Rodin’s sculpture “The Thinker”?) Snider explains that Perry wanted a seat for showering, one that felt natural. “Since the shower also extends outdoors, the rock was a perfect addition to the interior,” he says.
Perforated blackened steel panels make for a delightfully spare shower wall and flooring. Water drains through the holes to a floor drain below.
A mirror and a glass wall are suspended in front of a precast concrete wall to provide reflections of the exterior water feature and courtyard from the master bath sink. Walnut veneers on the sink apron add a touch of natural warmth and texture.
An elegant wall of rift-cut walnut built-in cabinetry in the master bathroom keeps things tidy to honor the home’s simplicity.
More: 5 Places to Love Corrugated Metal in Your House
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