VILLA CORBEAU
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LEFT The p00’ pavilion of architect Marc Appletons and wile Joanna Kernss Santa Barbara property BELOW Marc Appleton.
ARCHITECT MARC APPLETON BUILDS
HOME
ICONIC
HIS OWN
IN SANTA BARBARA
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TEXT BY VANESSA KOGEVINAS PNOTUGRAPNY BY MATI WALLA
iI\~ Il~~S I’~~ liii 51)111101’ l’Ir.~~~cT:overhu,kingan.live wchaird siirinklet with lavender ~vliile vacationing in ii house ‘nih his ~viic, bunion Kernis. arid sr.rne friends. was all the irispi ralinin architect \I.nrc .\ppkt.nni needed In conic up with the inilial plins Iii his mmliv residence iii (lit Suiia Birl Ira ire,. lie and honor, a thrcctor and aelress kn,n~ ii hr icr nile iii lilt tclcvisiiiii show (h-owing Pains, had hi nighi lit Initi niali>’years prior abnitit Iwo decides 1g.. ‘in’ intl liefirre lIre> were iiiii’i’ied on which stood a 1)6 Is tract house liii wonnldul qin Pvc a renovihinin. This is the first linnLnse thai had t ver designetl 11w n~seli or rn iamil~ sam \ppleion. “I had dune l,tiirdredsol,,tlier houses flu lit nls. rid had such gual ii ne doing them that liner
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BELOW Fortuny-uphoistered armchairs and cast iron and leather stools Iron Patti Skouras are blended with heirloom lurniture in the living room/library, which is anchored by a fireplace Featuring an Exquisite Surfaces stone mantle. OPPOSITE Marc Appleton and Joanna Kerns n the rose arbor outside the dining room.
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flovE Milk painted wood cabinetry by Stancil Studios, hand’hewn fir and hemlock ceiling beams, Italian limestone flooring and a maple wood butcher block topped island create a warm kitchen, opposirc A collection of bird prints by Swedish Professor of Medicine and naturalist Olof Rudbeck and a gilded Indian fabric family heirloom at the landing adorn the entry and stair hail
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nissed di ing a aapse ii Ir ii vself.’ lowever, although happiI> seflled in Iis Angeles. ~t Tare and Joanna awved it Was time In pul their next steps iii plaee. “She isven fluid iii noilhern Italian and siLl Iliern French iurmhotises and “eve been on vocalion in tiiost w’eas. ci pilini es Ihe arehitech ‘It seemed lii ne it could HI in Santa krbara. And si ViiIa Ci ubeaLl was Is in.
Nestled on 175 acres, the compound is comprised ofsix separate yet related structures a main house,garage guesthouse, studio, cabana, pergolaand pottingshed, which look like theyhave been on the prnpertyfor much longer than their thirteen years. The landscaping perfectlycomplements the house,whichAppleton describes as “kind ciisimple, rough and eclectic. We didn’twant adesigner house. It’s a people and dogfriendly typeofplace. Very comfortable, removed and private.”
Appleton grewup in rural areas. His parents built the firstCliff May-designed house on Old Ranch Road in Los Angeles in the l940s. “We had six acres, and horses, goats, chicken and ducks,” lie shares. “Ii was kind oflike living in thecountry back then.” When his mother deemed Los Angeles ‘too crowded’ the family moved to a ranch in Arizona. “Although I was learning howto playa hotgameofmarhlesand swear fluently in Spanish, my parents had a bettervision for me and my brother, and we were sent to private schools on the East Coast.”
College at Harvard University and graduate school at Yale University followed. yet it Look the U.S. Army deemingAppleton~ feet not suitable for standard Army issue boots (high arches) that led him to find hiscalling. “I wasan English major in college and I was lined up togo toVietnam,” he shares.”l casually thought, ‘If1 survive Vietnam what would I like to do?” Having been agood artist and painter hiswholechildhood and havingscored well in the math portion ofhis SATs, a light bulbwent off. “Architecture!”
Upon graduating from Yale he headed to San Diego to work for architects Jack MacAllis terand David Rinehart, before moving to Los Angeles and landing with Frank Gehry. “Frank has been a good friend and we have stayed in touch over the years,” he notes. After three years. Appleton decided that “maybe it was time for me to hang tip my own shingle and give it a go:’ which lie did, establishingAppleton Partners LLP —Architects in 1976.1-Ic quicklyoutgrewhis first office and a next one. In 1997. he moved to his current Santa Monica office location, and shortly thereafter in 2000 he established a branch ollice in Santa Barbara for Ins retirement. “That didn’t work out,” he laughs. Both offices are still thriving.
Ever prolific in his projects—whose diversity and lack ofa ‘signature style’ he feels distinguishes his firm Appleton has not slowed down creatively, but rather has set up his husiness to allow him a bit more freedom. “Several years ago the firm became a partner ship. I wanted toshare the ownership. First Kenneth Mineau and nowAndrewScott are current partners.” he says. “Both have been with the firm for many years,” He and Joanna, who have three children between them and remain happily married after twenty-two years. are devoted to varied philanthropic endeavors including work with Planned Parent hood, Direct Relief, The Santa Barbara Historical Museum, and the Institute ofClassical Architecture &Art to name a few. lie has penned multiplebooks includingRanches: Home on theRange in California andMusterArchitects ofSouthern c~alifornia 1920-1940, Gordon B. Kaufmann, both released in 2016.
With all ofthese plans in place for retirement Appleton remains realistic. “I can focus on designand working~vith the staffand selectiveclients in mygoldenyears, ifyou will. Like most architects though. I have found we don’t retire. flI be very happy not to own the firm that I’ve created, butjust to work there, I might even have a nine-to-fivejob one day.” CH
“This is the first house I had ever designed for myselfor myfamily,” saysAppleton.
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PREVIOUS PAGE The dining room rose arbor. BELOW Leather and wood chairs from Lid surround an antique table in the dining room, which is grounded by a rug from Stark.
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