My Houzz: A Home Filled With Warm Memories of Travel
http://www.decor-ideas.org 12/28/2014 04:13 Decor Ideas
An obsession with tulips sent fine-art and documentary photographer Rudi Dundas on a photographic journey from the Hortus Bulborum bulb library in Limmen, the Netherlands, to the Tien Shan mountains in Kazakhstan, where tulips originated. She was in Kazakhstan for the tulips, but she also ended up taking photos of the people. Those portraits were seen by the people at Peet’s Coffee, who asked her to go to Rwanda to photograph sustainable farmers. Since then Dundas has been working with nonprofits, such as the Blue Planet Network, whose mandate is to deal with water issues and to improve sanitation worldwide.
The portraits Dundas has taken on her travels to places such as Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi and Ethiopia line the walls of her elegant home in Northern California. The fabrics and artifacts that she has picked up along the way blend with family antiques, making her home as warm and rich as her signature portrait photography.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Rudi Dundas, David Scott and their Chihuahuas, Coco and Machu
Location: Marin County, California
Size: 2,600 square feet (242 square meters); 3 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Year built: 1912
The large main room of Dundas’ house is split between the living room and the kitchen. A row of windows looks out to the pool and the hills beyond.
Sofas, chairs, floor lamps, coffee table: Restoration Hardware; black and white photo above doors: Elisabeth Sunday
The West African masks were collected by Dundas’ partner, David Scott, who grew up in Kenya and has traveled all around Africa.
Qashqai rug: family antique; photograph over mantel: Michael Garlington; photograph next to fireplace: Bryan David Griffith
The couple’s photography collection is showcased throughout the house. Many pictures were taken by photographers who have also spent time in Africa.
Trio of still life photographs: Sharon Beals; monkey photograph: Anne Berry Studio
Vaulted ceilings in the main room allowed for tall cabinets in the kitchen. An island separates the kitchen from the living room.
Kitchen remodel: David Rivera; floor: Wingers Erection; stools: Restoration Hardware
The dining table has the best view in the house, looking out to the lap pool and the hills beyond it.
Table, chairs, light fixture: Restoration Hardware
Portraits that Dundas took on her travels sit above a row of bookcases by Wingers Erection.
The warm color on the walls mimics the warm skin tones that dominate in Dundas’ photo printing style.
Two antique armchairs are positioned in front of a fireplace. The armchairs, tables, rug and stools are family antiques.
A cozy alcove lined with silk pillows is one of the most used spots in the house.
Pillows: Cost Plus World Market
The entry is flanked by two wooden gryphons (griffins) that the previous owners left behind. The house is referred to as the Gryphon House.
A reliquary (container for relics) sits at the top of the entrance stairwell. This one holds sacred souvenirs, including a skull, a fertility doll and a meteor from Peru; opium weights from China; and a blowfish from the Bahamas.
Reliquary: Wingers Erection; display case glass: Avalon Glass Works
The den contains a television and is also a great place for storing board games.
Ottoman, pillows: Cost Plus World Market; portrait photographs: Rudi Dundas; Buddha: family antique
A compact powder room includes an exquisite little sink with a patterned metal apron that hides the drainpipe.
Mirror: family antique
There’s a small balcony off the master bedroom.
Furniture: family antiques
An ornate stone mantel surrounds the master bedroom fireplace.
Photograph above fireplace: Ben Nixon
The master bathroom includes two walk-in closets and an additional room big enough for a small desk.
Photograph near tub: Joyce Tenneson
The view from the living room and kitchen includes Mount Tamalpais.
Pool, stonework: Riptide Construction
The pool is cleaned with ultraviolet light, and the water is solar heated as it is pumped onto the roof. “The black tubing, which winds along the roof, is always much hotter than the air, so the sun warms it as it circulates,” Dundas says.
Dundas is seen here with her two long-haired Chihuahuas. Though tulips may have been the starting point for the trip to Kazakhstan, in the end, she says, “what really grabbed me were the people, living in a very bleak climate but adapting with such nobility and grace. And the solutions they came up with to overcome their hardships were amazing.”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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