House 6 - 231 Degress Avenue

Open Friday

Homeowner: Gary Retel

In Victorian times, a "folly" was a garden structure on a large estate, an adult playhouse, and an extravagance. Architect/owner Gary Retel calls his decidedly modern house a folly - rooted in nature and designed for delight.

Faced with the challenge of a difficult site, a ravine enclosed on three sides by the backs of neighboring houses, Gary chose not to alter the land, but to build the house up. The result is a shimmering tower of elegant, galvanized aluminum that rises from a 14' x 14' footprint up into the trees.

The bridge from the street to the second floor entry of the house leads to a contemporary interior that is clean, sparse, and efficient. Gary quotes, "Architecture is a process of reduction." Striking features of the house include the light that pours through the windows on all sides of the structure and the view of a four-story magnolia tree, as tall as the rooftop terrace. Gary and builders Florence Jones and Glenn Black - "true craftspeople with a love for fine materials" - dressed the living area and kitchen cabinets in beautiful white maple and precisely tailored window casings. The effect is minimalist, the feeling, warm.

Gary jokes that his real clients were his cats Itsy and Nelson. He also credits some of his inspiration to his grandfather, whose paintings can be seen in the top floor studio. As they celebrate their first year in this unusual and beautiful "folly," Gary and the cats find new delights in their house each day.

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