all the single ladies

I get asked all the time about the style of design that I make.  Is it modern? Traditional? Eclectic? Its a question I'm always hesitant to answer, mostly because I'm not really sure I have one.

I have designed homes all over the country, and each has its own particular quirks and characteristics because of the place it sits on the map. The people who inhabit those homes are much the same.  None of my clients has been entirely interested in pure modern, traditional or eclectic and everybody has their quirks. And since I like to think that I always design with the client in mind,  I'd say that my design style is as varied, as diverse, as quirky as they are.

I've been hard at work on two apartments in Los Angeles that are a perfect illustration of this point.

The first space is a uber modern loft in a new building in Mar Vista.  My client here is a woman with a busy life and a demanding career that has her traveling a lot, so it was my goal to create a comfortable, colorful space that welcomed her when she got to spend precious time at home.

Here is where we began:

Polished concrete floors, shiny steel appliances and large, white spaces. A slick, clean slate for sure, but not much warmth.

The living room was tabula rasa.

Great windows with garden views in the loft bedroom, but all of them covered with horrible plastic vertical blinds.

Now it looks like this:

A vintage credenza is paired with a mod pedestal table and red chairs with incredible hairpin legs. Perfect. I love the combo of the cow hide rug and the woven runner, too. And that's a Banksy print at the base of the stairs. 

My client had lots of beautiful, colorful things that we used everywhere we could. She also invested in vintage furniture and some bold modern art -- much of it by local artists.  This pair is perfect.

This piece. Oh man.  Such a gorgeous beast, and such a lovely contrast to the concrete floors.  

No more big white box of a living room.  So much beautiful pattern, color and texture here. And more Banksy.

The concrete floors, the luxe rug, the marble coffee table.

The super high ceiling in the living room made it the perfect spot for a vertical office. And I am totally in love with the little stool with the grey felt seat.

The loft bedroom is dreamy and calming. The graphic art above the bed  -- created with handmade greeting cards -- is some of my favorite in my client's collection.

White linen replaces those horrible plastic blinds on the windows, and the view into the garden is a bit more serene. 

Apartment number two is in a landmark 1928 building called Casa Laguna in Hollywood. It could not be more of the polar opposite of the loft at the beach.

My client works as a film producer, so this home had to become a place for her to retreat and relax after long hours on set.  Luckily, this apartment (and the beautiful building it is in) has long been considered one of the most beautiful in Los Angeles, so all I really had to do was fill it with things that complemented the architecture here.  There are lots of little reminders of my client's beloved hometown, too.

Here is before:

Andalusian details everywhere. Super-high ceilings and giant windows with views of the Hollywood hills from the living room.

Beautiful hardwood floors.  French doors to a Juliet balcony in the the dining room (and every other room).

And this is after:

I kept things sunny and bright here with cream and grey and lots of yellow. The room is warm and absurdly comfortable.

Beautiful little details.

Color, texture, pattern and sparkle.

My client was in need of the perfect a way to store her incredible shoe collection. it was too beautiful to hide in a closet,  so shoe benches were designed for the entryway.  Now her beautiful footwear is decor.

The dining room.  Red silk draperies are the star here, but there is so much more to love.  Especially those hand carved honeycomb doors.

I love this piece as much as I love the credenza in the loft.  It is incredibly tall and covered entirely in the most gorgeous grass cloth. 

And it has the most spectacular hardware.

Chicago chandelier.

See what I mean? There's no one style at play in either of these homes and definitely not just one type of client.

I don't want to choose, so I won't.

everything old is new again

Anytime I'm in a house that is truly a home, the thing that is most noticeable is that almost nothing is brand new.  There may be a few new pieces (I'm a big proponent of mixing new stuff with old), but the rooms with the most comfort and charm don't come from going into a retailer and buying furniture and setting it up like the display at the showroom.  The really good ones are collected, put together over years with thrift store finds and family heirlooms and vintage pieces from different eras and varying provenance.  So when the lovely people at Chairish, purveyors of all sorts of vintage furniture, art and accessories, asked me to design a room using some of their gorgeous stuff, I was excited to give it a go.

The space in question:  a library with particular challenges.  Not a super large room (12'x15' or so),  but with great features like windows on two walls and a built-in bookcase (because its a library) running the entire length of one wall, from the floor to just beneath the window sills. 

The whole design started with the golden velour sofa.   I was obsessed with it the moment I saw it and knew it would become the anchor in this space.  I also found a pair of long lumbar pillows in a graphic gold chain fabric that were perfect for it.  Biggest piece in the room and some accessories for it.  Done.

The antique Persian rug came next -- it is comfy and rich and great with the sofa.  The room is full of light, so I knew that the deep gold/red/chocolate brown tones wouldn't be too dark or heavy here.  Plus, they are just the sort of colors that make for an inviting spot to curl up with a book.

The room needed way more seating than just the sofa and I LOVE chairs, so it was a no-brainer to choose a pair of them to go with the sofa and rug combo.  Chairish has so many fantastic options for seating (and you know that I love chairs), but I managed to narrow it down to a pair of mohair club chairs by Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams.  MGBW has long been my go-to for chairs, so it makes sense that I chose them.  And just like always these are super comfortable, the upholstery is luxe, the color is yummy and they are so right with everything else in the space.

The mood board for the Chairish library.  Besides all of the books, I found every item in this room in one place.

The tables were easy.  The tree shaped teak table is so interesting and unique.  I was determined to find a way to use it, and it turns out that it tucked nicely between the club chairs.  The mid-century modern nesting tables, well, I'm a sucker for the versatility of nesters.  I've used two in front of the sofa like a coffee table and the third one as an end table, but they can be used in the room in lots of different ways.

Every library needs a bar, and this one was no exception.  I wanted a piece with some size and weight, so instead of seeking out a typical bar cart I decided to re-purpose an art deco dresser with a beautiful walnut finish and great hardware.  The drawers are storage for glassware and the cabinet side is perfect used as liquor storage.  The surface space is great for mixing and serving drinks and is large enough to accommodate a glossy cobalt blue lamp with a clean white shade. 

My sketch of the furniture plan with each item on the mood board.

Sometimes the hardest part of a room is getting the art and accessories right.  Good art -- the kind that you love and want to live with -- is tough to find.   And I'm a firm believer that accessories should be a minimal amount of stuff, but it should be the right stuff.  I think I managed to collect a balanced mix of art and accessories that looks great with all those books.

I could not resist the vintage George Nelson clock.  It will fit perfectly between the windows on the bookcase wall.

Globes are the greatest thing ever.  This one will live atop the built-in bookshelves.

A large shot of the abstract art for the wall behind the sofa.  So much dreamy color.  I love the frame on this piece, too.

So.  Like this room?  Love and covet something in it?  Its all for sale right now, so don't hesitate.