LA nightlife impresario Dustin Lancaster opened Bar Covell on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Feliz a couple of years ago; now he's offering five suites (upstairs) for patrons who want to stay a bit longer. Located in a nondescript 1930s brick building, the Covell Hotel comes to life thanks to designer Sally Breer of Co-Mingle. Here are our favorite spaces.

Photos by Bethany Nauert.

Above: The gilded entrance with signage by Marjory Garrison signals Hollywood-style glamour to come. 

Above: A pink-velvet-upholstered Eileen Gray Bibendum chair anchors the Chapter 3 room, which is meant to evoke a Parisian atelier.

Above: A lighting fixture by LA designer Brendan Ravenhill illuminates the dining table in the Chapter 4 suite. (Read our Studio Visit with Ravenhill.)

Above: An upholstered banquette covered in green velvet echoes the Eileen Gray Bibendum chair in the living room.

Above: In the kitchenette, a tile floor from Kismet.

Above: Each kitchenette comes with a Smeg refrigerator in black or white.

Above: A lounging corner off the kitchenette.

Above: A pair of sconces by Brendan Ravenill.

Above: A black and white corner in the Chapter 5 suite.

Above: The bed linens are from LA-based Parachute.

Above: The bathroom in the Chapter 3 suite features a strip of marbelized trim tile and brass fixtures for a bit of subtle glamour.

 For more details, go to Hotel Covell. And consult our LA Guide for recommended things to see and do all over the city.

More Stories from Remodelista

• #RemodelistaTravels: Instagram Escapes from Remodelista Readers
• A Virtual Trip to the Maldives with Cereal Magazine
• Good Night and Good Luck: 9 Reasons We're Sad to Bid Farewell to the NY Times Home Section

Michael Felix's grandfather worked as an upholsterer out of his Los Angeles garage—and then went on in 1959 to found an upholstered furniture company that his father now runs. "I was really into design in my early twenties, but didn't know which direction to go in, so I apprenticed at my dad's business," says Felix. "I worked with the sample makers and learned the process from the ground up."

A year ago, Michael Felix opened his own LA design studio, specializing in modernist upholstery, built for comfort and made "for a lifetime of use." It's all fabricated by hand back at the family factory and highly customizable.

Above: The 70-inch Goddard Daybed has a frame made of FSC-certified wood and powder-coated steel legs; $2,600. All of Felix's pieces are available with leather or fabric upholstery. 

Above: The Standard Chair "manages to be both modern and nostalgic," says Felix, who cites Italian design from the fifties to the seventies, and the work of Noguchi and Brancusi as his sources of inspiration. The chair has down-wrapped cushions and a frame of FSC-certified wood; $2,500. The leather is available in black, gray, and brown, and the base in FSC-certified walnut (shown), oiled white oak, and honey oak.

Above: The companion 83-inch Standard Sofa is $4,500.

Above: Felix describes the 70-inch Fortuna Bench as "an updated version of a classic modernist daybed." It's shown here with a walnut base and is also made in oiled white oak and honey oak. See more of the line at Michael Felix.

For more small US furniture workshops we admire, take a look at:

• Sawkille Co. of Rhinebeck, NY and Sawkille's Color-Stained Designs
• VVoods Bedroom Furniture Handmade in LA
• Boston's Richard Watson's Furniture with a Feminine Touch (and a Masculine Name)
• Rural Modernism from LA Furniture Maker Casey Dzierlenga
• Waka Waka: A Designer Shin Okuda's Japanese-Temple-Inspired Furniture 

More Stories from Remodelista

• The New Mod: Wallpaper from Kismet Tile
• New Rugs from Rodarte (California's Coolest Sister Designers)
• Table of Contents: California Cool

Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the cerebral sisters behind fashion label Rodarte, have collaborated with Frank Gehry, designed costumes for "Black Swan," guest-edited magazines, and shown their work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Their first foray into home goods, a new line of rugs for The Rug Company, is as decadent and mysteriously compelling as their fashion designs.

Above: Rodarte's Ember Rug of hand-knotted Tibetan wool is $123 per square foot. 

Above: "The landscape of America's Death Valley was the influence behind the Ember rug," according to The Rug Company. "The fabric is warped and aged, the iconic scenery is suggested in earthen colors and blended yarns."

Above: The Marble Rug of hand-knotted Tibetan wool and silk is $182 per square foot.

Above: The rug "brings the fluid beauty of the raw natural mineral; the colors were inspired by raw materials such as copper, gravel, and wood."

Above: The Ivy Trellis Rug is made of hand-knotted Tibetan wool and silk; $224 per square foot.

Above: A detail of the Ivy Trellis, which was "inspired by fairy-tale fantasies and medieval romance."

Above: Cobalt Motif is made of hand-knotted Tibetan wool and silk; $224 per square foot.

Above: The Cobalt "draws on Rodarte's experience growing up in California and was inspired by 1970s Northern California interiors and blue and white porcelain of their childhood." 

Browse our archive for more Rug inspiration and sourcing.

More Stories from Remodelista

• The New Mod: Wallpaper from Kismet Tile
• Born to the Trade: LA Designer Michael Felix's Handmade Furniture
• Table of Contents: California Cool

Yesterday, we checked in at LA's buzzing new Hotel Covell designed by Sally Breer of Co-Mingle. We're particularly taken with the playful, glam-retro vibe of the kitchenette in Suite 5, known as The Heir. Here's how to replicate the look.

Photography by Bethany Nauert.

Above: Someone suave lives here: Suite 5's kitchenette with black and gold accents.

Above: The design has simple open shelving and a Smeg refrigerator.

Above: A detail from Suite 3, the Parisian Atelier, with hexagonal cement tile from Kismet Tile (read our posts about Kismet and How to Select a Backsplash.) Each kitchenette is equipped with Studio Mugs ($31), Plates ($29), and Cereal Bowls ($30) from Heath Ceramics' Coupe line.

Above: The 1950s-style Smeg Refrigerator holds 9.22 cubic feet and comes in more than a dozen colors; $1,999 from AJ Madison. 

Above: The kitchenette countertop is matte black Corian. Learn about the made-to-last material in Remodeling 101: Corian Countertops, (and the New Corian Look-alikes). 

Above: The Kingston Brass Satin Nickel Magellan Centerset Bar Faucet with Metal Lever Handles is $51.87 from Faucet Direct. 

Above: The kitchenette has a vintage bar sink in brass. For a look-alike, consider the Barclay Bar Sink with Ledge in Polished Brass; $225 from Amazon. 

Above: Breer used vintage pulls on the cabinets. For a similar look, try these Vintage Brass Cabinet Bin/Cup Pulls by Cal Crystal; $12.86 from Martell Hardware. Another good option: a Depression-Era Glass Bin Pull from Crown City Hardware.

Above: The matte black Colfax Wall Sconce was custom-made for the hotel by Park Studio LA. It's now available for $80 from Park Studio's online shop. 

Above: The Half Gold Light Bulb is $8 from Anthropologie.

Above: The Ekby Hemnes Shelf in black/brown is made of solid pine and comes in two lengths, starting at $14.99 from Ikea.

Above: For mounting the shelves, Ekby Valter Brackets come in two sizes and are $3 or $4 each at Ikea. 

