The Rosalind House

A Conversation with June Her, Principal Architect, JH2 Architects in Newport Beach, California

Some projects begin with a single room. The Rosalind House, a Tudor-style residence in San Marino, California, began with an ADU. What followed was three years of quiet, meticulous collaboration between JH2 Architects’ principal, June Her, and a detail-oriented family juggling a massive renovation.

The result is a home that balances classic bones with modern restraint: custom walnut parquet, hand-drawn wall paneling, Italian lighting with curved shades, and a staircase June designed herself…one she says feels like a movie.

Here’s how it all came together…

Q: How did you first get involved with this project?

A: It started with a small ADU project, like a secondary dwelling next to the main house. When I first came on site, I noticed a few issues, and the contractor asked me to help coordinate with the owner. It had a lot of potential, so I said yes. I started consulting initially and shortly after, I was doing the whole thing.

Q: Can you talk about some of the specific design decisions, the staircase, the lighting?

A: The staircase, I redesigned that completely. I made the railing really thin, iron with a wooden top. I didn't want it heavy-looking. So it feels light, it draws your eye up. And it has this natural curve, like a piano shape. When you come down, it just feels like a movie. And then the lighting above, I chose a hanging light that also curves, so it matches.

For the overall lighting, I wanted to bring in some Italian lighting, modern technology, but still with a curved shade, something soft and warm. So you have this modern element inside a classic house, but it comes together. It doesn't feel like something was just placed there.

Q: The house is a Tudor style, which is quite specific. How did you approach a style you hadn't worked in before?

A: It was my first Tudor, but good design is good design.

Usually, I gather inspiration online and in books, and I watch movies. Old movies, especially. Then I just obsess for a while.

I study the proportions, the materials. Classic is all about proportion and an understanding of materials. So once you know why the stone is there, why the timber is there, and what their purposes are, you can work with them.

This house has a lot of curves, geometric angles, and lower ceilings. It's not super open. So we used light paint colors and designed ceiling paneling in the low areas to give a hint, a visual language that carries from the foyer all the way through.

It's not exactly the classic way. It's more like a modern interpretation with classic elements.

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