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A young family brings a mid-century masterpiece to the beach
It took a team of 10 craftsmen eight months to shape, sand, stain and assemble the 360 sapele boards that make up Marc and Kerrie Ozarski’s front gate. Each 8-foot-long board was customordered from New York, then shipped to this former cottage in Crown Point. Like a veil of lace, the gate adds a sense of mystery to the house—spanning the front elevation and hinting at something out of the ordinary within.
“I’m inspired by textiles,” architect Hector Magnus says of the gate he designed to also act as a screen, like fingers intertwined around a surprise. “I love weave, and I love texture, so I’ve always found a way to incorporate them into my projects, wheth - er in stone or wood.”
Partner at Architects Magnus, a Mission Hills firm shared with his architect wife Pam, Hector believes modern architecture can be livable. Plain geometric forms don’t have to be cold. And simplicity of detail doesn’t have to be boring. Modern design, he says, is about fresh, sustainable, honest use of natural materials—“a way to clear the clutter.” The Ozarskis’ gate, he adds, “allows each material to sing on its own, so we were able to stick with very simple, humble materials.”
For the young homeowners about to embark on their first remodel, however, the appeal wasn’t as straightforward.
“I remember the first conceptual drawing looking like something stripy,” attorney Marc says. “I was very intimidated by it."
The couple turned to Patrick Lee, longtime interior designer for Kerrie’s family, who took one look at the drawing and said, “This separates the men from the boys. You would be crazy not to do it."
And with that advice, the Ozarskis began their journey to a new home and newfound admiration for modern design. Their goals were simple at first: Expand the 700-square-foot cottage, create a livable home suited to entertaining and their growing family (Kerrie was pregnant with their first child), open up as many rooms as possible to the outdoors, and save the 60-year-old ficus in the backyard.
“I also wanted a master tub that I could fit in,” jokes Kerrie, a real estate manager who became much more involved in the process after letting go of their contractor. “Marc and I ended up acting as the builder-contractor, and we learned so much throughout the process. We had to be here every day, so it wasn’t easy, but when the roof started coming together, I thought, ‘This isn’t going to be your average house. This is going to be cool.' "
Cool is an understatement for this mid-century masterpiece, where every room, every angle was taken into account.
The gate opens to reveal two buildings connected by a second-story walkway. The garage and office/guestroom make up one side of the home, while the main living areas and bedrooms are on the other. By separating the buildings, the architects created a view corridor from the backyard to the bay, further accentuated by a ceiling made with ex - otic khaya planks. The canopy overhang creates the feel of a tropical lanai, directing prevailing western breezes across the second-story windows and shading the expanse of glass from southern exposure.
“Designing that corridor was a brilliant concept because now there’s light throughout the house all the time,” Patrick says. “With the way the light travels, it’s like living in a tree house that honors the view.
” It was very important to Kerrie that the house not seem cold. “I didn’t want people’s voices to echo when they walked into the house,” she says. She worked with Patrick to create “enough elbow room” while keeping the modern house warm. A front lounge provides space for adults to enjoy wine, while the family room and basement—another uncommon feature— allow for kid-size fun.
“We started with the rug in the family room, handmade of Tibetan silken wool,” Patrick says. “All interior colors had to honor the architecture, so for the custom pieces, we went with woods like sapele that would work well with the architectural doors and windows.”
As she did throughout the proc - ess, when designing the kitchen, Kerrie concerned herself with details that would affect their everyday life. “Marc and I were up late at night just making a list of all our stuff,” she says. “I asked questions like ‘Where’s the Tupperware going to go?’ ”
Today, the heart of the house doesn’t just have room for Tupperware, it also has two Miele wall ovens to anchor it. The team worked with Arclinea to create a space with appropriate functionality yet sensibility in design. An expansive island serves as a buffet table, a gathering spot for friends and family and a cook’s station with a Gaggenau five-burner range and high-tech downdraft.
Kerrie got not only the tub she requested but a master suite with hisand- hers closets, a view of the bay and an expansive deck with a Jacuzzi. “At one point we thought about filling the deck with sand and calling it the beach,” she says. But with a fresh take on modern living and a cool new house just steps to Mission Bay, the Ozarskis already have all the sand and sun they could want.
Photography By: Gary Payne
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