Above: The Architec Gripperwood Concave Cutting Board is made of beechwood; $30.23 from Amazon. 

Above: West Elm's Gold Flatware Set is gold electroplated stainless steel. A single place setting is currently on sale for $31 (marked down from $39), and a four place-setting set is $112 (marked down from $140).

Above: The Chemex Wood Collar Glass Coffeemaker comes in four sizes, starting at $34.95 from Williams-Sonoma.

Above: Original Charcoal Drawing circa 1940, from an artist's estate in Carmel, California; $120 from Etsy seller Vintage Paramour. Search "vintage charcoal portraits" on Etsy for more options.

See more of our recent Steal This Look posts:

• The Clean White Laundry Room
• A Room at the Ace Hotel in London
• A Tiny Family Bathroom
• A Botanically Inspired Workspace

More Stories from Remodelista

• Classic Swedish Shelving, Kitchen Edition
• Cloth Coffee Filters: Less Waste and Better Taste?
• Before & After: A Galley Kitchen Reinvented

Kismet Tiles's retro glam patterns have been cropping up in kitchens, restaurants, and swimming pools all over of late (see LA's New Hotel Covell and today's Steal This Look). Now, Kismet's owner/designer Tracey Reinberg is branching out into wallpaper. 

Reinberg began by adapting favorite Moroccan tile patterns to paper, and has since delved into her vast textile archive—she formerly designed upholstery patterns for Knoll and Maharam, among others—to come up with her signature new mod look.

Above: Kismet's Nodo wallpaper in slate on a silver ground.

Above: Nodo in white on a gold ground. Kismet is based in LA, and the wallpaper is currently produced digitally on metal foils. Reinberg will soon be introducing traditionally screen-printed papers, too. Prices available on request.

Above: Pavone (which means "peacock" in Italian) also comes in a smaller variation called Pavone Vine.

Above: The Bettye pattern, shown here in orange and silver, is named for Reinberg's Polish grandmother "because it has a Mittel-European feel." The metal grounds "lend a subtle luster and luminosity to the surface," says Reinberg.

Above: Oskar is modeled after Reinberg's first cement tile pattern, Jazz. See more in our post Moroccan Tiles from Kismet.

• Deb Bowness's Tromp L'Oeil Photographic Wallpapers
• Calico's Handmade Marbelized and Misty Wallpapers
• Wall Murals from Rebel Walls of Sweden
• And on Gardenista, read about Michelle's Hunt for the Perfect Wallpaper

More Stories from Remodelista

• New Rugs from Rodarte (California's Coolest Sister Designers)
• Born to the Trade: LA Designer Michael Felix's Handmade Furniture
• Table of Contents: California Cool

This story begins with Billy Wilder, director of Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Sunset Boulevard, and other movie classics. Wilder was a noted collector of modern art and design, and when Wilder met Charles and Ray Eames in Los Angeles in the 1940s, they struck up a friendship; its legacy is the Eames Lounge Chair (which owes its existence to the developments in bent plywood spearheaded by the Eameses themselves during WWII, when they created splints and stretchers for the US Navy).

Wilder wanted a comfortable chair for reading and extended napping, one that would have the "warm, receptive look of a well-worn first baseman's mitt" combined with the elegance of an English club chair. The resulting lounge is composed of three curved shells, each made of five layers of plywood covered in Brazilian rosewood veneer (it's now available in other finishes as well). The leather cushions are identical in size to the shells and are attached with zips and hidden clips that allow the exterior to remain unmarred by bolts. The flexible chairback is angled in permanent recline, the seat swivels, and the whole thing is balanced on a slender but robust cast aluminum base. 

This modern masterpiece suited not only Mr. Wilder, who was presented with one of the first chairs for his 50th birthday in 1956, but has also been enjoyed by readers, psychiatrists, writers (it's Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Chabon's work chair of choice), and afternoon nappers ever since.

Above: A vintage Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in the corner of Joan McNamara's loft bedroom (see Joan at Home in LA). The chair starts at $4,859 at Design Within Reach. Photograph by Laure Joliet for Remodelista. 

Above: The Eames Lounge Chair is available in a variety of colors and finishes, including ivory leather and natural cherrywood. Photograph via VKV Visuals.

Above: The wood veneer shell is unmarred by bolts.

Above: Charles and Ray Eames at home; image via Pencil. (Source more Eames Designs in our Shop section.)

On Gardenista, have a look at Michael Chabon's Eames lounge in the Shingled Backyard Studio that he shares with his wife, novelist Ayelet Waldman. 

Object Lessons columnist Megan Wilson is the owner of Ancient Industries and curator of the Remodelista 100 presented in the Remodelista book. Watch for her column every Tuesday, and have a look at her past lessons on the Atlas Pepper Mill, Sheila Maid Clothes Drying Rack, and another midcentury classic, the Butterfly Chair.

This post is an update; it originally ran on June 10, 2014, as part of our Cool Dads issue.

More Stories from Remodelista

• A Home Office Update for the New Year

Ara Katz, a tech entrepreneur/film producer/artist, and her partner, Chris Ovitz, also a serial entrepreneur, were Venice Beach loft stalkers when they discovered a two-level condo in the light-filled AK Live/Work building on Abbott Kinney, designed by Michael Sant in 2006. Working with designer Taylor Jacobson, Ara orchestrated the interiors while juggling her job at a start-up and doing her own studio work.

Above: Ara had the sofa custom-made; the chair is from Jason Koharik. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: A Frank Stella hangs over the sofa and a Greta Grossman Grasshopper Floor Lamp illuminates a corner of the living area. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: Ara designed the coffee table, which was inspired by the Alanda Pyramid table for B&B Italia. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: The flat-screen TV is encased in a white-painted frame. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: The kitchen has teak euro-core cabinetry. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: A Bosch cooktop inset in the countertop. (Like the cabinet hardware? See Remodeling 101: How Kitchen Edge Pulls Changed My Life.) Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: Vintage chairs surround a Russian oak dining table. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: The living area opens onto an interior courtyard.

Above: The light-infused courtyard. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: Low-key seating in the courtyard. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: In the master bedroom, the reading pendant lights are from Obsolete. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: The bedding is from LA company Matteo. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: In the guest room, the reading lights are from Jason Koharik. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: Built-in closets in the guest room. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

Above: A tiled wall with toilet-paper niche. Photograph by Marcia Prentice. 

Above: The glass pendant is from Obsolete. Photograph by Marcia Prentice.

<

Above: Ara in her studio with a vintage Togo sofa by Ligne Roset. Photograph via the Tappan Collective.

Take a look at a few more Loft Spaces:

• The Power of Pastels: A Color-Blocked Family Loft
• Bohemia on the Bowery: A Fashion Couple at Home
• Barrier-Free Living: A Loft in San Francisco's SOMA
• House Call: Joan at Home in LA

More Stories from Remodelista

• Plywood in Paris: A Compact Family Kitchen by Septembre
• A Sexy, Minimalist Remodel in Berlin
• Home on the Range with Casamidy in Mexico

Currently surfacing all over: handmade ceramic and cement tiles in bold, simple patterns. Here are 10 standouts. 

