Swick Haven Estate

WELCOME TO THE SWICK HAVEN

The home of Thom & Magdalena Swick, Swick Haven was a six-year passion project by the family and their team of expert craftsmen. The project was designed by their son Kris in close collaboration with both of them and the draftsman, architect Everett Smith. It is designed to entertain their frequent guests and serve as the home base for their family, their ‘SwickHaven’. It features a modern combination of highly textured natural materials and sleek man-made finishes, complemented by a unique collection of carved wood furniture and folk arts from around the world.

Located in eastern Pasadena near Sierra Madre, the parcel was largely undeveloped but featured an impressive view through a natural privacy screen of old growth pine and oak trees. The existing partially finished three-story house was reconfigured into the bedroom suites, kitchen, and library. Its north-facing façade runs along Barhite Street and has fewer and smaller openings, providing for more intimate spaces within. The south-south facing addition features oversized wooden doors and windows that more seamlessly connect the interior spaces to the towering trees and new drought-tolerant garden. Due to the natural elevation change, the new ballroom and other main living spaces look out over the southern neighbors toward lower Kinneloa Mesa, with privacy maintained by the screen of local vegetation.

The ballroom is the heart of the house, featuring oversized wooden doors and windows that frame views of giant pine trees and Pasadena in the distance. The twelve-foot-tall pivot doors open onto the main terrace, which overlooks the gardens and game courts. White glass columnar light boxes and globes, recessed into skylights and clustered around the chandelier, provide ample lighting. The teak slab dining tables and antique carved wood bar complement a richly textured floor of ‘leathered’ granite and the oversized marble mantelpiece.

The kitchen features continuous leathered granite countertops with extra large four-inch aprons to match the four-inch thick parallel- laminated engineered timber beams that frame appliances and provide storage above the counters. The countertops continue upward to provide a full-wall backsplash, covering the entire rear wall of the kitchen. A vaulted aluminum ceiling complements the stainless steel appliances and fixtures.

The library features towering architectural-scale bookcases and an antique pulpit, installed for readings and lectures. Oversized parallel-laminated engineered timber beams support the shelves, mounted pulpit, reading room benches, and antique furnishings embedded within the bookcases. The built-ins are complemented by rich leather upholstery and folk arts.

The game room has ample space for game tables, exercise facilities, and comfortable seating. It is lit by a combination of its columnar light boxes, coves, and accent walls on the inside and through oversized wooden doors and windows opening onto the gardens and game courts outside.

The primary bedroom suite of custom furniture is framed in poplar, with ample built-in storage. The scraped oak flooring continues up the wall around the geometric headboard, which itself is divided into four lighted quadrants and four upholstered quadrants in patchwork cowhide leather. The wall facing the bed features a vanity counter and floating shelving over the arrayed windows.

The primary office has the best views in the house. Long laminated glass light boxes above the oversized doors and windows illuminate the space. The ornate marble fireplace mantle contrasts with the stainless steel cladding of the central ‘monolith.’ This six-foot-wide monolith separates the game room and ballroom from the bedroom suites while housing chimneys, HVAC, and storage.

The west guest suite enjoys clerestory windows that provide views of the San Gabriel Mountains to the north. It features a hardwood bed from Africa and other carved wood antiques from around the world. It also features a Murano glass chandelier and a painting by LA-based artist Rachid Bouhamidi.

The north guest suite includes it’s own fireplace and an adjoining dressing room with custom built-in cabinetry. Its bathroom features white marble surfaces, glass and marble subway tile mosaic walls, and a freestanding bathtub. The vanity sink is a repurposed antique Eastlake Victorian vanity dresser.

The two-bedroom east guest suite overlooks the gardens and opens onto the main level terrace with an outdoor fireplace. White tile and porcelain fixtures in each bedroom’s en-suite bathroom complement their dark wood geometric mosaic headboards and furnishings.

The largest and most private accommodations for guests, the garden level suite has its own exterior entrance and expansive outdoor patio. The main bedroom features modern furnishings and a dark wood mosaic; its bathroom features glass tile mosaics and a large cedar-lined closet. The suite also includes an expansive main living and dining room with space for the preparation of refreshments.