104 ARCHDIGEST.COM
LEFT ASHER READS
BENEATH A GEORGE
NELSON BUBBLE SCONCE.
NIGHT SKY WALL MURAL
BY ASHLEY ZANGLE.
love of textiles and craftsmanship that suffuses Johnson’s
clothing collections surfaces in hand-loomed, metallic-
threaded window treatments and a living room sofa that’s
dressed in a nubby abstract ikat woven in California. Brown
says, “I always tell Ulla and Zach, ‘You’re a young, modern
couple. Making this place too old-world isn’t who you are
or what you’re about.’ ” Many of the walls are finished in a
blush-hued pearlescent plaster, and the hearths feature
colorful marble inlays inspired by Italian mosaics.
LIVING FINISHES, such as unlacquered brass hardware and
soap-coated wood floors, add to the layered effect. “The
touch of these is like velvet,” Johnson says, brushing her feet
along the Douglas-fir planks laid out in a chevron pattern
across the parlor floor. “You don’t get that when wood is
polished. You have to embrace that it will ding up, but we
like the idea of things having imperfections.” Much like the
easy, effortless, sophisticated take on bohemian style that
she’s built her mega successful brand on, she isn’t driven by
aesthetics alone. “When I design clothes, all I think about
is, Well, it’s beautiful, but how does it make you feel? That,
for me, was an organizing principle in this house as well.”
Art plays a starring role, too, via treasures by Ugo Rondinone,
Marina Rheingantz, and Françoise Grossen. “A lot of our work
speaks to the natural world,” says Johnson, pointing out a woven
piece by Sheila Hicks on the living room wall. “I’ve been
obsessed with her since I was five, so the fact that this made
its way into our home is amazing to me.” Adds Miner: “We
think of ourselves as stewards not only to this house but to the
objects we surround ourselves with. It’s a lifetime collection.”
The dining area is open to the kitchen, with its rosy marble
island, and the deck and garden lie just beyond. Johnson notes
that Miner is an excellent cook, and the couple often squeeze
in parties of up to 20 at their custom surfboard-style dining
table, which they purchased from architect Arthur Casas on
a trip to Brazil.
“We both
have strong
opinions and
emotional
reactions,”
notes Johnson.
“There wasn’t
a ton of
vacillating.”
