Retro revival: Mark Janson’s 1960s weekend home gets a modern twist
![mark jason's newly renovated stanford home](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DCStWq6nadyEvimFAgm68C-415-80.jpg)
Mark Janson is no stranger to good design. After graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1982, Janson joined architect Steven Holl on a number of projects like the ‘Bridge of Houses’, a kind of a precursor to New York’s High Line. Today, as partner of architecture and design firm Janson Goldstein, he’s responsible for sleek spaces like Holt Renfrew’s Vancouver flagship and Neiman Marcus’s impending outpost in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards.
Now, Janson’s sharing one of his most personal projects yet; his renovated weekend home in Stanford, New York. The 2,000 sq. ft. space was built in 1965 by a member of the Cooper Union. Though the mid-century style is a rarity in the region, it’s exactly what attracted Janson to the home.
‘That’s why I had to buy it,’ he explains. ‘It was designed to view the landscape from the interior out. Most of the homes are historic with small windows, so this was a revelation.’ When Janson bought the home in 2008, he wanted to restore the home in all its retro glory — but with a modern twist.
‘The exposed structure is similar to a California ranch and [creates] the home’s character,’ Janson says. ‘I removed some walls and added windows, which improves its movement, visual connections, and air circulation.’ Janson began renovating the home in 2009, and finished the landscaping within the past year. In total, the home features six rooms, complete with vintage pieces from Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, and more.
The floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the property’s seven-acre private park, which includes gravel drives, plus a barn, pool, shade garden, and four-acre meadow. Janson shares he planted 300 trees and shrubs to create a private oasis.
As for his favourite part of the home? The central kitchen and dining area, which has two full glass exposures and a wood-burning stove. ‘It’s where everyone spends their time,’ he says.
The weekend home was originally desinged in the 1960s by a member of the Cooper Union. courtesy of Mark Janson
Janson loved the property for its openness and large windows. courtesy of Mark Janson
He decided to restore the property to its former glory, but with a contemporary twist. courtesy of Mark Janson
The interiors feature vintage pieces from Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, and more. courtesy of Mark Janson
The weekend home includes six comfortable rooms. courtesy of Mark Janson
Janson’s labour of love took almost ten years to fully complete. courtesy of Mark Janson
Part of Janson’s intervention involved removing some walls to improve internal flow. courtesy of Mark Janson
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rafael de Cárdenas’ first ground-up project is a forever home with waterfront views and hidden treasures
Rafael de Cárdenas reveals his latest completed project in the Pacific Northwest, a family home of calming spaces that bleed the outside in, and ten years in the making
By Ellie Stathaki Published