Modernist style

From concept to completion, this project walked a narrow path between the modernist inclinations of the homeowners and the traditional surroundings in which their property was situated, notes watershaper and landscape designer Kevin Fleming. But that stylistic balancing act was easy to manage, he says, compared to executing the project’s fine details, including walls that seem to float in space, a complex hardscape plan and a seamless all-glass-tile finish.

Softly Modern

When used to classify a design style, the term “modern” can carry many meanings. From the soaring, audacious forms of Frank Gehry and the sweeping organic spaces of John Lautner to the hard rectilinear shapes of Le Corbusier and the gem-like transparency of Mies van der Rohe, modernism is truly a broad conceptual umbrella. That sprawling diversity leaves designers and their clients with lots of wiggle room to get things done, but even so there can be challenges – as in the case depicted here, where the clients' desire for