How one Los Angeles House Went from ‘80s Nightmare to Cultivated Nest
Nestled in a quiet enclave of Los Angeles’s historic Miracle Mile—set among an array of similarly landmarked, early 20th-century properties—is a quintessentially charming Mediterranean-style home that, like its newest steward, got a much-needed fresh start.
“After she bought the house—basically sight unseen—it became a can of worms,” says New York and Palm Beach interior designer David Lucido of his client’s 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath dwelling. “Not only did the house need major cosmetic changes in terms of the layout and flow, but there was asbestos and mold, and there were termites—and it needed a new roof.”
But for Judith Martin, a French-born marketing executive who relocated from New York for a lifestyle reboot, the property and its location were ideal. “What’s always been important to me is to find homes that have soul, and I could tell immediately this one was special,” explains Martin. “I first saw it through a Facetime call, and there is a [video] recording of me seeing it where my face just lights up!”
“Over the decades, several previous owners created something of a hodgepodge with weird flooring, mismatched windows, and the addition of a spiral staircase that ran through the middle of the living room,” Lucido explains. “So when I take a project like this, it’s important to me to honor the original architecture of the house and give it an authentic, era-appropriate feel.”
According to Martin, the last owner had lived in the home since the 1980s, and every room was stuck in a different decade. “Honestly, the bathroom was straight out of Scarface,” she says.
With a mutual appreciation for preservation and a shared vision for restoring the home’s original integrity, Lucido endeavored to create an environment that reflected his client’s international—yet laid-back—aesthetic while paying appropriate homage to its history.
“Her background in the South of France really influenced the project’s furnishings and material choices,” he notes of Martin’s unique upbringing: Her mother, Cécilia Attias, was married to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy at the time of his election in 2007, making the homeowner his onetime stepdaughter. So it’s somewhat apropos that the home is located in area once dubbed “America’s Champs-Élysées,” for a time when the wealthy began flocking to that stretch of Wilshire.
The coveted neighborhood’s enduring legacy aside, Lucido was tasked with making the home both functional and comfortable. As part of the remodel, he removed the obtrusive staircase in the living room, replaced the mismatched flooring downstairs with period-appropriate terra-cotta tiles, repositioned—and replaced—windows in the kitchen, and resurfaced elements like the fireplace, which had been badly redesigned in the 1990s.
“She didn’t want it to feel too fancy, or lean too traditional or overly contemporary,” adds Lucido. “So I straddled the line between different styles and eras with an indoor-outdoor sensibility.” To see how, click below.
Entry
In the foyer of this Mediterranean-inspired home, simplicity in design and eye-catching custom details set the tone. Mismatched flooring throughout the lower level has been replaced with unglazed terra-cotta tile from Clay Imports. The bench, in the manner of Paul Evans, was acquired through Tarrytown, New York–based Belkind Bigi, and the custom designed step-front tiles by Philadelphia’s Jordan McDonald Studio—an homage to the work of Jean Cocteau—are reflected in the oversized RH, Restoration Hardware mirror.
Great Room
This calming gathering spot is anchored by one of the designer’s first purchases for the project—a triangular vintage travertine cocktail table from the Window on Melrose Avenue. “This space has a wonderful double-height ceiling, and to open it up, we got rid of the spiral staircase that was coming down into the center of the room,” Lucido explains.
Here, a pair of Viggo Boesen lounge chairs are from PRB Collection, and the daybed—sourced from Orange Furniture—is by Dutch industrial designer Wim Rietveld. The Edward Wormley sofa has been reupholstered in a chenille from Romo Fabrics. Hanging above is a custom chandelier from Palm Beach–based designer Evan Sahlman, and grounding the space is a custom Moroccan rug. The designer created the bookcase wall by adding columns to break up the shelving. “It’s a great place to sit and read, have a glass of wine with friends, or just lounge,” he adds.
Sitting Room
Directly across from the great room, just a couple steps up, is an equally relaxing spot for Martin. “It’s [designed] in a very limited, warm palette with pared-down furnishings to create a concise conversation of pieces,” says Lucido. The designer completely altered the existing “garish, over-the-top ’90s” fireplace for a more streamlined look and oriented the entire space around it.
