The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowed

This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story, Wallpaper’s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.

The Inside Story celebrates spaces in all of their manifestations – homes, offices, cafés and everything in between. This week, we spotlight a space that defies categorisation, introducing what feels like an entirely new concept.

Casa Francis is a gallery – host to a recent exhibition by gallerist Rosa Park, featuring artists and designers represented by Los Angeles’ Francis Gallery. While that exhibition has now concluded, a permanent, evolving collection of works remains.

But Casa Francis was also Park’s private home (she has since moved) – a gorgeous, restored Spanish Colonial residence in West Hollywood. Dubbed a ‘living gallery’, the space blurs the boundaries between exterior and interior life.

Because this was Park’s home, conventional gallery norms do not apply. During the exhibition, guests were invited in one at a time, for one hour. They began their experience with traditional Korean tea and biscuits in the garden. There was also a strict no-social-media policy – out of respect for the home, but also as part of an experiment: could removing digital distractions deepen one’s connection to the art?

The exhibition, titled ‘Bap meogeosseoyo? (밥 먹었어요?)’ – Korean for ‘have you eaten today?’ – centred around themes of domesticity, ritual and care. The common Korean greeting isn’t just about food – it is a general inquiry into one’s wellbeing. The works on display, therefore, revolved around the ideas of nourishment, both literal and metaphorical.

The show featured nine artists and designers, from Korea and LA. It encompassed photography and painting from John Zabawa, Will Calver and Koo Bohnchang, depicting, respectively, bowls of rice; fruit, nuts, and plants; and a series of well-worn spoons that capture the quiet poetry of everyday use.

Casa Francis is also home to functional design pieces. Seen during the exhibition, silk floor cushions by Christina Kim (of Dosa) are inspired by childhood memories of her native Jeju Island, and a silver-leaf Japanese screen by Ash Roberts echoes themes of privacy and introspection.

Ceramics by Yoona Hue and Nancy Kwon echo Korean ceremonial vessels, while acrylic vases by Rahee Yoon embody the elegance of Korean design. A striking fireplace screen by Lindsey Chan (of Office of BC) employs the Japanese technique of shou sugi ban, which uses charred wood.

Casa Francis presents a new way for us to think about spaces – especially gallery space – where art and life are not separate, but intertwined. It challenges the conventions of exhibition-making, invites us to inhabit the art, and to let the art inhabit us.