Note: Each of our picks is available in a variety of colors; we've selected black and white for maximum graphic impact.

Above: Circulos, a cement design by Original Mission Tile, is made by hand in Mexico. The eight-by-eight-inch tiles are available in more than 60 colors; $14.44 per square foot at Great Britain Tile. 

Above: Part of the Kelim series by Swedish designer Mats Theselius, Woody is a reed-inspired pattern shown here in Kohl and Milk. Made in Morocco, the 20-by-20-centimeter tiles are SEK 1,500 per square meter ($16.40 per square foot). Contact Marrakech Design for ordering information. 

Above: Popham Design's Squarish tiles comes in five pattern variations; three of them are shown here. The 20-by-20-centimeter cement tiles are made outside of Marrakech and available in several colors. Contact a Popham stockist to purchase. 

Above: Wisconsin company Sabine Hill specializes in concrete tiles, and all of its work is made in the US, including the harlequin-esque Bluff pattern. Contact Filmore Clark to purchase. 

Above: Maison Artistry's terracotta tiles are made and painted by hand in Temecula, California. The six-by-six-inch Arabesco pattern, shown here, lines a shower wall in Design Sleuth: Maison Artistry Tiles. Arabesco is $63 per square foot; contact Filmore Clark to purchase. See more of the collection in our post Tile & Countertop: Maison Collection at Filmore Clark.

Above: RedBank is a new line of terracotta tile from the tile and fixtures powerhouse Waterworks. Made and painted by hand in the US, the tiles, including Isoceles, shown here, are customizable by color and pattern. Contact Waterworks to purchase. 

Above: Origins is a collaboration between Clé Tile of Sausalito, California, and artist Forrest Lesch-Middelton, who makes (and weathers) each tile by hand in his Petaluma, California, studio. Seljuk, shown here, is available in four- and six-inch squares starting at $16.50. Visit Clé Tile to order; for individual tiles to use as artwork or coasters, go to Lesch-Middelton's Etsy shop.

Above: Fireclay Tile's Contemporary Collection is made in California using clay composed of 70 percent recycled materials (such as discarded glass bottles and porcelain bathtubs and toilets). The Isosceles pattern is available in four colors, including Dark, shown here; $35 per 6-by-12-inch tile. 

Above: Dandelion hexagonal tile from Swedish designers Claesson Koivisto Rune is 20-by-23 centimeters and comes in a variety of colors, including Almost Black. Prices start at SEK 1,625 per square meter ($17.80 per square foot). Contact Marrakech Design for purchasing information. 

Above: Native is the latest tile collection from Remodelista favorite Commune. Malmo Zebra is shown here. The rectangular tiles come in a variety of sizes, starting at $22 per square foot; visit Exquisite Surfaces to purchase, and see more in Living in Black and White: Commune's New Concrete Tiles. 

Whatever you're on the hunt for, our 10 Easy Pieces series has you covered: 

• 10 Easy Pieces: Classic Black Metal Sconces
• 10 Easy Pieces: Designers' Favorite Prints and Patterns
• 10 Easy Pieces: Tile House Numbers
• 10 Easy Pieces: Eco-Friendly Paints

More Stories from Remodelista

• 5 Favorites: Bohemian Modern Ceramic Bells
• Channeling the Laid-Back Look with L'Aviva Home
• The New Mod: Wallpaper from Kismet Tile

Laura Aviva travels the world to collaborate with artisan communities all over. But the fact that she's from California shines through in all of her designs, which are made for lounging. Case in point: her Moroccan pom-pom embellished blankets and new Colombian poufs.

Above: Aviva describes her Moroccan Pom-Pom Blanket as "a stylized rendition of the traditional wool blankets used to protect against freezing temperatures in the High Atlas Mountains"; $485. 

Above: L'Aviva Home Alpaca Frazada Pillows handwoven in the Bolivian Highlands and backed with Belgian linen. They're 22-inch squares; $300 each (feather-and-down pillow insert included). 

Above: "Blacks, whites, and grays play well together," says Aviva. The pattern was inspired by Bolivian grain sacks. 

Above: Aviva's latest venture began with a long trek to the town of Tuchin, Colombia, to work with weavers specializing in traditional sombreros. Aviva reimagined new uses for their technique, and the first results are her Caña Flecha Poufs named for the palm fiber they're made of. "The fiber is dyed using color extracted from local leaves and plants. Long, thin strips are finely braided together into strands that are then sewn into a series of concentric circles," she says. Read the story behind the poufs here.

Above: Caña Flecha Poufs are 26 inches in diameter, stuffed with a poly-fiber fill, and have complimentary patterning on the top and bottom (one of each is shown here facing up); $585. The hats on the wall are sombrero vueltiaos, Aviva's source of inspiration. She's at work on hat-shaped pendant lamps as well as wall and headboard coverings in the same style.

For more, go to L'Aviva Home, and see our past posts:

• Safari-Style Camping in Colorado, Glam Bedding Included
• A Sisal Alternative: Soulful Rugs from Colombia 
• A Black-and-White Bolivian Hammock from L'Aviva Home

More Stories from Remodelista

• 5 Favorites: Bohemian Modern Ceramic Bells
• 10 Easy Pieces: Handmade Patterned Tiles
• The New Mod: Wallpaper from Kismet Tile

Our stylish and health-conscious (but not tediously so; they're into natural wine and apéros) friends David Rager and Cheri Messerli always seem to be ahead of the curve, stylistically and gastronomically. The peripatetic duo run the design firm Weekends. Here's where they've been eating in LA since they moved back from Paris a few months ago. 

"We used to live in Echo Park before moving to Paris, and Elf Cafe quickly became our favorite spot—Mediterranean and Mideast flavors focused through a California lens. The integrity of their ingredients gives any high-end spot a run for its money." Plus, it's vegetarian, even vegan.

Above: "Elf Cafe owner and chef, Scott Zwiezen, recently opened a falafel shop in Atwater called Dune, where they make their own pita bread and serve the best falafel we've had outside of Paris."

Above: "For cooking at home, Cookbook is always great for quality ingredients." 

Above: "Our favorite breakfast/lunch spot is Sqirl, designed by Project Room. Somehow it captures everything we love about California food. The jams are awesome, too, and rumor has it they're expanding." N.B.: Owner Jessica Koslow was named Eater's 2014 Best Chef of the Year. 

Above: "We live near the Silverlake reservoir, and L&E Oyster Bar is our local; it's a great spot for an apéro at the upstairs bar or some oysters at the restaurant."

Above: "Our new favorite Thai spot is Night + Market Song, which has some of the best natural wine you can get in the area, mostly vin de soif, which is fortunate since the food is so wonderfully spicy."

For the couple's Paris picks, go to Expert Advice: 11 Under-the-Radar Parisian Dining Spots.

And for more LA hot spots, see our City Guide.

More Stories from Remodelista

• The Velvet Underground: Retro Glamour in Los Feliz
• #RemodelistaTravels: Instagram Escapes from Remodelista Readers
• A Virtual Trip to the Maldives with Cereal Magazine

Ring in the spring (and some hippie vibes, too): Thanks to the current pottery renaissance, the handmade ceramic hanging bell is back.

