Frazier achieved a homey feeling by incorporating pieces from the coupleâs personal collectionâa large Cappellini sectional theyâd had for years, plus wood tables and art of Rocklinâs own creationâas well as iconic vintage finds like the channel-tufted leather Arne Norell seats and antique terracotta jar lamps near the working fireplace, and the Børge Mogensen Spanish chair, Aldo Tura goatskin-covered coffee table, and Ingo Maurer table lamp in a windowed corner. The overall vibe, the designer says, telegraphed âEuropean contemporary, with really rich warmth and texture.â
Even though the trio imported much about the loftâs serenely minimalist, 21st-century atmosphere from the Continent, they agreed on the need to hold on to something of what had been. âI really like when renovations keep a little bit of what a place was before, so we didnât want to pretend this was in a modern skyscraper,â says Rocklin. âItâs in a former factory built in 1900, and it has these cool columns and beams made from old-growth trees. You canât get that kind of stuff anymore. We wanted to lean into that.â
Frazier figured out how best to handle hints of the loftâs industrial pastâexposing some columns, concealing others, and adding a monumental blackened-steel surround to the existing fireplace. The rebirth of this home has proved massively meaningful to the couple, largely because of the freedom Frazier helped Rocklin and Bernstein discover to put their own imprint on it. âNot only visually but energetically,â Bernstein concludes. âIâve been able to do such great, deep work in this space just because it feels so good. And that all starts from the design.â
