San Diego Magazine /  January 2009 /  Luxe on the Lanai

Luxe on the Lanai

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Luxe on the Lanai

A bayside Henry Hester home grows up—along with the family in it

BY JILL ESTERBROOKS PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES BRADY

AFTER WEATHERING NEARLY 20 YEARS of whitewashed wood, overstuffed rattan furniture and tropical-theme silk fabrics, Gail and Bob Lichter decided it was time for their Mission Bay beach pad to “grow up” and return to its more sophisticated mid-century modernist roots. A recent tidal wave of remodeling and redecorating—including all-new mahogany doors, windows and cabinetry, curb-to-sand stone flooring and custom-designed rugs and furnishings—is washing ashore a new era of luxe on the lanai.

Not that the Lichters wanted to abandon the home’s spacious and breezy ambience that reminded them of a Hawaiian vacation resort. After all, this home served them well through two decades of raising children and entertaining San Diego’s top echelon of business, civic and social leaders at annual bayside parties.

“Our house has always been about comfort and function,” says Bob Lichter, former CEO of John Burnham & Company and founder and current president of Lichter Venture Group. “Sandy feet are still allowed.”

The house rules may be relaxed, but this architectural landmark, with its dramatic 25-foot copper fireplaces and towering interior stone columns, is miles away from the laid-back bungalows of nearby South Mission Beach. The Lichters worked closely with local interior designer Patrick Lee to make the most of the home’s pedigree and panache by creating what Gail Lichter calls a “townhouse on the bay."

“We’re still very informal and family-oriented,” she says, lifting the lid of a big woven basket in the living room that hides her grandchildren’s books and toys. “But over time, our lifestyle and fashion preferences have matured.”

Designed by famed San Diego architect Henry H. Hester, the two-story home—with its clean lines and broad floor-to-ceiling windows and doors—has been a prestigious residence since it was built in the 1960s for J. Floyd Andrews, the one-time CEO of PSA Airlines. “At that time, San Diego was not well known for its modern architecture, but Floyd and his wife May had a rebel reputation, and this was considered quite the avant-garde party place,” says Gail, a frequent hostess of casual gatherings and formal fund-raising galas.

The Lichters purchased the 5,000-square foot bayfront manse just east of the Catamaran Hotel from the Andrewses in 1989, abandoning their bluff-top, ocean-view La Jolla home for the calm water, warm sand and aquatic adventures of Mission Bay.

“We’re big water sports people and always wanted to get back here,” says Gail. The couple first met and frequently played at Mission Bay, and they still have a storage shed overflowing with paddleboards and kayaks. “In La Jolla, we’d look out at night and see nothing but black water. Here, you see everything and everybody!”

When they first took ownership of the home some 20 years ago, their design desire was to make it a more kid-friendly environment by weaving in splashes of tropical color, “feet up” furnishings and even a giant saltwater aquarium. This time around, a witty and urbane interior design emerges.

“It’s still based on an upscale tropical theme, but with a more elegant edge and sophisticated feel,” says Lee, who worked with the Lichters on the first renovation project and also crafted interior schemes for their five-year-old desert dwelling. “We’ve remained true to the original footprint and overall spirit, but updated the home with a sleek look as fresh as an ocean breeze blowing through a five-star Balinese resort,” he adds with a beatific smile.

Indeed, a gentle trade wind flows through the dramatic atrium entryway and into the grand living spaces that command a panoramic view from the shores of La Jolla to the coastline of Baja Mexico. Visitors are often mesmerized by the stunning vistas of the glimmering bay and San Diego skyline, which are complemented by South Seas–tinged island art and accents throughout the home.

With disappearing doors and windows installed on the expansive southwest-facing walls and removal of the iconic but “impractical and view-blocking” outdoor spiral staircase, the latest remodel made the back of the house even more accessible and inviting, says Gail. Now the main living and entertaining spaces have free-flowing access to the oversized outdoor lanai, delightfully decked with durable Holly Hunt furniture and lounges, an outdoor fireplace and big screen television, razor-edge pool with shallow wading area and lush lawn adorned with sculpture art. Only a clear Plexiglas fence separates the space from the bay-shore walkway.

ONE OF THE MAJOR entertainment hubs of the tall, linear-designed home is the lavish living room, which boasts two stylishly appointed sitting areas. The other is the less formal family area, where an outdated pool table was replaced by a glamorous Holly Hunt–designed leather game table, and chairs and oversized upholstered couches by J. Robert Scott.

Understated elegance and cozy conviviality radiate from every sun-splashed room, thanks to the defining design elements of warm, natural porphyry stone floors embedded with fossils. Sapelli mahogany woodwork lends a dramatic dark patina—the wood was hand-picked by Bob, a lifelong boating enthusiast who also considered teak.

“Replacing the old floor tiles, which were the same ones that lined the PSA terminal, with light stone floors really helped drive all the other decorating decisions and dictated the sea-and-sand tones,” says Lee.

The other focus was to “ratchet up the fixtures and furnishings” by filling the house with designer and custom pieces. Silk mohair Dakota Jackson dining room chairs surround the custom glass-top table. Lee designed the wave-inspired area rugs and had them handmade in Tibet.

Some of the decorative artworks, such as the East Asian brass tray and Zen Balinese masks and statues, were handed down from the original owners because they “harmonized so perfectly with the architecture,” says Lee. Other pieces have been lovingly added over the years by the well-traveled Lichters.

“My art tastes tend to be either animal or plant in nature,” says Gail, pointing to the bright-colored impressionist-style portrait of a Portuguese water dog (like their pooch Timber) that hangs over the family room’s fireplace mantel.

Old or new, classic or kitschy, says Lee, “All of these elements add up to make their home feel like it’s both modern contemporary and timeless traditional.”

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Resources

Contractor: Schenk Building Company, 858-459-9791
Custom wool carpeting: Wurt's Carpet Outlet, 619-299-0300
Custom wall covering installation: Michael Baughman, 760-945-7169