Deconstructed Integrity

This groundbreaking Phoenix loft merges form, function and sustainability for a space that's simplicity personified. 

An electronics industry pioneer and his spouse worked with architect Mark Ryan to recreate their Central Avenue loft in Phoenix to represent the entrepreneur's talents, ideals and personality. In addition to innovation and sustainability, Ryan imagined the kitchen as part of an overall concept blurring furniture and architecture into one open footprint with the comfortable nuances of shelter, without any feelings of confinement. "This is a place where he brings clients and prospective clients to help them understand what he's about," says Ryan. "It had to show that he is innovative and progressive in his thinking."

Ryan used biodegradable, thermally coated 14-ply plywood (double the thickness of typical plywood) traditionally used for casting concrete, to form two large boxes from which he then 'carved out' spaces that merge form and function. The bedroom, for example, with its low ceiling, is in actuality, the bed. The kitchen displays a similar degree of integration. Kitchen cabinets with a generous depth of 15 inches, open and close with a touch, and visually merge with the wall panels of the living room. Exposed fasteners and rough-grain edges add detail to the deconstructed, minimalist aesthetic. A bowl and drainboard were cast directly into the concrete counter, and a steel bar with stools provides a relieving variation in materials along with the glass front of Sub-Zero wine refrigeration, Wolf range, and steel range hood. The simple, natural materials like raw steel and the original concrete floors will patina over time.

Integration capability allows the Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer to blend seamlessly into the paneling and its Energy Star rating matches the performance of the home's state-of-the-art entertainment and home management systems. The Wolf 36-inch gas range merges superb functionality with ease of use, allowing the homeowner's personality to shine through when cooking for his guests. Like the rest of this revolutionary loft, it sends exactly the right message—without saying a word.