Interior designer Gianpiero Gaglione discusses how he transformed a close-knit family’s spacious, ultracontemporary home into one that matches the warmth of its surroundings.
Would you share your design background?
I graduated from Middlesex University with a degree in furniture design, and my first job was with a lighting company, where I crafted small-scale fixtures. Then I worked with a furniture-design business in the UK, which exposed me to a range of different styles and allowed me to develop my skills in turning rough images into products. I later designed for an agency called MBDS and have traveled to places like Singapore, New York, Hong Kong, and India for various design projects.
Once I moved to LA, I started working with designer Kelly Wearstler but eventually moved on to form my own interior design firm. I’m now coming up on my sixth year in business, and I’ve been very proud of our work. I’ve learned that, as a designer, I can affect the entire experience of a space. It’s so satisfying to find and create products that execute my clients’ visions.
Tell us about the home in this project and your approach to its design:
The house was designed by Steven Kent, a very particular and detail-oriented architect. The house is super contemporary and makes a strong statement with its huge windows, large, open plan, and immaculate minimalist aspects. For example, most of the lighting is recessed canned fixtures, and there are no door jambs in the house; the doors are flush with the walls and tall enough to reach the ceiling, which makes for beautiful vistas without hinges or any other visual clutter.
Additionally, this home sits on a triangular plot of land on a hill that’s surrounded by green space. It was designed in a linear way so that every bedroom faces the ocean and has a wonderful view. They feel like individual suites with their own bathrooms, walk-in closets, and balconies.
The clients are a couple with adult kids who have moved away, but they wanted a home that would entice their children to come back and visit. They also prefer more lived-in, Anglophile, and traditional-style decor. So as I learned more about them, I realized that I had to bridge their preferences with what would feel right for the architectural surroundings.
How did you execute this goal?
When architects like Kent create very contemporary spaces, they don’t want a designer to toss a load of details inside it that mess with their vision and throw off its energy. That’s why our work was delicate.
Starting with the materials, I chose ones that appear calm and inviting to take the edge off and make the spaces feel comfortable without the need for excessive decor. There are no shiny materials—each one is slightly worn. For example, the kitchen counters have a rough, leathered finish, and in the bedrooms, the sheets are Parachute linens and the beds are upholstered in Matouk Schumacher linen, all of which appear neutral but soothing. Meanwhile, the bedroom rugs are all soft Swedish wool by Kasthall, and the living room one is by Erik Lindström.
I also took great care with the colors. Take that living room rug, which is slightly green to tie in with the other greens in the space and make everything feel cozy. The leather bookshelf in that room is olive green, and the Flexform sofa is a complementary dove gray. Because they match the plant life outside the windows, the resulting look is cohesive and relaxing. I’m very pleased with how that worked out.
Besides the interiors, I had control over the furnishings in the outdoor spaces like the patio and balconies. Everything is white, which feels clean and fresh. When you stand at the lower end of the property, it looks striking with the matching umbrellas, exterior paint, and furniture on each balcony.
Which room in the house ended up being your favorite?
I’d have to say the primary bedroom. It’s massive, so I was tasked with filling the space without overwhelming it with too much furniture. Again, we didn’t want to create clutter, so we scaled up the decor to eat into all that space. The bedside table lamps are huge—about thirty inches tall and eighteen inches in diameter—and the bed by Design Quest Custom is over sixteen feet wide. I’m happy with how spacious yet comfortable the room feels, and I especially love the seating ledge by the fireplace because it’s large but decorated to look cozy.
What is the key to bridging comfort with a contemporary feel?
It’s essential to have small vignettes, or pockets of intimacy, throughout the house, like a comfortable bench in the foyer or a small seating area in the bedroom. These spaces make you feel at home and invite you to enjoy them with others.
Neatness is also essential. In this home, we were always careful to maintain a tidy appearance. The bar area in the kitchen, for instance, has cabinets that help conceal all the goods stocked there, and the retractable blinds in the living room help create shade but can also be raised to sit flush with the ceiling.
There is a lot of community space in the house we designed, so although it’s very modern and clean, it never feels unwelcoming. I think the clients are going to be very successful in enticing their kids back to visit. I’d love to live there myself!
For more info, visit gg-id.com
Whether twirled at the end of a fork or scooped up with a soup spoon, pasta has been practically synonymous with comfort food for centuries. And with the help of these recipes courtesy of the Pasta Night cookbook, you can create dishes boasting authentic Mediterranean taste right in your own kitchen.
Nothing’s as satisfying as soup, especially this hearty Italian version featuring ham, beans, fresh herbs, and a velvety, tomatoey broth.
An enchanting combination of cheese, tomatoes, and almonds makes this classic Sicilian dish a true winner.
Recipes excerpted from Pasta Night by Deborah Kaloper. © Smith Street Books 2022. Photography by Emily Weaving.
Serves 4–6
Serves 4–6
Most people have items they no longer use and aren’t sure what to do with. Whether it’s clothing that no longer fits, dated furniture that needs replacing, or old sports equipment, books, toys, or household items, these belongings can take up valuable space in your home. However, you don’t need to let them go to waste. Here are some tips to help you reduce the mess in a responsible and ethical way.
