Salt Lake is a city comprising unique and wonderful neighborhoods, and one of these is 15th and 15th. Quiet tree-lined streets, sidewalks busy with neighbors walking dogs and stopping to chat, and unique homes with distinctive bungalow styles and materials built mostly before the second world war combine with its convenient location to make it one of Salt Lake’s favorite neighborhoods.
Photo by Scot Zimmerman
Jason and Scott Singer discovered a corner bungalow built from clinker bricks in this neighborhood. It was graced with lovely proportions, a big, covered porch, an arched front door, and a curving wall of windows in the kitchen. Committing to preserving the best, Jason and Scott, designers and owners of Honigman Design Studio, set to work to make it their dream home by renovating the dated aspects. They teamed with Jaffa Design Build, Park City, to collaborate on the architecture (Scott Jaffa, AIA) and interiors (Jen Harpster), and Jaffa Design Build constructed the improvements.
From the corner, you can see the new garage designed by Jason and Scott Singer. The street presence is preserved, but the new landscape, modernized windows, and new front door suggest that there may be some exciting surprises inside.
Looking back to the new front door, it repeats the arch of the original door, but the collaboration between Scott Jaffa and Jason Singer created a design with brass inlays in a geometric pattern that reflects Jason’s affinity for contemporary Australian design.
Pulling back, the entry now leads into a contemporary open plan instead of walled rooms. The ceiling opens to the rafters, and black boxed beams provide the support needed with the walls removed. The console table to the left is carved from a banyan tree root and is part of the David Alan Collection.
The open plan is divided by a stairway and center wall. To the right is the living area and beyond a hall connected to the primary bedroom. The glass-sided leather reclining chair in the foreground is a Hyaline chair by Fabio Lenci, a gift to Jason from his grandmother, who bought it new in 1970.
Here is another view of the area that shows two paintings by Michelle Tanguay, a Detroit artist and close friend of Jason and Scott Singer. The petrified wood coffee table is also part of the David Alan collection. Scott and Jason Singer designed the sofa and sourced the materials.
Looking to the other side of the front door is the dining area set in front of the single-slab leathered black-saddle granite fireplace. Scott and Jason designed the slab claro walnut dining table with brass butterfly inlays. The chairs are from the David Alan Collection inspired by a design by Pierre Jeanneret. The chandelier is by Apparatus Studio. The artifice carved stone head was gifted to Jason by his grandmother.
The graciously curved wall in the kitchen is original to the bungalow. The team installed new windows. Scott and Jason designed the island with the waterfall edge and selected Ilgin Blue Granite.
Scott and Jason designed the range hood and called out the hand-rubbed oil finish on the brass. It was fabricated locally in Park City. To maintain a seamless, clean, contemporary look, the team selected a slab backsplash and eliminated external hardware on the cabinetry.
Jason and Scott designed the bed and nightstands in the primary suite and papered the wall as an accent.
Scott and Jason designed the bathroom. The separated, paired mirrors allow access to the window behind for light and ventilation.
Floating stairs lead downstairs. The art along the wall is by Scott Singer, and at the end of the hallway is a glimpse into his art studio.
The downstairs media and social space is anchored by a coffee table made from banyan wood from the David Alan Collection. The black leather chair is sourced from Cisco.
Jason’s downstairs home office reflects his conviction that to do the best work it is important to have an inspiring work environment.
You can probably sense that I made a substantial number of photographs. I feel that it is an important project for the discriminating preservation it shows concurrent with a demonstration of how bungalows can be transformed to better suit contemporary tastes and lifestyles.
Explore more Salt Lake bungalow homes here!