30atom

ic-ranch.comSPRING 2016

SPRING 2016atom

icranch

31

Just Ad

d A

rtA well-planned remodel,

vibrant color and anincredible art collectionbrought this home back

to its original glory.

text| Sarah Jane Stone images

| Dan Chavkin

neighborhood of Palm Springs, Robert Shiell describes his

home as a classic, quintessential A

lexander home.

The house

was

originally com

pleted by

Krisel and

Palmer architects in 1959 and w

as built by the Alexander

Com

pany. After purchasing the hom

e, Robert restored itback to its original footprint w

ith the help of Architect

Lance C. O

’Donnell, A

IA, Principal of o2 A

rchitecture, andC

raig M

. H

amm

ond, A

ssoc. A

IA,

Design

Director

ofH

amm

ond Habitat D

esign Studio. In his desire to honorthe intended floor plan, he actually reduced the housefrom

a 300-square-foot addition completed by a previous

owner. This addition had extended the living room

, butcaused the breezew

ay to be lost. Robert reestablished thebreezew

ay and converted the garage back to a carport.“The house originally had tw

o bedrooms and tw

o baths,but som

eone added a third bath,” he said.

Located

in the Vista La

s Palm

as

ROB

ERT’S ART IS SA

FEGU

ARD

ED A

RT BY U

V

WIN

DO

WS. H

E HA

D SU

NB

RELLA C

OVERS

MA

DE TO

CO

VER THE A

RT DU

RING

THE

STINTS W

HEN

HE LEA

VES TO SPEN

D TIM

E

IN H

IS LOS A

NG

ELES HO

ME.

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SPRING 2016

After 27 years as an attorney w

orking in children’s law and

representing social workers for the C

ity of Los Angeles,

Robert retired. He now

manages properties and focuses on

his passion for collecting art. “I caught the art collecting bugin early college years,” Robert says. In renovating the PalmSprings hom

e, Robert paid special attention to the walls—

ensuring that he would be able to display art on every w

alland specifically arranging lighting to show

case his collection.

FINDING “THE ONE” “M

y house in LA is from

1926 and is English storybook-like,but I’ve alw

ays had a bug for and interest in midcentury

style.” With a piquing interest in m

idcentury architecture,Robert w

ent on a Palm Springs hom

e tour that profiled mid-

century homes and attended M

odernism W

eek. “I had been looking for a w

hile and wanted a hom

e by anoted architect. In m

y neighborhood the primary architect

was Krisel and Palm

er—there are also a few

by Charles

Dubois.” Robert w

as drawn to the neighborhood due to its

high concentration of midcentury hom

es. “I didn’t want a

home that w

as too damaged—

I definitely wanted good

bones.” In April 2013, just tw

o weeks after retiring, Robert

was the first person to see the house, and he m

ade an offerw

ithin a few hours. In D

ecember 2013, the dem

olition andrenovation began.

THE TASK LISTA

mong the m

ost pressing items on Robert’s renovation list

was that fact that the hom

e needed insulation and that theplum

bing and piping was in need of repair and updating.

Despite this being Robert’s first tim

e taking on the renova-tion of a residence, he w

as determined to do everything

right. “In projects like these things are often underestimated.

I wanted to do the m

ost quality work w

ith the long-term of

the home in m

ind,” he said. D

espite the reduction of the home’s square footage, som

eareas inside w

ere updated to offer more breathing room

.“The once-claustrophobic m

aster bathroom w

as renovatedto feel far m

ore spacious by raising the ceiling, inserting aclerestory w

indow, and creating an outdoor show

er, therebyrenew

ing the home’s indoor/outdoor connection,” architect

Craig M

. Ham

mond says.

ROB

ERT HA

S JOIN

ED TH

E PALM

SPRING

S

ART M

USEU

M, A

ND

IN M

ARC

H TH

E CO

UN

CIL

WILL VISIT H

IS HO

ME TO

SEE THE A

RT.

“I have a killer view—it was one of the draw-ins along with the bones— I couldn’t top this.”