You can free up room in your closet by selling any gently used clothes. Consider taking them to a consignment shop or posting them on websites such as ThredUp and Facebook Marketplace for regular items, Poshmark for mid-to-high-end brands, and the RealReal for pricier luxury pieces. (Note that some of these sites charge a fee to sell on their platform.) Ensure that your clothing is clean and in good condition, and always take good photos and provide accurate descriptions, including the brand, size, and condition. If selling feels like too much effort and hassle, you could always donate them to a shelter, nonprofit organization, or community center.
Do you have a library of books you no longer need or want? If so, you can sell them online for extra cash to a vendor like World of Books, which purchases hardback and paperback books, children’s books, and even used textbooks. If you would rather donate, many libraries, schools, and day care centers welcome pre-owned books in good condition.
Many consignment shops will take furniture and other home goods if they’re in decent condition. This can be a great way to unload your old pieces and make some money at the same time. If your goal is to donate them, you can contact an organization like Habitat for Humanity or GreenDrop, which will usually pick them up to ensure that they go to people in need.
If you have usable outdated electronics, you could donate them or sell them for a profit at a yard sale or on sites like Craigslist and eBay. Even if they’re no longer working, you can sell them for parts since many people use spare parts to repair other devices. You can also give them to a tech recycling program, which will dispose of them properly.
There are many ways to find a new home for the old sports equipment filling your garage or basement. Whether you choose to sell your wares to a secondhand sporting goods store like Play It Again Sports or SidelineSwap, donate them to your local athletic organization, or gift them to someone who will use them, it can be a win-win for everyone involved.
For items that aren’t in good enough condition to resell or donate, contact your town’s recycling department to learn how to dispose of them sustainably or take them to a reputable and ethical recycling center—just inquire first about what items they will not accept. This will help ensure that your unwanted stuff doesn’t end up in a landfill.
At one point or another, you may have noticed a leaky faucet, slightly drafty window, or chipped paint on your home’s exterior trim and thought, No big deal. I’ll just take care of it later. Too often, though, later never comes. And one day, you realize that you’re now facing severe water damage, windows that are falling out, or extensive wood rot. That’s often the reality of delaying home maintenance: what starts off as a small issue quickly turns into a bigger one that costs you more money in the long run.
Many problems in your home don’t just happen overnight; rather, they are the result of slow degradation over a longer period of time. Think of a small crack in your foundation. You aren’t sure where it came from, but it seems relatively harmless, so you push it to the back of your mind. However, it might be due to a leaky gutter that caused water to pool next to an exterior wall every time it rained, leading the soil to gradually erode, your foundation to shift, and the crack to appear. That’s bad enough on its own, but because none of those issues were addressed, water can now seep into the small crack, resulting in more structural damage that could have been avoided if the initial culprit, the gutter, had been fixed right away.
The same idea applies to other areas in your home—your pipes, roof, appliances, HVAC, landscaping, and so much more. Leave issues unattended, and they may come back to haunt you in a major way.
As a general rule, you can expect to spend about 1 to 4 percent of your home’s value on annual upkeep. That may seem like a lot, but it’s worth the investment when you recognize the true costs of deferring your regular maintenance tasks.
Reduced energy efficiency
Though they may just seem like simple irritations, problems like drafty windows and doors shouldn’t be ignored. Sure, your thermostat may still be maintaining an adequate temperature, but the reality is that your HVAC is having to work harder to keep your home at that temperature. Without a tight seal, you’re continually wasting energy, likely experiencing higher utility costs, and ultimately reducing the lifespan of your home’s system, which could mean replacing it sooner than you would have otherwise.
Pricier repairs
Minor home-care tasks are essentially preventative measures since they often eliminate problems before they have a chance to snowball into major issues. When you wait until a pipe starts leaking or your ceiling is sagging, you’ll be stuck having to deal with emergency repairs, which are more stressful and substantially more expensive than routine maintenance. Imagine the difference between replacing a worn-out gasket on your faucet now versus paying a plumber to fix a burst pipe later.
Greater insurance concerns
A home with deferred upkeep can be a ticking time bomb for your homeowners insurance. Your policy protects you from covered events, but it may also come with an expectation of reasonable maintenance. If you neglect a known issue and it leads to further damage, your insurer might deny your claim entirely, arguing that proper care could have prevented the greater problems. Even if your claim isn’t denied, a history of neglecting these tasks may lead to higher premiums in the future since a poorly kept home presents a higher risk.
Decreased home value
Whether you’re hoping to sell your home this year or in five years, try to put yourself in a potential buyer’s shoes. If they notice a leaky faucet, for example, it could lead them to wonder what else may be wrong with the house. This may, in turn, reduce your home’s value along with your chances of receiving a good offer. On the other hand, regular maintenance demonstrates that you’ve taken good care of your home, which could make it more attractive to buyers and potentially fetch a higher selling price.
Instead of putting off your to-do list, take a more proactive approach to your home maintenance and fix problems as you notice them. You’ll not only save money but also be investing in your home’s future and your peace of mind. So always remember: a little effort today can prevent a big headache and additional stress tomorrow.
