Second Wind

LISA ROMEREIN LEILANI MARIE LABONG

Photography by Written by

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In the family room, the Nick sofa, Nate chair and Mason ottoman are from GIANNETTI HOME, the Paraiba rug is from MERIDA and the Piedmont lantern is by THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO. Opposite: A view of the pool and home exterior. The steel-frame windows were painted a shade of pale gray.

SECOND WIND When a couple of DEVOTED homeowners bring their beloved

ATHERTON digs back from the brink, the results are nothing short of (tbd) aFeature REVELATION

They say rock bottom is a beautiful place to start. Annie and Jim Barnett decided to embark on a massive home rebuild in 2013 when the beloved 1950s Cape Cod-style house they bought 16 years earlier finally succumbed to wood rot and termites. “In that state, we knew it could not be ours forever,” says Annie, a photographer. Since the couple was unwilling to relinquish the Atherton property’s idyllic landscape of redwoods, birch trees, dogwoods, and iceberg and Eden roses, they hired the Los Angeles-based husbandand-wife design team of Brooke and Steve Giannetti to help bring about a second coming.

Typical of midcentury houses, the original structure was dark, with plenty of walls, no flow between rooms and no connection to the garden. Though the new build fits plumb within the native footprint, the tremendous volume of the rooms gives the impression of more square footage. “The new house has all the moves of a traditional home, but with the walls gone, the spaces are a completely different, loftlike experience,” says Steve, the architect. Tall ceilings, up to 14 feet high, accommodate an abundance of oversize steel-frame windows: Not only do they imbue the rooms with natural light, they also unite the interior with the FALL HOME 2016 C 59

Left: Antique details from GIANNETTI HOME and BIG DADDY’S ANTIQUES. Below, from left: Round zinc-top table

by NOIR; hanging Suzanne Kasler Morris lantern from VISUAL COMFORT & CO. Dining table by SOUTH OF MARKET; chair fabric is LIBECO Milano Oyster; Rococo painted buffet from WATKINS CULVER ANTIQUES.

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In the kitchen, the vintage pendants over the island are from A BEAUTIFUL MESS HOME and the Country chandelier is by VISUAL COMFORT & CO. Wicker chairs and accessories are from GIANNETTI HOME. Below: ANNIE and JIM BARNETT.

PORTRAIT: ANNIE BARNETT PHOTOGRAPHY. STYLED BY ERIN TAYLOR

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landscape, and give the home the charming appearance of a garden conservatory.

To play up the beautiful greenery inside and out, Brooke, the interior designer, kept the decor neutral, but also anchored it with the character of time.

“We incorporated the Barnetts’ existing collection of French and Swedish antiques with new pieces made of natural materials that will age well,” she says.

Layers of upholstered Belgian linen furniture—from the living room’s matching sleigh-back Giannetti Home Alix sofas to the Mason ottoman in the family room—add monochromatic elegance atop white-oak plank floors. Brooke placed

wicker chairs (traditionally used outdoors) in the kitchen for an alfresco-cafe effect. And the faceted-glass lanterns in the living room, which bear a striking resemblance to modern-day terrariums, are an unwitting representation of the home, which features potted Japanese maples, living topiaries, and seashells the family has collected from beaches all over the globe.

This newfound intimacy with nature has proven to be a transformative experience for the Barnetts, who are recent empty nesters. “When we saw our new house for the first time, we burst into tears,” says Annie. “I just kept saying, ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’” •

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Atop an antique country fireplace from EXQUISITE SURFACES sits an antique mirror from GIANNETTI HOME. The 19th-century Swedish columns are from C’EST LA VIE, the drapery fabric is ROGERS & GOFFIGON Meltemi Avorio and the hardware is by MORGIK METAL DESIGNS.

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