J. Kimball Interiors - Dr. Stanley Muenzler's Home

ARCHITECTURE BY PINTU KAHN
INTERIOR DESIGN BY JANIE KIMBALL, ASID ASSOCIATE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY REYNDELL STOCKMAN
TEXT BY M.J. VAN DEVENTER

Two shallow pools in the entryway of Dr. Stanley Muenzler’s home provide a setting for seasonal floral, rock and plant displays.

To Dr. Stanley Muenzler, a man’s home should be a retreat ... a haven that shrouds one from the stress and tensions of his professional life.

Finding a place that fit his prescription for solace was not that easy, the ophthalmologist admits. But when he discovered a 30-year-old weekend house on Blue Stem Lake, in a secluded area of northwest Oklahoma City, he knew he had found the kind of quiet, wooded setting he could comfortably call “home.”

The modest house was originally built as a weekend getaway for an Oklahoma City attorney, Muenzler relates. And when Muenzler purchased it three years ago, his intentions were merely to spruce it up a little.

But the tragedy of a destructive fire prompted Muenzler to commission a new home that would rise from the ashes ... a home that would take even better advantage of the view of the lake and the wooded areas.

Designed by Pintu Kahn, a graduate of Harvard University’s College of Architecture who is now practicing in Dallas, the contemporary structure provides an intriguing study of interior space, enhanced by unusual angles that complement the exterior landscaping.


Architectural angles are complemented by views of the exterior in the formal living room at the secluded residence of Dr. Stanly Muenzler in Oklahoma City. the room is a perfect showcase for his collection art and antique microscopes.

The back of the home is all glass, offering Muenzler a panoramic view of the winding lake and the mature trees that form a delicate canopy over the lawn.

The white and ecru interior features spacious rooms, on multi-levels, that flow together in a rhythmic fashion. The ceilings are marked by angles and curves that add heightened interest to the design. The mood is one of quiet and graceful elegance surrounded by the beauty of nature’s ever-changing palette.

“Pintu and I worked on the design together,” Muenzler says. “The major challenge was to take advantage of the beautiful setting nature had provided and let the house blend in as much as possible with the lot. I wanted to keep the existing pool but I didn’t want it to dominate the landscape. And I wanted to keep the old lakeside cabana, with all its rustic simplicity because I knew I would use that a lot when I fished or rode around the lake in a paddleboat,” Muenzler says.

In the den, antique microscopes are used as accessories, serving as unusual conversation pieces for Muenzler’s guests.

Another challenge Muenzler offered to Pintu was to position the windows at the back of the house to take advantage of a large modernistic lawn sculpture, a creation of James Strickland, a Norman artist who recently moved to San Diego. “The sculpture and the pool were all that was left standing when we bulldozed the foundation after the fire,” he notes.

Pintu’s design successfully affords a view of the sculpture from the formal living and dining rooms, as well as from the compact, European-style kitchen.

The working relationship between Muenzler and Pintu became a symphony of ideas with the architect and client listening carefully to each other’s suggestions. The architect complemented those dialogues with his observations of his client’s well-ordered lifestyle.

“I told Pintu the kind of feeling I wanted to have when I stepped into the house,” Muenzler says. “And I wanted the exterior to make the first statement for the mood people would find inside.

“Because Pintu grew up in Bangladesh, his designs often reflect his own cultural traditions. The home, in his native tradition, is much more of a sacred thing to them than it is to us,” Muenzler says. “So I think it was easy for him to create a home for me that would have an open interior, but still suggest a strong mood of privacy and seclusion. He knew I wanted the feeling of a country retreat, even though the setting is only a block from a major thoroughfare.”

The dining room, with its architecturally-appealing curved ceiling also offers Muenzler's guests a panoramic view of his lawn and nearby lake. This room has an Oriental mood, expressed in the area rug, and the centerpiece vases, filled with fresh floral arrangements.

What Pintu designed is exactly what his client wanted — a home that is a balm from the cares and worries of Muenzler’s demanding profession.

Architecturally, the home’s high ceilings reflect an intriguing interplay ... an optical illusion of curves, arches and angles, with the entryway setting the tone for the rest of the home.

The sense of geometric proportion is also evident in the two square reflecting pools that flank either side of the entryway door. Muenzler changes the decor of the pools often. Both feature fountains and he uses them as perfect settings for floating floral arrangements, rocks or sculptures that highlight the water. “I think of the pools as a still life in the entryway;’ he says.

If a man's home is his castle, then the study is truly a sanctuary, a retreat where books can be savored in silence and serenity. Muenzler repeats the deign them of antique microscopes and the furnishings reflect his interest in mixing Oriental with traditional furnishings.

A neon-style sculpture on the built-in credenza facing the front door is a dramatic teaser for the art and collections to be encountered and enjoyed in the rest of the home. It also suggests the hint of art deco that is used sparingly in accessories.

Completed a year ago, the home is now much more than a soothing daily retreat for its owner. The home also provides Muenzler with a striking showcase for his unusual collections, acquisitions that reflect his professional interests.