Houzz Tour: Patterns and Colors Flirt With Wood in Los Angeles
Rational exuberance reigns in this wood-filled Craftsman, thanks to well-considered shots of color and snazzy graphics
When a couple — he’s in media finance; she’s a child psychologist — moved into their Craftsman-style home in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood, the house was already in pristine condition. The previous owner had restored it beautifully, letting the warm and rich wood shine.
But the pair thought it could use a little fun. They wanted to honor the traditional design and materials, but modernize the look with a few clever passes of graphic color and pattern by way of bold wallpaper, boisterous rugs and snappy furniture, turning what could potentially be a stuffy and stiff interior into a youthful and hip one.
They tapped local designer Taylor Jacobson to enhance the mood. She knew that all the wood posed a heavy and dark threat to the interiors, so adding more of it was out of the question. She began by choosing a key piece for each room and building layers of pattern and a blue-green color palette from there.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A media finance professional, a child psychologist and their 3 kids (all younger than 7)
Location: Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles
Size: 2,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms plus an office
Budget: $45,000
But the pair thought it could use a little fun. They wanted to honor the traditional design and materials, but modernize the look with a few clever passes of graphic color and pattern by way of bold wallpaper, boisterous rugs and snappy furniture, turning what could potentially be a stuffy and stiff interior into a youthful and hip one.
They tapped local designer Taylor Jacobson to enhance the mood. She knew that all the wood posed a heavy and dark threat to the interiors, so adding more of it was out of the question. She began by choosing a key piece for each room and building layers of pattern and a blue-green color palette from there.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A media finance professional, a child psychologist and their 3 kids (all younger than 7)
Location: Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles
Size: 2,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms plus an office
Budget: $45,000
The designer looked at getting vintage light fixtures, but this Jonathan Adler chandelier and matching sconces were much more reasonably priced. The near-black metal works well with the black in the chairs.
Instead of starting with the walls, Jacobson designed the living room from the vintage Turkish rug. “The style is really popular right now,” the designer says. The green in the rug matches the tile on the fireplace, and she knew the couple wanted a blue sofa, a color also found in the rug. “Blue always contrasts nicely with warm wood,” she says. The color of the sofa nailed it perfectly: “It’s almost like a peacock blue; there’s a hint of green in it.”
Sofa: custom from The Sofa Company; light fixture: Worlds Away
Sofa: custom from The Sofa Company; light fixture: Worlds Away
After seeing a photo of a vintage French coffee table, Jacobson replicated the design for this custom table with an antique brass plate finish.
She refinished two of the couple’s tall shiny silver bookcases with a dark iron color that she calls oil-rubbed bronze.
She refinished two of the couple’s tall shiny silver bookcases with a dark iron color that she calls oil-rubbed bronze.
The target painting is by on-the-rise Los Angeles artist Jason Koharik. It hangs above a vintage Danish wood chair. The sconces are from Visual Comfort. The white lacquered console table with dark metal base was custom made by Weego Home.
The powder room features Zebra Collection wallpaper from Scalamandre. The design has been popular since it was first used in the New York restaurant Gino in 1945. Here it’s paired with a black and white rug from Crate & Barrel.
The bench is a reproduction Thonet design of black lacquered bentwood with a cane seat and cane back.
The bench is a reproduction Thonet design of black lacquered bentwood with a cane seat and cane back.
Wanting something fun and graphic in the master bedroom, Jacobson started with the Tropical Bird wallpaper. “The clients had to think on it for a week or so," she says. "It’s a lot going on. They had to be sure they would love it.” The room is now the wife’s all-time favorite.
The gold ball with crystal beads light fixture is from Serena & Lily. “It’s a very feminine piece,” the designer says.
With the rather neutral custom Roman shades, wallpaper and upholstered headboard, Jacobson wanted to bring in a scoop of color. She added the royal-blue flat-weave rug from The Rug Company, two turquoise lamps, vibrant pillows and a pixelated green and blue throw blanket.
The wood bench was added by the homeowners.
The gold ball with crystal beads light fixture is from Serena & Lily. “It’s a very feminine piece,” the designer says.
With the rather neutral custom Roman shades, wallpaper and upholstered headboard, Jacobson wanted to bring in a scoop of color. She added the royal-blue flat-weave rug from The Rug Company, two turquoise lamps, vibrant pillows and a pixelated green and blue throw blanket.
The wood bench was added by the homeowners.
The vintage Danish nightstands follow the same idea as the dining chairs: the all-wood pieces were muted down with partial black lacquer; here they play off the black, gold and white wallpaper.
She also knew right away that she wanted black lacquered chairs to contrast with the wood. She liked the style and shape of these vintage midcentury dining chairs, but they were originally brown wood, so she had them painted with black lacquer and reupholstered in funky patterns. “I liked that pink salmon on the chairs with the green walls,” she says.
The black and white flat-weave wool rug was the last element.
Chairs: MidcenturyLA and Amsterdam Modern; chair fabric: China Seas; rug: The Rug Company; wallpaper: Cole & Son