Step inside a Hollywood Hills home where European design meets Californian ease

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

With its soaring 16ft ceilings, Roman plaster walls and custom flooring sourced from France, this 1969 Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills brings a European-leaning design sensibility to a Los Angeles setting.

The interiors – spanning 5,000 sq ft and encompassing four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes – are warm and tactile, with deep reds, yellows and browns layered through mohair, velvet and aged wood, creating a sense of intimacy and quiet romanticism.

Spaces are anchored by sculptural centrepieces with serious design pedigree, including Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s ‘121’ chairs, a Pierre Jeanneret desk and a Pierre Chapo dining table. Lighting by Charlotte Perriand, Michael Anastassiades and Green River Project brings depth and nuance. Textiles come courtesy of Rose Uniacke, Fortuny and Claremont, while Van Cronenberg hardware and custom cabinetry by LA-based fabricators Dusk provide the finishing tactile details.

Custom made arched steel windows frame views of the surrounding tree canopies, drawing in what owner Tanya Saban describes as ‘the most magical’ dappled light – so enchanting, she relocated the kitchen to take full advantage of it. Two original wood-burning fireplaces were kept in place for the cosy ambience they lend, while playful touches offer contrast: a sherbet-coloured guest bathroom and lacquered walls in one of the bedrooms.

Saban's aim, she says was to transform everyday moments into pleasant rituals: 'It's about giving those daily moments that are seemingly mundane – just getting up and making coffee or putting the mail down – a sense of ceremony.'

Of course, the house wasn’t always this way. When Saban, a seasoned property developer, first saw it in 2020, it had been left compromised by a heavy-handed 1980s renovation, but the setting among mature trees and the underlying structure gave her reason to believe in its potential.

To help realise the vision, she enlisted Los Angeles interior designer Lucie Klimes. A former Studio Shamshiri team member of seven years, Klimes had since built a reputation working with music industry clients such as Travis Scott, known for her discerning eye and ability to deliver projects swiftly and skilfully under pressure.

As with all good things, the renovation wasn’t without its complications. The pair navigated water damage, structural issues and multiple contractors, but stayed focused on their shared goal: to create a rich and layered home that balanced poeticism with practicality.

'As Ilse Crawford says, we spend 80 per cent of our lives indoors,' reflects Saban. 'A space should have emotional resonance, and Lucie and I talk about this a lot. We care so much for our spaces: we maintain them, we repair them, we live in them, we laugh in them and cry in them. And they should take care of us too. You want to feel held by your space.'

The four-year renovation process proved their working compatibility, prompting Saban and Klimes to formalise their partnership with the launch of Broad Project. 'I think Tanya really brings the romanticism into the projects,' reflects Klimes. 'My background is more rooted in production design – I come with my encyclopaedic knowledge of different furniture designers and creatives: I know how to execute a concept, procure the furniture, and coordinate with galleries and fabricators.' Saban interjects: 'I consider Lucie a rainmaker; someone who can make things happen, rapid fire. And I focus on intentional space planning – thinking about how someone will actually live in a space.' We say a match made in design heaven.

broadproject.com

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