64 DIGS.NET
| 10.7.22
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5 pages
Sweet
Ali Madani
Dori Custom
S W E E T D I G S | 2 3 0 2 I V E S L A N E
"W
e're both hands-on,
and we put ourselves in
the shoes of the people
who will live in the
space we're creating,"
says Ali Madani, a lifelong home craftsman
who, along with veteran residential builder
Amir Dori, make up Dori Custom Homes. The
builders focus on upmarket custom homes,
primarily in the Beach Cities, where they two
have also lived with their families for years. At
their newest project, a spacious North Redondo
Beach home—approximately 4,363 square feet
in size, with 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms—
located in a quiet residential neighborhood just
a mile and half west of Pacific Coast Highway, a
couple of things immediately stand out.
The first is the crisp, modern atmosphere
of the coastal farmhouse residence, which
is imbued with a lighthearted warmth and
an of-its-time sophistication, both in equal
measures. Dori and Madani have utilized
an airy, open scale that's introduced at the
entrance, and experienced steps later in the
formal living room, where there's a vaulted ceil-
ing, about 24-feet high, and a wall of oversized
windows that serve as a portal of natural light
reaching up to the second-floor catwalk, and
playing against the home's natural wood floors.
They are made of ash, Madani explains, a hard-
wood selected for its durability, ideal in a family
home with lots of traffic, and beauty, particu-
larly in its grain patterns and overall light hue.
"We also picked this specific color because of
its neutrality," explains Madani. "It looks good
with any type of rug or furniture."
There's also a keen floorplan—serving as a
user-friendly domestic living space on a day to
day basis, and morphing into an elegant enter-
taining space as one needs, or desires. This
is articulated in home's most central square,
consisting of a welcoming kitchen and a family
room that's warmed by a sleek floating fireplace,
its mantle framed in wood. "It creates a very
inviting environment, especially if you have
guests," says Madani of the arrangement of
spaces. Steps away, and adding to the home's
entertaining quotient is a separate, formal
dining room where tongue and groove planks
emphasize the room's sophisticated tray ceiling.
The kitchen is a sunlit gathering spot featur-
ing high-grade Italian appliances (by Smeg)
and a gleaming porcelain island. "In the
last five years the industry has been able to
produce slab-sized porcelain," notes Madani.
"It's strong, gorgeous and nothing stains it."
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