Location: 3500 Meier Street, Los Angeles, California

Price: $1,595,000

Year Built: 1948

Architect: Gregory Ain

Footprint: 1,096 square feet (3 bedrooms, 1 bath)

Lot Size: 0.16 Acres

From the Agent: “One of the more original of the 52 homes in this enclave by the pioneering modern architect, this special property has been cherished by the same family for many years, and is being offered for the first time in decades. On a large corner lot on the most desirable street in the community, surrounded by mature landscaping, this home provides a calm and serene sanctuary from big city life. The three-block neighborhood was conceived as a combination of good design and low-cost postwar housing; it was Gregory Ain’s successful attempt to bring modernist aesthetic sensibilities to the masses. By rotating the houses in different directions and alternating rectangular and square forms, the architect was able to create eight unique configurations, resulting in a variegated presence on the streets.”

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Project Details:

Location: Wandlitz-Lanke, Germany

Architect: Christoph Wagner Architekten

Footprint: 4,090 square feet

Structural Engineer: DBV Ingenieure Berlin

Photographer: Eric Tschernow

From the Architect: “This farmhouse half an hour north of Berlin became the client’s new home and workplace. The agricultural portion of the house was abandoned in the 1950s, and the stable and workshop rooms were converted into four flats. The client decided to keep the remaining tenant in the house and not to alter this flat.

“The remaining areas were remodeled and converted into living and working spaces reoriented towards the surrounding garden. A flat with 1,506 square feet was created on two floors. It was important to the client and the architects to preserve the character of the house. For example, cracks were only repaired where structurally necessary and not for design reasons. Large areas of the building were left untouched.

“The formerly windowless gable wall now lets the morning sun into the house through a large, off-center, round window. The curved brass window plate was shaped in such a way that it elegantly directs the water away from the wood and reflects light deep into the house. The glass pane does not sit in a separate frame, but the cross-laminated timber of the bay window was milled so that the pane could be inserted directly. The round glazing bead was made from brass by a blacksmith and emphasizes the special nature of the location.

“The largest structural intervention in the existing building was the opening in the south façade for the wide terrace window, combined with the ceiling opening for the staircase. The double-shell spandrel masonry of the outer wall is supported above the new window by an externally positioned balcony projection. This made it possible to avoid supports on the inside.

“A new staircase marks the privacy of the upper floor with the side stringer of the upper flight of stairs raised as a privacy screen. This projects into the room from above as a negative form and meets the volume of the two lower flights of stairs at the landing. Demolition bricks were reused as non-load bearing interior walls. The floor structure of glass gravel and regional hemp clay fill did not require any waterproofing membranes. Demolished parquet floors were partially reinstalled.

My approach to decorating can be summed up in three words: less is more. I’m at my best in a relatively organized home with clean surfaces and unobstructed corners that allow me to easily assess and access everything. I prefer modern, functional designs that are vibrant yet refined in a way that say, “I live a sophisticated yet streamlined life” (although this isn’t entirely true). In other words, my ideal space feels effortlessly designed, without too many competing elements, accessories, and furniture. We’re talking one step away from minimalist.

But the mere thought of bringing that simple mantra to life honestly feels like too much work/effort/money. Where do I even begin? Since my budget doesn’t allow for hiring an interior designer, Wayfair’s AI-powered tool Muse piqued my interest. Released in February, the virtual design assistant is pretty straightforward: upload a photo of your space and use design templates to fill in the blanks. Wayfair’s labeled their pre-decorated AI-generated spaces as Muses, and although they come ready-made, they’re also customizable. Don’t like the recommended orange camel sofa? Swap it for a purple velvet mid-century modern two-seater or whichever alternative the tool or a quick search provides. You can also explore similar Muses until you curate your preferred look and easily shop the recommended products while you design and save Muses to revisit.

“In general, I think the most helpful aspect of this design tool is the opportunity it offers users to see their spaces in new ways,” says Oregon-based interior designer Allisa Jacobs, who consulted with Wayfair on the development of Muse. “By showing how a space might look with chairs placed in a different position or with new colors, I think it makes design more accessible.”

Working with my Muse

My first task for Muses? A living room makeover. I started by searching “minimalist boho living with gold accents,” which yielded a ton of results. Most of them featured a bland, neutral couch—not exactly my style. Having so many options felt like a blessing and a curse, but I finally settled on an ideal arrangement with a spunky orange sofa. Next, I uploaded a photo of my empty living room and selected “apply to my real space,” which produced seven different images, each with the same color palette but different decor and layouts. After choosing one of the presented images, Muse offers you the option to change details (selecting new chairs, adding/removing accents, etc.) which I toyed around with until I felt relatively satisfied with the outcome.

