Brooke Hortenstine and Rachael Abrams. Photography Ka Yeung.
- Posted:
- May 07, 2012
On a block in Preston Hollow, where original ’50s-style ranches coexist with looming new builder manses, the only commonality Ana Seyffert’s dwelling shares with the adjacent homes is a street name. You may recognize her corner lot — the frontage is a conspicuous one: The jutting green-hued contemporary structure boasts screaming red aluminum bicycles by Mexican artist Ariel Rojo on the left of the lawn; a water focal point similar to a wading pool runs along the entire length of the home; and the eight-foot-tall electric yellow Cellocia Borunda sculpture by Sebastian blooms to the right of the mammoth glass front door. “It’s about choosing things you can live with,” says Seyffert, “and not being afraid to try new things.” Fear is a word that is noticeably absent from this Mexico City transplant’s creative lexicon. As an interior designer who is co-owner of Spun Creative Group, a company she started with her graphic-designing daughters Natalia Saenz-Duran and Tatiana Saenz-Camu, Seyffert tests the most unusual products found on the design market in her own home first — envision white faux-crocodile leather tiles as flooring in her master bath or the powder room’s three-foot faucet that extends from the center of the mirror down into the basin. “How do you tell your clients to do something you haven’t tried?” she questions. Her risk-taking theory is evident in her remodeled 5,589 square-foot house that has 22-foot-tall kitchen ceilings, Danby marble-encased cooking surfaces, a two-ton steel central staircase and a steel-and-wood cantilevered poolside grill canopy that weighs more than a GMC Denali. With 33 windows and an exterior as well-hewn as her living areas, Seyffert’s affinity for natural light and concentration on outdoor spaces have won her copious national awards, such as the Spark Modern Fires Design Competition. “She likes to push engineering boundaries,” says her contractor, Joe Shannon of Veritas Developers, who oversaw the two-year renovation of what once upon a colorless time was one of those original and inconspicuous ’50s ranches.
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Conversation Pit: Surrounding a low pedestal with built-in fire element are deep, woven chairs by Zuo Modern, and pillows covered in Sunbrella fabric. The pool fountain is crafted of limestone and stainless steel. Eight Vazon planters by KuL Designs from Positive Space line the deck.
A Step Up: The two-ton stainless steel staircase overhangs a GLO drop-pendant light from Leucos.
Bedecked: Tangerine-colored Sixinch chairs from Positive Space share the poolside deck with glazed ringed cylinder tables from Ceramic Furniture Collection, available at Seasonal Living. Sebastian’s vibrant-yellow Columna Amarilla sculpture is to the right.
Cocina Espectacular: Kitchen counters and Viking and Sub-Zero appliances are encased with white Danby marble. Faucets are Dornbracht. Contrast Lighting pendant lights are from The Lighting Alliance. Philippe Starck’s Emeco Icon Barstools.
Organic Fare: Hannes Wettstein’s Hola white-leather dining-room chairs for Cassina are from Scott + Cooner and surround the Live Edge Design dining table, fashioned from fallen trees. Light Bubbles rectangular pendant light by Prospetto is from Lights Fantastic. The EcoSmart Firebox XL fireplace with stainless-steel lining is set into a Norstone stacked stone wall.
Metal Pedals: Mexico City artist Ariel Rojo’s Rack Bici sculptures seem to spin across the lawn.Literary illumination: Natural light via the glass front door flows through bookshelf wall into Seyffert’s office.
Abuelita Fabulosa: Centered in her grandchildren’s playroom are a table and chairs from Unica Home. The trunk-style storage cabinets are Seyffert’s own creation. Retro kitchen oven, tea set and tea cart from Pottery Barn Kids. A pair of Kartell Cindy lamps flank a black cabinet housing a murphy bed from Old Creek Wall Bed Factory.
Where the Wild Things Are: Ceramic animal busts from Two’s Company watch over an heirloom chair reupholstered in zebra-printed cowhide.
El Hombre: Olivia Guzmán’s Aliento sculpture.
Working Order: In Seyffert’s office, a Neptune pendant lamp by Prospetto for Lightolier is above a table and bench from West Elm, and a pair of Sixinch banana-yellow chairs from Positive Space. Sliding bookcase ladder from Bartels.