Above: Talisman White Bells made by Beth Katz of Mt. Washington Pottery in LA. Inspiration: "I grew up in the 1970s hippie enclave of Topanga Canyon in Southern California," says Katz. Go to Mt. Washington Pottery and More & Co. to see more of her talismans and bells.

Above: A hand-thrown stoneware Ceramic Bell by potter Jude Allman of Cowes, England. It's 2.7 inches tall and available for £20 ($30) via Folksy (the British competition to Etsy). N.B.: Allman also sells some of her wares on Etsy.

Above: Tall Indigo-Striped Bells by Michelle Quan, reigning high priestess of the hanging bell, start at $185. They range from 6 1/2 to 13 inches tall. See more of Quan's work at Ceramic Bells Inspired by Japanese Shrines and in her online shop, MQuan.

Above: From Etsy seller L and M Studio of Catskill, New York, Large Porcelain Bells, six inches in diameter, are $105 each.

Above: A slip-cast porcelain Bell, 1.9 inches tall, is $33 AUD ($25 USD) from Toni Park of Brisbane, Australia.

Above: Brad Ford, a member of the Remodelista Designer Directory, commissioned this wall of ceramic wind chimes from Austin, Texas, artist Jennifer Pritchard for a porch room in the Hampton Designer Showhouse. Go to J. Pritchard Design to inquire about commissions. And see Gardenista's 5 Favorites: Wind Chimes.

Go to Ceramics to see more of our handmade finds, including:

• Japanese Tableware Made in LA
• Photographer Jim Franco's Ceramic Bowls with a Cult Following
• Small Batch, Big Demand: Humble Ceramics of LA
• Soft Touch: Pastel Pottery by Lenneke Wispelwey
• All the Freshness of New York: Katakana Ceramics

More Stories from Remodelista

• Channeling the Laid-Back Look with L'Aviva Home
• 10 Easy Pieces: Handmade Patterned Tiles
• The New Mod: Wallpaper from Kismet Tile

Alison Davin of Jute is making a name for herself in the Bay Area with her "urban earthy" interiors, ranging from a small kitchen makeover in San Francisco to grander projects like this comfortable, subtly luxurious stone vacation house in Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, by Arc Design. Davin's influences range from the pared-down baroque work of Copenhagen-based Malene Birger to the greenery-infused interiors of California designer John Saladino, and in this project, with its muted palette and skillful mix of textures and textiles, discerning the boundaries between indoors and out isn’t always straightforward.

Photography by Lisa Romerein.

Above: The grounds, which include a pair of ancient olive trees, were designed by local landscape architects Lucas & Lucas.

Above: An antique joiner's workbench from Garden Court Antiques in San Francisco and a custom mirror by Jute in the main entry hall. 

Above: The hallway in the main corridor is the workhorse of the house. The entry that the owners use on a daily basis, the space is used as a mudroom with a dog shower included (see the blue tiles by the door). The custom pendants are a Jute design fabricated by Urban Electric in an antique gilt finish.

Above: Oversize metal factory windows overlook the rolling landscape. 

Above: A detail of the Draper's Table from Rose Uniacke of London; it has a boarded "Piddy Oak" top supported by a trio of patinated cross-frame trestle supports.

Above: On a warm day, the French doors open on three sides of the dining area and the space inside becomes porchlike.

Above: A woodstove takes the chill out of the room.

Above: An assortment of vintage hose nozzles are displayed on open wood shelves in the office at the front of the house.

Above: The family room, where the owners spend most of their time, opens to the kitchen, pool, and exterior breezeway.

Above: The library is in a niche off the master bedroom and is both a destination and a pass-through to other spaces in the master bedroom suite.

Above: In the master bedroom, a partition ends at the ceiling with a transom that is trimmed and runs seamlessly into the exposed ceiling beams. The transom brings morning light into the room. Bed linens from Rough Linen's Orkney Collection match the headboard upholstery. The steel-frame bed was designed by Jute and fabricated by Andrew Woodside Carter.

Above: In the powder room, Jute designed a custom wood commode to use as a vanity with a concrete basin top in a custom putty color. French ceramic sconces from Hector Finch Lighting in London hang on either side of an English antique mirror from Galerie Half in Los Angeles.

Above: The loggia is furnished with a handwoven Zeya Three-Seater Sofa and Zeya Lounge Chairs from Janus et Cie.

Above: The outdoor kitchen has a wood-burning oven and is lit with strings of European-style cafe lights.

Above: Poolside lounging with a view, courtesy of two Vitali Adjustable Chaises from Janus et Cie.

For more indoor/outdoor living, take a look at:

• The Ultimate Indoor/Outdoor House?
• Indoor/Outdoor Living, Brooklyn Style
• Weekend Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor Living with Chambers + Chambers Architects

More Stories from Remodelista

• An Art-Loving Couple at Home in Venice, CA
• Plywood in Paris: A Compact Family Kitchen by Septembre
• A Sexy, Minimalist Remodel in Berlin

The offerings in professional-style ranges for the home kitchen have multiplied over the years, but two of the standard bearers still reign: Viking and Wolf. Similar in price points, features, and cooking power, they seem more alike than different. How to choose? It might just come down to the looks. 

As the first brand to bring commercial-type cooking equipment into the home, Viking has name recognition as well as a reputation for reliability and quality. Also known for high performance in the pro-style market, Wolf challenged Viking with a wider array of high-output burners and heavy-duty components. The race continues. Viking has upped its cooking power. And Wolf has introduced a few features where it once fell short, such as a self-cleaning oven.

Are you already a Viking or Wolf devotee? Share your experience in the Comments section below. 

Above: Viking was the range of choice in a kitchen by Commune. “We wanted it to feel like a chef’s kitchen, with a touch of the industrial,” the designers say. For a full view, see Steal This Look: An Exotic Tiled Kitchen by LA Design Firm Commune. Photography by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.

How are Viking and Wolf ranges alike? 

Both are American made, offer gas and dual-fuel pro-style ranges in sizes from 30 to 60 inches wide, have self-cleaning ovens, burners with high BTUs, and are available with different burner configurations. Even Consumer Reports offers similar reviews of the two brands, praising their burner auto-reignition features and low-heat cooktops (a detail where big-powered burners have failed in the past), while criticizing the placement of the oven in relation to the floor (too low for both makes). And because their price points are comparable, cost is not a deciding factor.

Above: Remodelista's Francesca has a Viking in the galley kitchen of her Brooklyn townhouse (featured in the Remodelista book). She has cooked on both Wolf and Viking ranges, but prefers the latter. "The Wolf definitely lives up to its name: It's fierce, and powerful; maybe a little too powerful for me," Francesca says. "I have the Viking, which must have a lower BTU, but it's plenty for me. I've owned three Vikings and two are great, one has some quirks. I would buy a Viking again for the classic design and functionality." Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.

What are some of the key differences between Viking and Wolf ranges?

Finishes

Above: Sick of stainless? Viking wins in this category. It offers ranges in a choice of colors, including black, white, red (shown here), burgundy, gray, and cobalt. Wolf ranges are available only in a brushed stainless finish. 

