See A Newport Beach Dwelling For A Musically-Inclined Family

Cadence, resonance, flow, movement—some of the same elements that make a popular song so catchy easily apply to a well-designed dwelling. And for this Newport Beach residence, conceived for homeowners with a passion for music, dance, performance arts and entertaining, architect Eric Olsen and designers David John Dick and Krista Schrock made sure to hit just the right beat. “The architecture has a rustic edge that feels kind of rock ‘n’ roll, kind of John Varvatos,” muses Dick, gesturing to the home’s rugged limestone and cedar—materials repeated both inside and out. “But in a good juxtaposition, many of the furnishings and fabrics are soft and light. As you enter, you immediately see how those notes pull together.”

The home’s song of textures and materials is one that Olsen, Dick and Schrock collectively composed. “Bringing the exterior stone inside is something I love to do that Krista and David ran with very collaboratively,” points out the architect of the limestone, which is dry-stacked for a modern yet organic look. It’s a masonry technique rarely utilized in the area, Olsen notes; he also topped the residence with a corrugated-zinc roof—another unexpected touch that speaks to the owners’ desire for a distinctive home. And as their property enjoys Back Bay and Newport Center views rather than ocean panoramas, the architect envisioned a layout that highlights those distinctive vistas. “There’s so much depth and dimension in this lot, which you don’t get a lot of in Newport, so I accentuated the moment of coming through the gate and being able to look across the courtyard, through the great room and across the pool and backyard to that unique view,” he describes. A wall of glass on one side of the great room then opens completely, framing those sight lines and allowing for effortless movement out to the pool area.

While the neighborhood’s 14-foot height restriction necessitated the dwelling’s low-slung build—“You get a sort of midcentury modern vibe because the slope of the roof had to be very low,” Olsen explains—the architect, joined by general contractor Ross Savage and his team, was able to dig down, creating what’s essentially a two-story home that’s partially buried. The interiors are arranged around a courtyard that includes an open sunken atrium, which ensures that the subterranean spaces ringing it are as sunlit and welcoming as those at ground level. See the lower-level music room, for instance, where oak paneling sets off the husband’s guitar collection on one wall and glass spans the opposite. “It’s a space that sits below grade but doesn’t feel like a basement, because there’s a 30-foot wall of windows and you can see the sky,” comments Dick.

Indeed, seeing the sky and connecting back to the outdoors, again and again, is a defining characteristic of the architecture. “Eric calls it ‘the meandering house,’ ” jokes the wife. “Everything opens up, and we’ll just meander from downstairs to outdoors and then up and in through the kitchen.” Spaces like the covered loggia just off the great room inspire that sort of casual transition as well: The airy exterior living area is both a gathering zone and an indoor-outdoor passage to a guest casita.

To underscore that fluid flow, the interior designers not only highlighted the exterior material palette that flows seamlessly inside, but spun off the home’s rougher, more rustic elements with moments of contrast and color. Schrock points to the home’s lighter hues—the bone-and-lavender leather front of a credenza prominently displayed the great room, the faded shades of vintage rugs—which soften all the wood and stone. Swirls of marble used in the kitchen and the floral wallcovering of the wife’s office also offer a delicate departure from the harder materials. Unexpected shapes play off the lines of the architecture as well, from the living area’s V-shaped sectional to the curvilinear brass fixture that dangles over the dining area’s table. The homeowners’ three sons and their friends often gravitate toward the media room, an atmospheric lower-level hangout complete with neon signage, while the music room sounds its own bass tone with dark green sofas, 1970s leather loungers, a deep pile rug and even a pillow depicting Mick Jagger, all of which nod to the heyday of classic rock. “This house is so multifaceted for everything we want to do: jam sessions, social events, business meetings, hosting our kids’ friends. We feel very lucky at how thoughtfully it was designed,” concludes the husband. And that’s one review that’s simply note-perfect.