There’s a purpose sure houses really feel drab and stagnant. Even when a house is well-designed, it will possibly nonetheless really feel… off, in a means. That often occurs when an area lacks soul—when every little thing appears “right,” however nothing feels private. Infusing a uncared for area with model and character is what turns a home into a house, and designers Amanda Leigh and Taylor Hahn of LA’s Home of Rolison do that on a regular basis.
It was clear that their most up-to-date venture—a 1930’s Hollywood Hills property—had misplaced one thing very important. The bones have been there, however the attract was gone. What was left was a house that felt generic, and dare I say, a bit boring. That’s, till Leigh and Hahn swooped in and remodeled it.
With wealthy textures, a moody shade palette and daring, intentional design, this house is now something however boring. Forward, we’ll take a tour of this once-muted house and chat with the design staff about its daring reimagining.
Photos by Nils Timm and Gavin Cater.
What impressed the renovation, and what did you finally envision the house to be?
We wished to carry the home again to life with out making it really feel like a duplicate of the previous or a Pinterest board of traits. Once we first walked in, it felt like somebody had stripped away all of the allure. The construction was nonetheless robust, however it was lacking the center. Our imaginative and prescient was to revive that sense of soul—utilizing supplies that had historical past, finishes that felt lived-in, and a palette that felt wealthy however grounding. The deep colours, textured partitions, and classic supplies have been all chosen to make the area really feel heat, a bit of cinematic, and genuinely timeless.
How did you resolve what to protect and what to modernize within the house?
Truthfully, there wasn’t quite a bit left to protect, which gave us some artistic freedom. However we did maintain the unique stained glass home windows within the stairwell—it was one of many solely hints of the house’s historical past—and we constructed round that spirit. We sourced classic brick from Fb Market (a fortunate discover!) and used it on the façade and within the courtyard to present the house some age and texture. For the trendy items, we centered on operate—issues like lighting, format, and move that might make the home really feel recent with out erasing its roots.
This house feels daring in such an inviting means. What’s your method to creating that sort of impression with shade and design?
Daring doesn’t need to imply chilly. We prefer to create pressure—moody tones with comfortable textures, clear strains combined with patina, excessive distinction that also feels cozy. It’s about layering in a means that feels wealthy however not overly formal. We wish individuals to stroll in and really feel one thing—but in addition instantly know the place they’d put their espresso down.
You’ve layered in such placing items and darkish colours all through the house—how do you consider selecting gadgets that make an announcement with out overwhelming an area?
Each daring second has to earn its place. We love saturated tones and sculptural items, however the secret’s to present them area to breathe. We method it like curating a room, not adorning it—every factor ought to have a function and a bit of presence, even when it’s refined. Assertion items don’t want backup dancers; they simply want the proper backdrop.
How did you method mixing previous and new components to maintain the design feeling grounded and timeless?
We’re at all times searching for that stability. Even in a extra modern house like this one, we attempt to combine in items which have a little bit of soul—one thing classic, one thing uncooked, one thing surprising. It retains the area from feeling flat or overly polished. We wish it to really feel prefer it got here collectively naturally over time… even when it was really achieved on a decent deadline and quite a lot of espresso.
Did you face any challenges throughout this design course of? How did you overcome them?
The most important problem was dialing within the daring palette with out letting it overwhelm the structure. We wished each area to have impression, however not on the expense of cohesion. So we stayed extremely centered on the edit—if one thing didn’t align with the imaginative and prescient, it didn’t make the lower. And we’re obsessive concerning the useful particulars too—issues like reducing retailers into stone or tucking away storage the place you wouldn’t count on it. Stunning is nice, however in the event you can’t reside in it comfortably, it misses the purpose.
Wanting again on the finished venture, is there a specific characteristic or factor that you just’re particularly happy with?
Undoubtedly the outside. It was a hodgepodge mess once we began, however we turned it into an entire expertise—classic brick underfoot, a shaded veranda, layered greenery, and a pool space that feels extra New England meets European than L.A. It’s quiet, calm, and seems like a bit of escape. It’s a type of areas the place every little thing got here collectively precisely how we pictured it.