The result? An image that sort of resembles the original space, but doesn’t really have the same essence. But the Muse-generated living room came with a rust colored sofa that sparked an interest in a color scheme I hadn’t yet considered. Plenty of the pieces were shoppable from Wayfair, but aside from that, the design didn’t exactly move me to embark upon a shopping spree. Overall, the setup was a bit monotonous and crowded—I need my negative space!—and most of the suggested products weren’t exactly unique or inspiring.

After assessing the aftermath of my initial Muse creation, Jacobs had some tips for maximizing results should you choose to use this for yourself. “The types of photos that seem to work best for this tool are those that focus on one space with the focal point or main feature clearly visible,” she says. “In the example photo, the results were skewed I think as the kitchen is peeking out from the next room and the fireplace is not clearly shown. This tool seems limited in reading room details like angles, proportion, and features not fully displayed (such as a fireplace) which will make it difficult to actually apply results to your space.”

Noted! For my second design attempt, I used a living room photo with a different angle—no obstructing items or connected spaces playing peek-a-boo—in the hopes that the results would be more true-to-life. I chose a Dark Academia theme (think Hogwarts for stylish grownups), then added a few green accents, and replaced a set of upholstered lounge chairs and a rectangle glass coffee table with a pair of suggested products.

Brad Leavitt is no stranger to a construction site. Raised in Southern California, he grew up around the trades—Leavitt’s grandfather started an electrical company after retiring from the Navy, and his dad and five uncles are all electricians. Continuing the family legacy, Leavitt became an electrician himself, before breaking into the world of luxury residential homebuilding—leading to the founding his own company, A Finer Touch Construction, in 2013 in Arizona.

Obvious shortcomings of the construction industry—notably, the lack of communication and transparency with clients—led Leavitt to found AFT Construction more than 10 years ago. Between a client portal, dedicated project coordinator, and real-time site updates, client communication is a hallmark of AFT’s award-winning process. Pulling from his toolbox of experience, Leavitt shares his pro tips for successful client-builder communication when tackling critical design decisions—including the all-important window and door selection.

Identify solar vulnerability 

When it comes to the early stages of design, it’s important to consider site orientation and pinpoint areas of solar vulnerability. “One thing we have to look at is, where is that sun hitting the house?” says Leavitt. To effectively analyze exposure, Leavitt and his team use Building Information Modeling (BIM) to zero in on locations with heightened solar contact. “We render homes and lay them out because that sun from the southern hemisphere in June, July, August, September is beating on the south and west of the home,” Leavitt explains. By identifying areas of elevated solar vulnerability, Leavitt and his team can design and implement protection measures for glazed openings. 

Don’t limit the architecture

For many clients building custom homes, indoor/outdoor living is top of mind. In Arizona, Leavitt emphasizes, “It’s essential.” Designing homes for seamless indoor/outdoor flow often yields large expanses of glass—which can create practical and budgetary challenges. “We never want to limit the architecture to have less glass,” says Leavitt. “We always make sure that it’s protected, and you can do that in several ways.” Some of these ways, Leavitt suggests, include overhangs, automated pocket shades, or triple-pane windows in especially vulnerable areas where overhangs aren’t an option.

The process is just as important as the product

When it comes to window framing—especially with specialized construction methods—the technical install process can be just as significant as the windows themselves. The structural design of the home may impact the cost and precision required to frame and install the windows. “We do a lot of ICF—Insulated Concrete Form—construction,” says Leavitt. Instead of wood-framed walls, walls are composed of styrofoam and concrete. “Because of that, you have to have a bigger opening, because there’s rebar and concrete there,” says Leavitt. “With the bigger opening, you have plywood set inside that concrete so that you can install the window.” Unlike a wood-framed house, this method of construction requires a higher level of precision, considering the smaller margin of error with concrete. Any adjustments or reframing “would be a matter of jackhammering and cutting concrete, which is a big deal,” says Leavitt.

Consider mixing and matching

“One thing we love about working with Marvin is they have such a diversified portfolio of products,” Leavitt says. This expansive portfolio can support modern or traditional architectural styles—and everything in between. When we’re doing aluminum wood clad [windows], that would typically lean more traditional,” says Brad. “When we’re doing modern or contemporary, we’ll use aluminum [interior and exterior], because the profile is a lot thinner,” he adds. For transitional styles, Brad doesn’t shy away from mixing and matching—a creative approach enabled by the variety and versatility of the Marvin portfolio.