When LA-based designer Amy Sklar was growing up, her family moved every few years. “The homes ranged in style from mid-century modern, to a 100 year old clapboard home,” she recalls. “That exposure created in me real appreciation for a wide range of architectural and interior styles. And there was also a chance to redecorate my room every few years, which I fell in love with! That ability to reinvent, and ultimately find my own style.” Today, she’s able to do that for other people — a career that she calls a dream.
Today, we’re showing off some of Amy’s latest work. This home is located in the super-cool Silverlake area, and the space is just as on-trend as the neighborhood itself. From totally transforming the kitchen to installing new floors throughout, this is a home we’d love to live in. Amy tells us more:
Hi Amy! We’d love to know a little bit about the clients. What was their vision, and what was your priority when starting the design?
My clients were a family of 4, with 2 young daughters. They love to cook and entertain, so we really wanted to update the kitchen to make it easier to work in as well as create more flow between the kitchen and the rest of the home.
What condition was the home in when you started?
There was a low ceiling in the living room, a crumbling kitchen counter and a kitchen window that look directly onto a neighbors patio….not a lovely view.
Yikes! Okay, tell us a bit about how you transformed the space.
We vaulted the living room ceiling, to make that room feel more spacious and welcoming, as that is the first room you enter when you walk in the front door. Then we enlarged and arched the opening between the kitchen and the dining room, taking what had been a standard 36″ door and opening it up to nearly 6′ wide! We then arched the newly enlarged opening to match the arch on the opening from the living room to the dining room, so that it feels like the new opening has always been there.
With any project, there are bound to be hiccups. What were the biggest challenges with this property?
Ah yes, hiccups! On this project, the biggest hiccup was that when we went to vault the ceiling in the living room we found that the central ridge beam was not centered on the space! So, we had to make the decision to either drop the vaulting and relocate the beam to center it, (which would have lowered the overall height of the ceiling) or leave the beam off center and keep the height. In the end we went for keeping the height, and leaving the beam off center, and I think it looks great! It really adds a dynamic element to the space, and looks like it was meant to there!
Do you have a favorite room or feature in the house?
I love the kitchen, and the major amount of light we were able to borrow from the dining room by enlarging the opening, that transformation was so huge!
Finally, LA is known for great home goods. Where are some of your favorite local spots to shop?
I am a major Lawson-Fenning fan, I ALWAYS find something in either of their two locations — Silverlake and Melrose — plus they are lovely people! I also love Nickey- Kehoe, they have the most well, curated shop, and make incredible custom furniture! And for dreaming, Galerie Half, it’s like walking into an art gallery, just stunning.
