THE LAST RESORT--By Thomas Shess. Photos: Martin Mann.
Editor’s note: Feature
first appeared in the January, 2011 edition of
San Diego Home/Garden
Lifestyles. Reprinted with permission.
Ramin Pourtemayer, one of
the youngest pilots ever to pilot a 747 passenger jumbo jet (for United
Airlines), strongly believes in karma.
While more of a renaissance thinker than an adherent of dogmatic or
factionalized thought, his humanism has served him well in his post-airline
career as a real estate investor.
His do unto others as you
would have them do unto you creed made him prosperous in body and soul.
“I’ve always set goals for
myself day to day and long range,” said Ramin.
“When I was 15, I visited a home in La Jolla that so impressed me that I
told my parents someday I will have a home like this. “
A career or two later,
while in Australia on business he found on the Internet a San Diego home that
interested him. The listing had a
description but no photos of the amenities, pool, famous architect, great La
Jolla Farms location, tennis court and a nice sized lot.
From Australia he contacted
a realtor and made a bid on the home before heading back to the U.S.
Upon his return, he made a
first visit to the property that was now his for the taking before he signed
the check.
“To my huge surprise that
home was the same one that impressed me as a teenager. I bought it on the spot. I’m its seventh
owner.”
Called the Atoll House
because the home’s crescent architectural footprint is a metaphor for a
ring-shaped coral reef, there are visual similarities to a high end Polynesian
resort because all rooms face outward to the a large swimming pool and richly
landscaped courtyard. In another light,
there are rich elements of Persian and Moorish architecture. One example is Atoll’s interior column
treatment similar to that of La Mezquita, a mosque in Cordoba, Spain. Kellogg’s use of lava rock on the Atoll House
outdoors harkens to Hawaiian hillside homes. Frank Gehry’s irregular
deconstruction style is seen in the roof line and the swoop of the entry, while
the dreamscape creativity of Spain’s Antoni Gaudi pairs nicely with Kellogg’s
eclecticism.
Yet comparisons to other
styles or architect are moot.
Simply put there is no
other home in San Diego quite like it.
The architect hand made this Atoll.
The vision is organic. Kellogg
wanted the home ease into the earth. The
Atoll house is pure Kellogg.
But, famous or not, the
home is mortal. Built in the mid-1970s, this low-slung, and curvilinear home
was in need of maintenance. Leaks and a weather-beaten exterior faced the new
owner.
Ramin, who has remodeling
experience as part of his real estate career teamed with his brother Sean
Pourtemayer of SMP Construction, to fix and match the legendary property to his
vision.
 |
| Atoll shape footprint in La Jolla, facing east |
To keep him within the
bounds of an architecturally historic home, he hired long-time San Diego
interior/architectural designer Fred Gemmell.
In 2008, the trio went to work.
Gemmell said, “To his
credit, Ramin and Sean have done much of the design work themselves, I’ve added
touches like adding 13,000 pounds of teal colored crushed glass as a
rooftop.” Gemmell’s roof completes the
home’s ocean theme by creating a glistening roof that now mimics ocean hues
around the reef.
All of the original tile
and James Hubbell designed stained glass and chandeliers were untouched. All of the cabinetry and flooring was
replaced with exotic wood veneers.
Gemmell and Ramin agreed to
take down a volcanic rock interior wall to give better flow to the circular
interior. “Mr. Kellogg liked the idea
of us removing the wall,” says Ramin.
They also agreed to tone down a grainy plaster throughout with a smooth
paint texture. The skylights were revamped by removing decaying wood and re-glassed.
Kellogg sited the skylights to be able to view a shining star or planet at key
times during the evening.
Also, all of Kellogg’s
indoor and outdoor tiled stream theme’s were maintained or
enhanced. A new outdoors kitchen was created using Lynx
outdoor kitchen elements. “If you go to
the Lynx web page I had installed the outdoor kitchen they use for the webpage
intro,” Ramin added.
Inexpensive 70s kitchen
appliances were replaced with top of the line stainless steel Gaggenau products
surrounding a new chef sized Dacor range.
All in all, the remodel is
a seamless success. Only scholars of
Kellogg and Kellogg himself can for sure compare the architect’s stylistic DNA
to that of the restorers.
Breathtaking in the
evening, the Atoll House is the pride and joy
of a caring young man, who
has already held countless charity events there.
The home is in good hands.
#
Defog Goggles
Before jumping into a
pool—like the one shown above—coat the inside of swimming goggles with
toothpaste, then wipe off—they’ll be crystal clear.
--Tip from
GoodIdeasandTips.com
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