This luxury condominium in Beverly Hills had it all: it’s on the top floor of the six-story building, offering 180-degree views of the Hollywood Hills. It’s steps away from the iconic Four Seasons Hotel and walking distance to some of the area’s best restaurants. And it was the right size…but wrong layout. Enter designer Laura Roberts! She worked with the new homeowners to create a space to entertain, display artwork and beloved souvenirs from a lifetime of travel, and an incredible closet. There is also a wide variety of furniture sourced from Resource Furniture, including a stunning Botanicals wall covering by the creator of ConcreteWall. It’s an artful space, perfect for a new chapter of life. Laura tells us more.
First, we’d love to know about your clients.
The clients, Shoshana and Alex, are newlywed lawyers and this is their first home together. They wanted a sophisticated home for entertaining and comfortable living. They also wanted a home filled with artwork and mementoes from their many years of travel together, which we incorporated into the design. Built in cabinetry was created with ample room for display in mind, and their eclectic art collection was hung in every room.
You were first brought on just for the closet. How did the relationship / renovation evolve?
Through the process of designing Shoshana’s dream walk-in-closet, we developed a sense of trust which led to other areas of her home. She was in the process of a full gut remodel, and was making most of the decisions herself. She soon realized she was in over her head, and because of the designer / client relationship we had already established with her closet and the trust that she now had in me, I naturally transitioned into designing the interiors of the entire home.
They’d both lived full lives. How did you blend their styles / collections?
We made their varied artwork collections cohesive by reframing and matting to coordinate. The artwork was a huge component of the interiors, and in some areas, we actually designed around it; for example, the custom living room built in cabinet was created to incorporate one of the client’s paintings from a Cuban artist, purchased while traveling. Another huge part of the design involved editing. I designed the various built-in cabinets and shelving to display only the most meaningful and beautiful pieces from the clients’ collections. Once my client, a maximalist at heart, saw the edited version of the shelves that I styled, she understood the meaning of the phrase, “less is more.” The clean lines of the cabinetry and the grey background palette created a balance with the eclectic layering. I also intermixed vintage pieces into the decor, one notable piece being a Curtis Jere sculpture over the fireplace, as a counterpoint to all the other personal and varied artwork.
Alex also brought to the design a huge collection of vintage Turkish and Persian rugs, which we used as color accents against the very modern furniture in the living and family rooms. One of his kilims was the color inspiration behind the pink vintage Italian lounge chairs I sourced from Europe in the bar area. Between the rugs, the artwork, and various accessories and decor, the unifying aspect between all of them was the layering and balance of colors against a neutral background.
How long did the project take, and what did the client say when they saw the finished space?
The project took about a year to complete, and we finished the final installation while the clients were on their honeymoon. When they returned to see their final home together, my clients were thrilled to see that their previous years of travel adventures were so beautifully curated and that their new home captured their eclectic design sensibilities. Shoshana told me the interiors have a warm and inviting atmosphere exactly the way they wanted and is a true representation of both of their personalities.