Homeowner: Jonny & Ilze

Occupation: Husband & Wife Antique Dealers

Home Location: San Diego, CA

Jonny and Ilze should have been born in a different era. This retro, throw-back couple is obsessed with anything and everything reminiscent from the 1950’s and 1960’s, especially mid-century modern style and flair! It’s not just an aesthetic, it’s a way of life! From the clothing in their closets, to the friends they keep to the food they eat, everything Mid-Century Mod, 60’s retro, Tiki-themed is 100% their style and aesthetic. They even live in a 1960’s ranch home that they bought especially for the traditional, authenticity of the home. It still has the original kitchen, the original stove, the original wood dividers in the walls. Even when upgrading or remodeling the home they make sure that everything is authentic to the era, including matching the right linoleum to the flooring of the early 60’s. Even the pool they put in was a traditional 1960’s pool. The entire backyard is like stepping back in a hyper-realized version of the 1960’s. There’s a retro swimming pool, an authentic Chinese tea house with its own Japanese gate, a bonsai garden, a massive Tiki bar, and even a Quonset hut! Part of the Mid-Century aesthetic is a nod to the pan-pacific themes of that era, popularized from GI’s oversee deployments during WWII. Hence the introduction of “Tiki Culture.” They have a MASSIVE Tiki collection, focusing solely on paraphernalia from the 1960’s. Their obsession (or as they would prefer to call, “collection”) took over their own house to they built an “A-Frame” in their gorgeous, backyard to house their prized possessions and entertain friends.  The space is affectionately known as the “Head Hunter” Tiki bar, that is known throughout every Tiki-Circle in Southern California.

• The Head Hunter Tiki bar is a custom, 17ft high A-Frame Tiki bar that Jonny and Ilze created to house their massive, lifetime collection of vintage, South Pacific paraphernalia. The bar features a replica, vintage bar, a booth for their guests, beautiful lighting, and hundreds, if not thousands of incredibly ornate, detailed, rare and authentic vintage items.

• The backyard also features its very own Japanese and Chinese inspired “Tea House.” They actually lifted the original structure from a different home and installed it in their own house. There’s dozens of vintage Chinese lanterns that hang amidst a red and black fabric wall paper with original, antique Chinese and Japanese décor.

• The tea room even has its own matching Bonsai garden, a matching clam shell waterfall and matching Japanese inspired red get called a “Torii Gate.” Pan-Pacific themes like this tie into the Tiki-theme that was popularized in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

• Ilze and Jonny both work from home, but to match their 1960’s, South-Pacific theme, they purchased a military Quonset hut (you know the dome-shaped, make-shift, temporary housing seen in all those, old military movies?) Yes, they bought one and use it as their home office, warehouse and shop on their property.

• When people come over they think that the pool came with the house. In point of fact, they only built their pool five years ago. They deliberately installed a 60’s kidney shape to tie in with the backyard’s retro aesthetic.

• The inside of their house has original Eames furniture, original 1960’s kitchen, the original wooden pocket doors and mid-century art: including vintage condom holders!

• The perimeter of the backyard boasts a prized collection of life-sized tiki statues that encircle a 1960’s themed fire pit. Perfect for hosting like-minded, groovy, friends and family.