John Ike is a famous American architect. John Ike: 9 Houses, 9 Stories, published by Vendome Press, is a detailed exploration of the inextricable bond between an architect and those who realize his vision. Through his projects, he shows how the compromise is reached, which leads to the creation of residences with individual characters and layouts. The book is supplemented by text by architecture and design critic Mitchell Owens. Photos were created by British photographer Richard Powers .
John Ike is a founding member of Ike Kligerman Barkley and a current partner at Ike Baker Velten. His firm has offices in New York and San Francisco, where he develops concepts that combine an understanding of nature with a deft ability to reimagine local aesthetics and style. He loves homes and interiors that are equally intelligent and easy to read.
For his book, co-authored with Mitchell Owens and illustrated by renowned British photographer Richard Powers, Ike selected nine projects. A signature tiled home in suburban New York, a restored mid-century modern home in San Diego, a glass-and-brick home near Seattle, an Atlantic coast beach house, and a reimagined historic building in Brooklyn, Maine. All the houses presented in this book differ in style, location, and materials, but have a common meaning. For John Ike, each of them is an illustration of the many ways in which architecture can be created. His involvement in projects ranges from mentor to chief architect to designer, but they all show the importance of collaborative efforts.
Ike focuses in each chapter on the person who contributed most to the project, whether it be an interior designer, landscape architect, contractor, craftsman, or client. “I love working in partnership, and I thought it would be interesting to tell the story of how these projects come together in terms of my role — whether as a landscape architect, partner of my firm, or owner,” he says.
The architect shows knowledge of history and marvels at the beauty and detail, both structural and decorative. For example, he talks about a villa by the sea in Deal, New Jersey: “The design is reminiscent of the architecture of Catania in Sicily, where, after a major volcanic eruption in the 18th century, they rebuilt everything using a lot of black lava and plaster.” Ike was assisted in this project by his colleague at the firm, Casey Park. The Italian influence is evident in the palatial scale, the arched windows framed in blackened steel, and the dark façade. Interior designer Mia Yung, who worked on the house with Ike, adds: “John’s projects always have a storyline, a narrative. I always tell clients that if they can give him freedom, trust him and let him go in that direction, the project will end up being amazing.”
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