One of Buffalo’s most striking modernist house renovations has been featured as the “Editor’s Pick” in Dwell magazine. The house – fittingly called Gallery House – was submitted to the magazine by the architect, John Wingfelder, who supplied the editor with photos shot by Kim Smith.
The article begins:
Sitting among the conventional neighboring houses on the street, the front of the Gallery House presents its original architectural identity but distinguishes itself with a modern landscape design. The side yard is visually open to the street and doubles as a contemporary sculpture garden and auto court, with a crisp modern garage as the backdrop.
It’s great seeing this type of modern architecture featured at Dwell, mostly because Buffalo is not known for its over-the-top modern homes. This city is known more for its well-preserved historic homes than its modern ones.
In the case of Gallery House, it’s the best of both worlds – a circa 1930 traditional house, transformed into a breathtaking stunner of a modern residence. The images of the home, shot by Kim Smith, do an excellent job of capturing the dramatic setting, both inside and out – these digital photos manage to pop in ways that are absolutely striking. Not only do they do justice to the architecture , they also showcase the high caliber of the art collection and MCM furniture. How rare it is to get such an up close look at the interior detailing of a home of this nature, which would otherwise be obscured from the general public’s view.
And it’s right here in Buffalo. Countless times I’ve flipped through the pages of Dwell, in awe that people manage to build the stupendous architectural creations that are featured. But rarely, and I mean rarely, do I stop to think that one of those featured minimalist-designed, gallery-esque homes is right in my own backyard. Not that Buffalo doesn’t have beautifully preserved and coveted houses left and right, it’s just that it takes a rare gem (and a bold vision) to spark the contemporary design imagination the likes of what Gallery House manages to offer up.
I asked John about the project, and this is what he had to say:
This was an amazing project for amazing clients. It’s really indicative of the increasing appreciation for urban living in the city of Buffalo. Projects like this were unimaginable here a decade ago. This was an opportunity to really extend our imagination for clients that truly wanted us to push the creative envelope and meet very high standards. It was a wonderful opportunity to show that this type of work can be done with local talent.
Landscape design: Studio T3
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