Knobs

Above: Don't underestimate the power of Wolf's signature red knobs. Remodelista editor in chief Julie has a six-burner Wolf range in her kitchen on Cape Cod. "This is kind of embarrassing, but I bought it for the cheery red knobs," she says. That said "it's more than 10 years old and I think we've only had to service it once." 

Wolf ranges are available with red, black, or stainless knobs; Viking's latest knobs are stainless (black and white have been offered on some recent models). 

Warranties

Both companies offer strong warranties. The Wolf Residential Warranty provides two-year coverage for all parts and labor, along with five-year limited coverage on certain parts. Viking offers a Three-Year Signature Warranty with full coverage for all indoor cooking appliances.

Burners

Above: Wolf ranges have dual-stacked sealed gas burners with two tiers of flames: One delivers high heat; the other comes on for low-heat settings. Julie likes "the super firepower and the fact that it's easy to adjust the flame to a low simmer" on her Wolf range.

Above: Introduced in 2014, the Viking 7 Series ranges feature 23,000-BTU "elevation" burners with brass flame ports adapted from the Viking Commercial product line. They also offer a "VariSimmer" setting for even simmering at low temperatures. 

Do Wolf and Viking offer a variety of appliances?

Wolf and Viking seem to have differing philosophies when it comes to their product lines. In 2013, Viking became part of the Middleby Corporation, the largest food-service equipment manufacturer in the world. Since then, the company has introduced more than 60 new products. Wolf, meanwhile, is part of Sub-Zero, a third-generation, family-owned company that prides itself on focus: "While other brands divide their attention among everything from trash compactors to vacuum cleaners, Sub-Zero and Wolf remain committed to refining and mastering their specialties: the world’s finest refrigeration and cooking appliances."

This is important to consider if you're outfitting your entire kitchen and want to stick to the same brand for either aesthetic or cost reasons (some distributors offer favorable pricing when purchasing suites of appliances). But this can cut both ways. "The reason I got a Wolf the second time around was because we had other Viking appliances that were bad," says Michelle, editor in chief of Gardenista. "Those appliances soured us on the brand, even though we thought the Viking stove performed well."

Above: A Wolf range surrounded by Shaker cabinets (painted in Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray) in an LA kitchen designed by Martha Mulholland—see LA Story: Mix and Match Garden for a Spanish Colonial. Photography by Laure Joliet.

Which is easier to clean, a Viking or Wolf stovetop?

That's a point of debate here at Remodelista, but, truth be told, they're likely comparable: Both Wolf and Viking ranges now come with sealed burner pans that make cleaning easier.

Remodelista's Sarah lives in a house that came with a 30-inch Viking gas range: "Besides being great to cook with," she says, "I love the pullout tray beneath the burners for easy cleaning." 

When it comes to cleaning, I, too, had a good experience with Viking. In my Seattle remodel several years back, I chose a Viking range top with sealed burners, which, combined with removable burner grates, made for easy cleaning (and no fear of spillage creeping into unknown depths). 

Above: Michelle specced a Wolf range in her Mill Valley kitchen redo. (Read why she does not recommend putting in a marble backsplash behind the stove.) Photograph by Liesa Johannssen for Remodelista.

Michelle has had both a Viking and Wolf range. She put a Wolf in her recent remodel and admits to liking it better than the Viking in part because of the cleaning issues. "The stovetop on the Viking was harder to clean. I can't remember the exact configuration, but for some reason food and liquids were able to drip down the burner covers and get stuck around the wiring. Impossible to really clean," says Michelle. "This is not true of the Wolf. The Wolf burner design is really smart—the removable burner rings fit tightly and prevent drips down into the stove parts."

Where do I buy Viking and Wolf ranges? 

Sales of Viking and Wolf appliances are limited to dealers within defined geographical limits of the buyer. This means that they're not available for online purchase if you live more than a specified number of miles from a seller's location. Refer to the Viking dealer locater and the Wolf dealer locater to find the vendors nearest to you. 

Both Wolf and Viking have tools to help with kitchen design and inspiration. Viking has a free iPad App, while Wolf offers an online kitchen gallery and curated kitchen collection. 

Above: Last year Viking introduced the 7 Series, a new line of pro ranges for the home with features taken from the company's commercial line, such as elevated 23,000-BTU burners with brass flame ports, commercial griddles, and gentle-close oven doors, to name a few. The Viking 7 Series 36-Inch Dual Fuel Range is $10,839 through Viking dealers.

Above: The Wolf Dual Fuel 36-Inch Range (DF366) with six burners is $9,200 (or $10,180 with griddle or charbroiler option) through Wolf Dealers.

Are there other brands to consider?

There are so many professional-style ranges on the market that the burden of choice can be overwhelming. We've rounded up some favorites in different categories to help narrow the field: 

• Reduced-Size Ranges
• 7 High-Style Italian Kitchen Ranges
• 6 Chateau-Style Cooking Ranges
• 10 Easy Pieces: 36-Inch Gas Cooktops
• 10 Easy Pieces: Freestanding 36-Inch Ranges

Interested in outfitting your kitchen with American-made products? See:

• 13 American-Made Appliances, from Countertop Mixers to Ranges to Refrigerators
• 15 Made-in-America Kitchen Classics
• 7 Sources for American-Made Hardware
• Henrybuilt's Custom Kitchen Systems

More Stories from Remodelista

• Before/After: A Cool and Confident Kitchen in LA by Project M+
• Steal This Look: Hotel Covell's Glamorous Kitchenette
• Classic Swedish Shelving, Kitchen Edition

Busy professionals with two young kids, attorney Liz Flynn and sports marketer Craig Howe lived in their 1927 stucco bungalow in LA's Silver Lake for eight years before "pulling the trigger" on a cost-conscious kitchen overhaul. It helped that they knew exactly who to entrust with the job: Their friends McShane and Cleo Murnane of LA architect/design collaborative Project M+ specialize in miraculous makeovers on a budget. "My husband got offered a job for the summer in Telluride, so that's when the construction took place," says Liz. "McShane and Cleo ran with it and got the job done in two months; we barely even saw any sawdust." And the results are so life-changing (scroll down to see the Befores) that the rest of the house is now a work in progress.

Photography by Mimi Giboin.

Above: In its new guise, the 300-square-foot kitchen has an ageless, cooly confident look, thanks to a gray and white palette and custom Shaker-style cabinetry. ("The space had too many weird corners for us to go with something readymade," says Liz). 

The project began with a mood board (see below) that defined the essential details down to the black arched faucet. To open up the space, McShane widened the entrance from the dining room (the George Nelson Saucer Lamp in the foreground hangs over the dining table) while replicating the house's Spanish-style archway. One of the design riddles: The couple insisted on keeping the space-hogging back door for the dog—it leads to a fenced-in backyard—so McShane introduced a door with windows and found other spots for storage.

Above: The designers removed the overhead cabinetry and replaced a small, off-center plant bay with double-hung, wood-casement windows (purchased from Taylor Brothers) centered over the sink. They used space freed of cabinets to create an L-shaped island with a ledge that serves as a breakfast counter. The countertops are hardwearing white Caesarstone (read about it in Remodeling 101: Engineered Quartz Countertops). The fridge is situated opposite the sink. The hanging lights are Dante Donegani's Drink Pendant Lights sourced from Remodelista. 

