The most interesting houses tend to be in an eternal state of evolving. Such is the case with the Beverly Hills bungalow that film producer Carla moved into 16 years ago. Previously, she had a small place in Laurel Canyon but longed for a midcentury house. She found her solution when she spotted an early 1970s design that had been heavily decorated in "bad Santa Fe style" but was full of promise.
Enlisting the help of her architect friend Hagy Belzberg, a protégé of Frank Gehry's, Carla brought the place back to its original, pared-down, Schindler-inspired form. For the interiors, she worked with the late designer Milo Baglioni, who delivered exactly what she was after: orange shag, a B&B Italia glass-and-steel dining table, and Marimekko drapes in the bedroom.
Over the years, Carla continued to tweak the rooms, but when water damaged her terrazzo flooring, it was time for a second major reconstruction, which she undertook with the help of another architect friend Julie Hart. For the interiors, Carla (now with two young children in tow) realized she needed help, and, after spotting LA design firm Nickey Kehoe on Remodelista, she hired partner Todd Nickey to help her pull the rooms together for the next phase of her and her kids' lives. It's been a good match: "Todd and l are completely simpatico; he made the house look cohesive for the first time. The blend of the old, the new, the vintage, the sentimental, it just all feels organic now and it feels like me."
Above: A sheltered garden leads to the entry, furnished with a Jean Prouvé bench. See it and more in 10 Easy Pieces: Modern Wooden Benches with Backs.
Above: This is LA: The open living room/dining room overlooks the pool. Adam Silverman ceramic pendant lights were previously hung throughout the space; to create a focal point, Todd clustered them over the Saarinen dining table.
Above: The table stands next to the U-shaped kitchen, which architect Julie Hart opened up to the dining room. After taking down the wall, she added built-in bookshelves that conceal the refrigerator on the other side. The photograph is by artist Laurie Simmons, a friend of Carla's (and mother of Lena Dunham).
Above: On the other side of the bookshelves, the fridge is wrapped in wood, connecting it to the teak cabinets and exposed beams. The countertop is made of CaesarStone—read about this miracle material in Remodeling 101: Engineered Quartz.
Above: The now-white breakfast room has seen several color incarnations over the years, including Hermès orange and indigo blue. As Todd explains, "It's one of our favorite spots in the house—the light is perfect in there. We were going to paint, but we all loved the serenity of the white too much." The Formica-topped table came from Carla's childhood home; it's paired with classic Breuer chairs and pendants by Adam Silverman.
Above: In the family room, white-framed family photos hang over vintage leather Togos sofas designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset. The slatted coffee table is a 1950s design; the vintage Moroccan rug is from Woven Accents of West Hollywood.
Above: The living area is set off by a gray-painted wall and sofa custom designed by Nickey Kehoe. To connect the fireplace with the room, Todd inserted a two-tiered ledge/bookshelf made of Douglas fir.
Above: The hall is lit by a long, narrow skylight original to the house.
Above: The powder room has white-veined black marble counters. (Like the look? See 10 Favorites: Exotic Marble in Modern Spaces.) The towels came from Lost + Found in LA; the vases and bowl are from Heath Ceramics.
Above: A BDDW Captain's Mirror sits above a vintage Paul McCobb dresser. Carla had a hat rack made with spacing far enough apart for wide brims. The papier-mâché hare is a recent addition picked up at the Nickey Kehoe Shop.
See more of Nickey Kehoe's work in:
- House Call: A Hollywood Loft by Nickey Kehoe
- Required Reading: The Inspired Home, Nests of Creatives
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