There’s a motive sure houses really feel drab and stagnant. Even when a house is well-designed, it might probably nonetheless really feel… off, in a approach. That normally occurs when an area lacks soul—when every thing seems “right,” however nothing feels private. Infusing a uncared for area with type and persona 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 undertaking—a 1930’s Hollywood Hills property—had misplaced one thing important. The bones had 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 group about its daring reimagining.
Photos by Nils Timm and Gavin Cater.
What impressed the renovation, and what did you in the end envision the house to be?
We wished to convey the home again to life with out making it really feel like a reproduction of the previous or a Pinterest board of developments. Once we first walked in, it felt like somebody had stripped away all of the appeal. The construction was nonetheless robust, however it was lacking the guts. 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 had been all chosen to make the area really feel heat, a bit cinematic, and genuinely timeless.
How did you resolve what to protect and what to modernize within the house?
Truthfully, there wasn’t so much left to protect, which gave us some artistic freedom. However we did preserve 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 offer the house some age and texture. For the fashionable items, we centered on operate—issues like lighting, structure, and circulate that might make the home really feel recent with out erasing its roots.
This house feels daring in such an inviting approach. What’s your strategy to creating that type of influence with shade and design?
Daring doesn’t need to imply chilly. We prefer to create stress—moody tones with mushy textures, clear strains blended with patina, excessive distinction that also feels cozy. It’s about layering in a approach that feels wealthy however not overly formal. We wish folks to stroll in and really feel one thing—but additionally 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 a press release with out overwhelming an area?
Each daring second has to earn its place. We love saturated tones and sculptural items, however the secret is to offer them area to breathe. We strategy it like curating a room, not adorning it—every ingredient ought to have a goal and a bit presence, even when it’s refined. Assertion items don’t want backup dancers; they simply want the proper backdrop.
How did you strategy mixing outdated and new parts to maintain the design feeling grounded and timeless?
We’re all the time searching for that steadiness. Even in a extra up to date 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 truly finished on a good 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 influence, 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 practical particulars too—issues like slicing shops into stone or tucking away storage the place you wouldn’t anticipate it. Stunning is nice, however for those who can’t reside in it comfortably, it misses the purpose.
Wanting again on the finished undertaking, is there a specific characteristic or ingredient that you simply’re particularly happy with?
Positively 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 appears like a bit escape. It’s a type of areas the place every thing got here collectively precisely how we pictured it.