Above: The farmhouse sink is from Ceco and the faucet is by California Faucets. Of the room's black accents, Cleo says, "the space needs contrast or it would feel too cold. Black felt perfect—not expensive and easy to maintain." 

Above: The stove wall, situated next to the back door, is tiled with Carrara subway tile. The designers replaced the existing white tiled floor with a Douglas fir floor that matches what's in the dining room and living room ("but with a less orangey stain," specifies Cleo. "We used a white oak finish to desaturate the color a bit.")

Above: The cabinets are painted Chelsea Gray from Benjamin Moore, and the metal knobs and pulls are from Lowe's. The stove is a KitchenAid and the hood is from Broan.

Above: McShane created a clever under-the-counter spot for the microwave. (For more ideas, see 10 Strategies for Hiding the Microwave.)

Above: "The Carrara tile adds so much warmth and texture to the space," says Cleo. "Slab marble is always our first choice, but it's so much more expensive than tile. And you have to pick out the slabs yourself and pair them." They went with subtly patterned white Afyon three-by-six-inch tiles with a honed finish from their favorite local source, United Team Tile.

Above: To make up for lost storage space, the breakfast nook is now fitted with deep drawers and a pantry that covered up a window. ("We had been very reluctant, but there's now so much more light in the space that that window wasn't a loss," says Liz.) The room also has a cafe table, not shown here. Liz found the hanging light, the Eldridge Pendant, at Ballard Design. ("The mandate was it had to be black," says Cleo.)

Before

Above: "It was one of those super-cramped old California kitchens with a layout that made no sense," says Cleo. "We couldn't find a modern fridge to fit the space, so it was surrounded by black holes," adds Liz.

Above: The sink is still in its original spot and the two-year-old dishwasher was kept (but relocated to the right of the new sink).

Above: The stove had been jammed next to the breakfast nook entry. And the red? "What can I say, it was a bad decision that I made many years ago," says Liz.

Mood Board

Above: Cleo, who is a graphic designer, put together a mood board at the start of the remodel. Liz had loved a Project M+ kitchen with gray Shaker cabinets, so they became the springboard. Getting the couple to agree to black accents was a challenge that the designers won, but the herringbone pattern for the marble tile was nixed as too daring.

See McShane and Cleo's own house in An LA Cliffhanger: Go High or Stay Low? and Steal This Look: A Low-Key Luxe Bathroom with Blue Cement Floor Tiles. And go to Project M+ for more.

More Stories from Remodelista

• Remodeling 101: The Viking vs. Wolf Range
• Steal This Look: Hotel Covell's Glamorous Kitchenette
• Classic Swedish Shelving, Kitchen Edition

It was inevitable that Sylvan Brackett would one day open a Japanese restaurant. He was born in Kyoto to a Japanese mother and an American father (Len Brackett, a temple carpenter apprentice, the first foreigner to be invited to tackle the ultimate in Japanese architectural woodwork and the owner of East Wind). After a five-year apprenticeship in Japan, Len moved the family to the West Coast, settling in the Sierra foothills of California’s Gold Rush country near the Yuba River.

There, Sylvan and his younger sister Aya (who shot the photographs for this post) grew up in a traditional Japanese-style house in the woods built by Len (think precise Japanese craftsmanship, tatami flooring, and drafty paper-thin walls). Japanese cuisine was very much part of their lives; their mother cooked traditional meals, and summers were spent in Japan, where Sylvan fell in love with the simple home cooking of his grandmother. When he headed off to college, he had already started thinking about opening his own restaurant (he did stints in restaurants in Japan; France; Portland, Oregon; and Northern California, where he worked as creative director at Chez Panisse). Sylvan's catering enterprise, Peko Peko, was a hit, and Rintaro is the natural evolution. Book a table now.

Photography by Aya Brackett. 

Above: The entryway to Rintaro (the origin of the restaurant's name? "Rintaro was the name given to me by the abbot of Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto, where I was born. It's a direct translation of "Sylvan"). The small wooden window above the Rintaro sign is a device used in Japanese temples to allow outsiders to get a partial view of the interior without revealing too much. As Len says, "The aim of Japanese architecture is to create surprises. If you see everything all at once, it's too much and you don't see anything."

Above: Frost Tsuji Architects came up with the general layout and navigated restaurant building codes and the like, while Len created the interior, including the sugar pine timber-framed trellis and supporting posts. As Len says, "The posts are the most important element in a Japanese structure. The size of the posts dictates what follows, from beam size to the ceiling." 

Above: The charred beams were all that remained of the former restaurant, Chez Spencer, which burned down. As Sylvan notes, "The arches really have been central to the character of the building. I liked the idea of keeping them in tribute to the restaurant before. I also thought they would fit the mood I was trying to create. We brushed the charcoal off with wire brushes, a technique used to make yaki-sugi [charred wood]." Flowers by Louesa Roebuck (see Louesa Roebuck: Renegade Florist).

Above: Sugar pine was chosen for the posts and trellises because it's resistant to warpage and shrinkage. As in typical Japanese joinery, no nails are used. The booth seats and tabletops were recycled from old-growth redwood used over a century ago as wine tanks for Sebastiani vineyards, with the occasional wine stain in evidence.

Above: The walls are made in the traditional Japanese manner with mud plaster. Len mixed soil from the Sierras with straw and sand before applying acrylic to make it waterproof and tough—a technique he learned from building Japanese houses stateside. The flowers are a mix of nasturtium and magnolias.

Above: Sylvan sourced many of his cooking utensils and dishes in Japan at flea markets, speciality shops, and junk stores. 

Above: A bowl of kumquats. Sylvan's mission is to create Japanese food using what's current and seasonal on the West Coast, not a literal translation but a Northern Californian rendition of an izakaya, a traditional Japanese watering hole/restaurant.

Above: In the back room, the wall features a partition made from thin Japanese reeds. The flat wood ceiling is made of western red cedar in a matching grain, a traditional technique in which each board is numbered as it's cut and then placed in sequence to create a coherent and calm look.

Above: Yakitori on the grill.

Above: Sylvan cooking behind a wood counter made from Port Orford cedar that had been sitting in the East Wind workshop for about 40 years waiting for the right use. The unfinished counter surface was hand-planed only and gives off a fragrance every time it’s wiped down with a damp cloth.

Above: The outdoor area with timber-framed facade and a wall of traditional bamboo fencing. The wood-fired kamado was shipped from Japan and is used for cooking rice in iron pots.

Rintaro is at 82 14th St. in San Francisco. 

If you like the look of the charred beams, check out our post on Shou Sugi Ban, and you can also see a DIY from the Felted Fox. For ideas on arranging flora, see our post on Foraged Ikebana Floral Arrangements.

