In A Crow’s Nest Home, Postmodern Playfulness Rules

It's not on trend—and it could care less.

Jeana Harris

September 9, 2021

This home in Crow’s Nest has rooms for days.The Addison Group

A KEY TENET of postmodern design is playfulness. When the owners of this 1980s, Sheldon Hill–designed home in the Crow’s Nest area began to restore and reimagine it, they were determined to reconstitute its whimsy and fun. To say mission accomplished would be an understatement—the whole house is a mood.

In the foyer, you’re greeted by a giant Robert Kuo snail sculpture next to an enormous, bright Vondom planter, previewing 8,000 square feet of joy.

For the owners, it was important to stay true to the architecture, while also embodying their own interests during renovations. “We love creative architecture, highly chromatic colors, and artistic things. We also like to surround ourselves with things that make us laugh,” one says. The sellers moved through each design choice thinking about what the late Hill would do. The kitchen countertops are one example. The white quartz and colored concrete replacements mimic Corian, a popular countertop material during his era.

The kitchen doesn’t follow today’s trends, as the owners prefer the camaraderie of sitting around a table with their guests, not side by side on stools at an island. Of course, they didn’t choose any old design but a kaleidoscope of Vondom “Voxel” chairs (the set comes with the house). “The house is built to display unique art rather than paneled walls, wallpaper, and drapery. You wouldn’t do the home justice if it had a current-day popular interior,” the owner says.

With seven bedrooms, four full bathrooms, a large spa room, and nearly two acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the home has plenty of space for entertaining. The owners are downsizing and ready for a new family to fill their home with more years of fun and expression.