Sitting Room
The custom adjustable daybed from Lucido’s studio was upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric, and the vintage postmodern club chairs have been slipcovered in white linen. The free-form walnut cocktail table dates to the 1970s, and the pair of drinks tables are from Zara Home. Centered above is a reflective ceiling light from Orange Furniture in Los Angeles.
Kitchen
As part of an older addition, the original kitchen had been expanded but was completely out of balance, so Lucido went as far as to remove, replace, and recenter the windows that look out onto the home’s backyard. “We completely rearranged the flow, added the center island, and put in top-of-the-line appliances from Wolf, Miele, and Fisher & Paykel,” he explains.
Although the rug—in the style of René Magritte—adds additional warmth to space, it was originally meant as wall art. “I’m obsessed with it,” says Martin. “It was supposed to be on a wall, but when I unrolled it on the kitchen floor to let it flatten out, we both thought it looked so good there.”
Kitchen
The custom cabinets have been painted in Benjamin Moore’s slightly eggplant-colored Caponata. A pair of Lostine pendant lights hangs above the island, and the rustic stools are by Furniture Marolles.
Dining Room
“What’s nice about this home is that there’s an old-fashioned procession to the rooms that we had to adjust only slightly,” explains Lucido. “But we kept the formality of the archways, and this is truly a proper dining room that’s perfectly proportioned for the custom Aeterna dining table.”
Surrounding the table is a set of postmodern French cane and iron chairs. Against the wall is a vintage French sideboard by Charles Dudouyt and hanging above the table is a vintage Murano chandelier by Barovier & Toso. The rug is from Armadillo.
Breakfast Room
“She’s often camped out here, working,” says Lucido. “It’s a nice setup—there’s great light, and she can walk right out to the back patio.” The steel tulip table was acquired from Design Mix Gallery in Los Angeles, and the custom banquette by the designer’s studio has been upholstered in fabrics from Perennials and Pierre Frey. A vintage Pierre Guariche chair completes the seating arrangement.
The toe sculpture from the Window adds a playful touch. “I really had to push for that,” he laughs. “I don’t like when projects are too serious—you need things like this to shake it up a bit.” On the wall is a painting in the manner of Georges Braque.
Powder Room
“You can’t have a powder room without a mood, right?” insists Lucido. To create atmosphere, he painted the textured plaster walls in a deep brown. The custom-designed free-form vanity top—in the style of Charlotte Perriand—is by the designer’s studio with a faucet from Waterworks and a sink by Rocky Mountain Hardware. The custom ceramic mirror is by Jordan McDonald Studio, and the stool is by De Jong & Co. from Lawson-Fenning.
Reading Nook
“At some point this was an addition to the home—and a bit of an awkward space—but we found this Jasper Morrison Wave sofa and it fit perfectly, so the space felt super resolved,” says Lucido. The two French milking stools act as side tables, and the artwork—a find at the Rose Bowl flea market—is an original work by Belgian artist Hilde Handsaeme. “As a queer woman, I definitely wanted representation of queer artists on the walls, and this work with female forms is just so subtle and beautiful,” adds Martin.
Primary Bedroom
“She wanted color, and we went through a few rounds of blues before landing on Benjamin Moore’s Beach Glass,” says Lucido. Above either side of the West Elm bed are articulated Stilnovo sconces, and below each is a vintage burlwood nightstand found as a pair on 1stDibs. The shearling and steel bench is in the manner of Jean Royère, the vintage Spanish sunburst light is from BK Antiques, and the rugs are by Armadillo and Finarte Väre.
Primary Bathroom
For this “complete gut job” Lucido custom-designed the plaster and oak double vanity and created a checkerboard tile floor using two different finishes of limestone from Clé Tile.
Primary Bathroom
The inset medicine cabinets are from RH, Restoration Hardware, the faucets are by Waterworks, and the vintage German bubble sconces were sourced through Petit Motif.
Guest Bedroom
The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Lime Sherbet for a “fun, playful vibe” in this occasional room. The vintage French rattan bed is dressed in linens from the Citizenry. Above is a Hollywood Regency gilt palm frond chandelier. The side table is by Pierre Chapo, and the lamp on the opposite side of the bed is by Isamu Noguchi.
You Might Also Like