More Stories from Remodelista

• An Insider's Guide to 6 Healthy and Happening LA Dining Spots
• The Velvet Underground: Retro Glamour in Los Feliz
• #RemodelistaTravels: Instagram Escapes from Remodelista Readers

Has Stephen Kenn created the ultimate masculine sofa? A self-taught designer who grew up in Edmonton, Canada, he arrived in LA in 2005 at age 20 and launched a denim line called Iron Army. Several years ago, he shifted his focus to furniture and made use of WWII military fabrics for upholstery. What also distinguishes Kenn's work is its construction: When he set out to design a sofa, he decided to strip it down to its barest bones, likening the frame, webbing, and cushions to bones, muscles, and skin. The results are impressive: Each sofas is handmade in LA and takes Kenn and his crew four to six weeks to complete (you can watch process videos on his site). Kenn's designs have attracted other designers to come hang out with him. I especially took notice when he unveiled his joint project with one of my (and Remodelista's) longtime favorite companies Truck Furniture of Japan. He worked with Tok Kise of Truck, and then took a coastal motorcycle trip with him out of LA. How's that for the California dream?

Above: The Stephen Kenn City Gym Sofa, $6,800, upholstered in U.S. Navy blankets, shown in the West Village apartment of New York fashion director Nick Woosters. Each of Kenn's pieces has an exposed, welded metal frame that's been rusted or oxidized and then coated with polyurethane to stop the aging process. His designs are available directly through his studio. Photograph via Scene Magazine.

Above: The Stephen Kenn x Simon Miller Sofa is upholstered in hand-dyed indigo cotton canvas and has a copper-plated frame; $6,900. 

Above: Kenn's sofas all have a support structure of custom leather belts that are replicas of a 1940s Swiss military belts used to strap supplies on pack mules.

Above: Kenn and Tok Kise of Truck Furniture sent each other fabric for design inspiration. The Cord Sofa is made in LA using Truck Furniture's olive green wide wale corduroy from Japan; $6,500. Read more about Truck Furniture here.

Above: The back of the sofa is detailed with leather and webbing belts.

Above: The Boomerang Chair and Ottoman, $2,800, is made in the Truck Furniture studio in Osaka and upholstered in Kenn's signature military canvas.

Above: A Stephen Kenn Inheritance Collection Sofa, $5,600, at Juice Sold Here in Venice, California. All Inheritance pieces are upholstered in repurposed World World II military canvas that's been washed and softened. 

Above: An Inheritance Collection Armchair, $2,600, and Ottoman, $800. Kenn says that he likes his designs to tell stories via the work that goes into them and the tales old fabrics have to tell.

Above: An Inheritance Love Seat, $4,000, in the upstate NY home of Frank Muytjens, head of men's-wear design at J. Crew. Photograph via Trnk, which also sells Kenn's furniture.

Stay tuned for Kenn's in-progress collections of shelving, stacking benches, and outdoor furniture.

For more small workshop furniture, take a look at:

• Born to the Trade: LA Designer Michael Felix's Handmade Furniture
• Solidwool's Responsible Plastic Made from Wool
• Head & Haft: A New Old-Style Woodworker in Cornwall, England
• Sawkille Studio's Color-Stained Furniture Made in Rhinebeck, NY

More Stories from Remodelista

• Tiled Moroccan Side Tables for a Song

Get some Hollywood glam with metallic planters and perennial grasses. This week, Gardenista celebrates California from the ground up. 

Above: Burnished gold planters add new glamour to an old Hollywood estate that once belonged to Howard Hughes. Take a tour—and learn where to source the pots—in this week's Garden Visit.

Above: Create curb appeal with your favorite fonts. Learn how to paint your own house numbers in this week's DIY Project.

Above: In this week's Gardenista 100 guide, take a look at the Best Outdoor Furniture and Accessories of 2015. We have our eye on this duo from Serax.

Above: How often do you look at a leaf and wonder what tree it fell from? Or spot a mystery flower and wish you knew its name? Turns out there's an app for that. Actually many of them. Learn the ones for you in Garden Tech. 

Above: Tip No. 1 in 10 Ideas to Steal from California Gardens: "Design a landscape to take advantage of existing trees; they'll block wind and provide shade better than any other solution you can devise." And for Michelle's wisdom about the many ways to use hardy, romantic-looking perennial grasses, go to Leaves of Grass.

Above: "Black is a color to take seriously," writes Michelle. "It adds color and depth, and if you paint a house black, you send a message that you're not afraid to be noticed." Black also shows off greenery exceptionally well, but dark paint has a few downsides. Find out in Pros and Cons of Painting a House Black.

You can now flip through Gardenista as if it were a glossy magazine: Take a look at the new Gardenista-Curated Collections on Flipboard.

More Stories from Remodelista

• Trending on Gardenista: How to Get Curb Appeal
• Trending on Gardenista: The Power of Scent
• Trending on Gardenista: Drought Gardening Tricks

Founded just 10 years ago—by siblings Pamela and Ramin Shamshiri and their friends Roman Alonso and Steven Johanknecht—Commune has managed to become the epitome of California cool and one of the most in-demand design firms around today. Set up as a multidisciplinary LA-based collective "focusing on enhancing life through design," the group has had its hand in an impressive range of projects—its recently published first book, Commune: Designed in California, is a compendium of the highlights, including each of their own houses.

Interestingly, none of Commune's originators is from California (in fact, they each arrived from distant parts: the Shamshiris were born in Tehran, Alonso is from Caracas, and Johanknecht grew up in Upstate, NY). How did they come to define their style? And what goes into the Commune way of doing things? We asked Pamela to fill us in.

Remodelista: You've managed to create a look that's considered quintessentially Southern California. How did this evolve?
Pamela Shamshiri: We always had a fantasy of this European expat who moves to Topanga and brings all her family heirlooms with her and just continues to collect and add to it. That was the chicest thing to us, and completely California modern. It’s not about purity in any way, it’s about a collected environment that is a summation of your history and the way you live. Maybe our look grew out of this shared fantasy that we all four would refer to.

Above: The living room in Steven Johanknecht's home. Photograph by William Abranowicz.

RM: Since three of you were born overseas, do you think that's enabled you to distill different Californian elements into a unified vision? 
PS: One of our ex-designers refers to the four of us as "refugees of aristocracy." This always made me laugh, but there's a lot to it.  We all came from somewhat aristocratic backgrounds and experienced the loss that comes with revolution. This not only gives you a longing and appreciation for your own history and your old  way of life, but a true appreciation for what you have now. Particularly the freedom that one has in moving to California. Your past is of little consequence here. You can have a fresh start and live relatively unjudged. That's something we're very grateful for.

Above: One of Commune's signature greens. Photograph by Richard Powers.

RM: The role of history plays a large part in your projects. How do you gather and use backstory to inform a project?
PS: We start with history. The exact location (city, street neighborhood), the cultural history of the place, the moment in time, the history of our client or brand, the history of the building—it’s all gathered from books, the Internet, and quite often interviews. Then we pour over it all together and look for links and messaging. After that, we assemble the design elements that will evoke that feeling or experience we're going after.

RM: Can you talk about your use of color? You feature hues that have an Old World feel but are modern at the same time.
PS: There is such a fear of color right now. People think it’s a big commitment, but it doesn’t have to be. Historically, color was used to play on the psychology of spaces, and we're interested in that aspect of it. More recently, we've been using “Old World” colors because they evoke emotions and set the mood. And we're just finishing a sixties metal post-and-beam house that's all pastels. On a basic level, color, in good doses, just makes you happy. 

Above: A Stan Bitters' fireplace created purposefully narrow, so that the soot would coat the tiles and accentuate them.

