There’s a cause sure houses really feel drab and stagnant. Even when a house is well-designed, it may possibly nonetheless really feel… off, in a method. That normally occurs when an area lacks soul—when all the things appears to be like “right,” however nothing feels private. Infusing a uncared for house 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 mission—a 1930’s Hollywood Hills property—had misplaced one thing very 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 colour palette and daring, intentional design, this house is now something however boring. Forward, we’ll take a tour of this once-muted residence and chat with the design crew about its daring reimagining.
Pictures 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 tendencies. After we first walked in, it felt like somebody had stripped away all of the attraction. The construction was nonetheless sturdy, 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 house really feel heat, a bit of cinematic, and genuinely timeless.
How did you determine what to protect and what to modernize within the residence?
Actually, there wasn’t lots 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 offer the house some age and texture. For the trendy items, we centered on perform—issues like lighting, structure, and stream that might make the home really feel recent with out erasing its roots.
This residence feels daring in such an inviting method. What’s your method to creating that sort of affect with colour and design?
Daring doesn’t should imply chilly. We wish to create rigidity—moody tones with smooth textures, clear strains combined with patina, excessive distinction that also feels cozy. It’s about layering in a method 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 hanging items and darkish colours all through the house—how do you concentrate on selecting objects 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 house to breathe. We method it like curating a room, not adorning it—every factor ought to have a objective and a bit of presence, even when it’s delicate. 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 all the time in search of that steadiness. Even in a extra up to date residence 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 house 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 carried out on a decent deadline and a number of espresso.
Did you face any challenges throughout this design course of? How did you overcome them?
The largest problem was dialing within the daring palette with out letting it overwhelm the structure. We wished each house to have affect, 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 reduce. And we’re obsessive in regards to the useful particulars too—issues like reducing shops into stone or tucking away storage the place you wouldn’t anticipate it. Stunning is nice, however if you happen to can’t reside in it comfortably, it misses the purpose.
Wanting again on the finished mission, is there a selected 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 a complete 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 of escape. It’s a type of areas the place all the things got here collectively precisely how we pictured it.