RM: The handcrafted movement has really taken off in the last five years, particularly on the West Coast. You have always included local artists and craftspeople in your work—what was the impetus for this?
PS:  The notion of assembling a team of artisans and craftspeople for a project was born out of working in the film world. My brother and I used to do production design and we were always blown away by the quality of the artisans and craftspeople available. Our sets always had a “hand” to them. How good that hand  was had a direct effect on how communicative, successful, and human the sets were. We wanted our projects to have the benefit of a good team.  ou really are only as good as your team.

Above: The kitchen in Ramin Shamshiri's Spanish Colonial house in Los Feliz. The tiles are Commune's own design. Photograph by Corey Walter.

RM: You have a great ability to mix elements and influences from near and far, yet make them all work together in seamless way. How do you achieve this? 
PS:  We look for an emotional link or common attitude between the eras we're referencing. You can’t combine any two movements, they have to complement each other and relate in ethos. On a more technical front, we're absolutely strict about proportion: For two disparate pieces to work together, they need to relate in scale and weight. That has to be perfect.

Above: The Ace Hotel in Downtown LA—one of several Ace Hotels designed by Commune—is filled with surprise elements by artists. The reception desk is the work of the Haas Brothers, who used elements from old offices in the building. The wall of sheep's wool is by Tanya Aguiñya. Photograph by Spencer Lowell.

RM: Can you talk about your use of tiles and patterns? How do you incorporate this layer into a project?
PS: Layers take careful planning and the use of geometric patterns is key for us. Maybe this comes from growing up between Rome and Tehran. Geometric patterns are found in so many civilizations across many centuries, they're timeless and classic. 

RM: Do you feel there's an aspect of jolie laide to what you do?
PS: I love that. As I’m staring at an old photo of Angelica Houston pinned above my desk, I have to say yes. That’s our kind of beauty.   

Above: At the Japanese House on Carnation Street, the mandate was rustic, modern, and no paint (the walls are made of clay). Photograph by Amy Neunsinger.

RM: In your book you say that the architecture of a home needs to be authentic and appropriate to the era, but that the furnishings are where you can express style and character. How do you work with a client on this front?
PS: With residential clients, we work very hard to honor the history and original design of their homes, whether new or old. We try to make it look as if they stumbled into this architecturally untouched, perfect home that is true to its roots. It’s that “un- design” design that we are after. It’s the biggest compliment to me when people think a new kitchen was always there, or that the house has been untouched since 1918—but somehow it’s got all the conveniences of modern-day kitchens and bathrooms, and has a connection to the outdoors. 

With furnishings, we're more expressive and often go for a layered look. If we’ve done our job right, the elements look like they've been collected over time by our clients and not us. At move-in, we leave the house about 25 percent empty with room for growth. Our clients are so engaged and part of the process, they're able to grown into the design seamlessly. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. It comes from arriving at a look together. 

Above: Commune: Designed in California is published by Abrams and available on Amazon for $42.88.

RM: Could you have created your firm in another city?
PS: Commune would not have made it any place else. Ten years ago, when we were pitching the idea of this multidisciplinary design studio that’s open and willing to design anything and everything and wanting to promote artisans and craftspeople, no one batted an eye here. We wouldn’t label ourselves as architects or interior designers or graphic designers. We kept it all loose and open. We blurred lines between disciplines, eras, and styles. In other places, people were saying, ”You have to have expertise”, “I don’t understand what you do.” Here in California, in this land of reinvention, our clients, just said okay, let's do it. 

Commune is a longstanding member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory. See more of the firm's work in:

• An Exotic Kitchen by Commune
• LA Style Lands in Marin County 
• LA Confidential: A Visit to the Newest Ace Hotel
• Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs
• Ace Hotel Turns Tropical in Panama City
• DIY: A Concrete Block Bed Base by a Commune Designer 
• Living in Black and White: Commune's New Concrete Tiles

More Stories from Remodelista

• 5 Favorites: Bohemian Modern Ceramic Bells
• Channeling the Laid-Back Look with L'Aviva Home
• 10 Easy Pieces: Handmade Patterned Tiles

Take a look at what's been grabbing our attention this week.

• Above: In preparation for our upcoming Weekend Projects issue, we stumbled upon a negative-space woven wall hanging DIY. Photograph by Rachel Denbow. 

• Half hair salon, half residence. 
• Reclaimed wood, nine ways. 

• Above: Debuting Monday: spring pillows from Rebecca Atwood.
• How much money does it take to live in San Francisco and other US cities? Find out here. 
• Doily DIY: a dainty dish to hold jewelry. 

• Above: A discreet and stylish solution for rogue cords. 
• An ingenious new use for an obsolete VCR. 
• Taping prints on walls? We say yea.

• Above: On our wish list: handwoven palm necklaces. 
• Sawing an Eames chair in half never seemed like a good idea—until now.

Instagram and Pinterest Picks of the Week

• Above: A look at Austin, Texas, via @jessicamenda. Shown here, the San Jose Hotel with furniture by Garza Marfa.

• Above: If your Pinterest feed is lacking covetable objects, consider following Jessica Menda's Home Goods board. 

Go to California Cool to catch up on this week's Remodelista, and head over to Gardenista to see their week of California Gardens. 

More Stories from Remodelista

• Expert Advice: Breaking the Rules with Commune Design
• 5 Favorites: Bohemian Modern Ceramic Bells
• Channeling the Laid-Back Look with L'Aviva Home

Have you ever resolved to clear an afternoon and hang a few pictures, refresh your kitchen cabinets with new pulls, maybe limewash a bedroom? This week, we're zeroing in on DIY projects, doable ideas that have a satisfyingly big impact.

Above: Alexa admired some knives stowed in leather slings and figured how to make her own version: see DIY: Wall-Mounted Leather Knife Rack. Photograph by Alexa Hotz.

Monday

Above: Presenting the Remodelista DIY Project Hall of Fame: 10 favorite household upgrades that we did ourselves, some in a matter of minutes, others—such as Justine's Wallpaper Alternative, shown here—in a weekend or two. 

Tuesday

Above: In Tuesday's Furniture post, meet new favorite under-the-radar makers from Australia. 

Above: The art of the art wall: Check out the range of possibilities in this week's Art & Decoration post. And, in the meantime, take a look at Six Simple Frames.

Wednesday

Above: In this week's 10 Easy Pieces, Izabella asks, "Why not give your kitchen an easy upgrade with chic brass bin pulls?"

Thursday

Above: Christine presents a chic solution to the budget flooring dilemma in this week's Remodeling 101 column.

Friday

Above: Actress/designer Amanda Pays (shown here with her husband, star handyman Corbin Bernsen) has spent years economically overhauling interiors, and more recently she's become a savvy house flipper. Her secret? She gets what she wants without ever breaking the bank. In Expert Advice, she divulges her cost-cutting secrets. Photograph by Laure Joliet for Remodelista.

Green flash: It's Emerald Isle week at Gardenista. Watch for 11 Garden Ideas to Steal from Ireland.

More Stories from Remodelista

• 10 Favorites: The Art of the Art Wall
• Mr. and Mrs. White: A Design Love Story
• Current Obsessions: Handmade Home