Tour a Transformed LA Oasis Inspired by History and Travel
In 2017, interior designer Lisa Koch, who had recently finished decorating The Faena in Miami, met hotelier Jeff Klein at the Sunset Tower in Los Angeles. He hired her on the spot to freshen up the Art Deco landmark: “I was extremely drawn to Lisa because she wanted to respect the soul and listen to the history and bones of the building,” says Klein, who also owns notable properties like the San Vicente Bungalows and The Jane Hotel. Two years later, Klein and his husband, producer John Goldwyn, purchased a nearby 1937 property built in the style of a 19th-century French manor—and knew Koch could transform the interiors into an inviting and transporting oasis inspired by its original architectural blueprints.Interior designer Lisa Koch sits in the curved breakfast room. “I found this French 1960s chandelier at Carlos de la Puente in New York and sent a picture of it to Jeff,” she says. “He replies yes, go ahead—so I brought it back to Los Angeles.” The house project took her almost five years to perfect.
“Jeff and I are quite aesthetically aligned,” Koch says. “We didn’t come into each room with a distinct vision but rather it unfolded very naturally.” With the help of architect Ward Jewell, nearly every inch of the house was overhauled, from the climbing rose-covered stucco exterior walls and dove gray shutters to intricate arched foyers and a walk-in walnut bar. A guest house was removed to maximize space for the gardens by landscape designer Lisa Zeger, and a large swimming pool was replaced with a smaller one at the rear of the property. Unstained French oak floors sourced from an old English country estate cover every room except the kitchen and gym, with each plank laid with uneven spacing to exude the sense they’ve settled, like the house, with time. “Our intention was to respect the integrity of the property so it didn’t feel like a 1970s house Halston could have lived in,” Klein says.In the living room, pigmented plaster done by hand and applied paneling on the walls were inspired by the late-1930s architectural appeal of the original house. “We added thickness to the walls to allow for paneled casing around the French door and windows,” Koch says. Above the fireplace encased in an Italian marble mantle from Jamb hangs an inset brass-trimmed antique mirror that reflects light from the gardens. The painting on the far wall is by Jean Dubuffet, while the sofas are from Roman Thomas.
In the living room, dentil crown molding, pigmented plaster, and decorative paneling were added to convey the original 1930s architecture, while the walls were thickened to include detailed casings around the French doors. An inset brass-trimmed antique mirror sits above the Italian marble mantle by Jamb, while a Jean Dubuffet painting hangs beside the grand piano. Pocket doors lead into the library, where a chandelier that belonged to Lord Mountbatten vies with Rosie Uniacke periwinkle armchairs. “We had planned on making the walnut paneling dark and bought dozens of stain samples but in order to remove the cathedral wood grain patterns we had to bleach it out multiple times,” Koch explains. “But after we lightened it, it looked much better, so it was a happy accident.” Above the fireplace, a projector unfurls from the ceiling, allowing it to double as a screening room. A 1958 pen and ink watercolor by Jean Cocteau—the first piece the couple ever bought together—stands between shelves lined with antiquarian and art books. “John is a voracious reader and very particular about organizing his books,” Klein muses.Glass pendants from Gordiola hang above a 19th-century French table in the kitchen that had once been a small room with a fireplace and two sofas. Koch completely reconfigured the space to accommodate large prep stations, two Miele dishwashers on either side of a double integrated marble sink, and a walnut paneled pantry with sawtooth adjustable shelves. It connects to a butler’s pantry equipped with open shelving and a second Subzero refrigerator. A skylight and the pitched ceiling was installed to allow natural light to pour in throughout the day.
A proper corridor bar was built into a hallway next to the pantry to replace the original smaller one in the library. Paneled in walnut, the interior glass shelving sits in front of an antique mirror illuminated by backlighting. Salmon marble countertops on the sink and bar mix with colorful Murano glassware on shelves along the window. A grid of antique European maps framed in burlwood on the walls nods to Klein and Goldwyn’s love of travel and history.
The kitchen was completely reconfigured with a high-pitched ceiling and a skylight, where sea green pendants from Barcelona hang above a 19th-century French table and a pantry displays Goldwyn’s collection of copper pots and pans he found in the Cotswolds, Paris, and the Hamptons. A dark hallway off the kitchen became a breakfast room with curved floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lily pond and a 1960s candelabra. “We didn’t stick to any formula, but rather purposefully chose furnishings from various centuries and provenances,” Koch says. Pieces found during their travels range from chandeliers and busts bought at Flair in Florence to antique Irish dining room chairs and 17th-century Four Seasons goddess statues salvaged from a torn down European count’s palazzo which now line the pool.Alongside the curved windowed walls of the breakfast room, Lisa Zeder installed a circular pond with floating Egyptian lotuses, lily pads, and a bubbling fountain. Climbing vines, rosemary, jasmine, and lush varieties of flowering perennials in planting beds border the Belgian antique cobblestone terrace.
“We wanted every room to have views of the gardens, so the original staircase was moved and reduced into a spiral shape with a banister I found in France,” she explains. An oval ceiling oculus was added above, as well as a proper foyer where Robert Polidori’s 1986 photograph of Versailles’s interiors hangs beside an antique table with carved lion’s paw feet. Leading into the primary sitting room, a nook with a George Smith sofa is surrounded by prints by English artist Rose Wylie. “They were cut out of an art auction catalogue and framed in burlwood—I’m not too grand to admit that,” Klein says with a laugh. In the primary bedroom, a four-poster by Rose Tarlow flanks a Francis Bacon lithograph and working marble fireplace. Three sets of French doors lead out to a balcony with aerial views of the gardens, terraces, and round lily pond.A loggia with four arches was installed to allow views of the terrace and gardens below, and the exterior walls are clad in stucco. Old Belgian pavers cover the floor while a wooden ceiling gives the space both texture and intimacy. Liza Zeder Design Group designed the arrangements of plants, ferns, and trees in antique pots. The furniture is a mix of custom and vintage Baker upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric. “The loggia truly connects the interior to the exterior,” Koch says. “We didn’t want anything in here to feel like it belonged strictly inside or outside.”
A sense of quiet serenity radiates from a rectangular lily pond directly across from the front entrance to the house, setting the tranquil tone of the property. Verdant hedges, vines, and lush flowering bushes of white rain lilies surround its borders.
An outdoor fireplace and seating area on the south side of the house adorns the upper terrace, where grass pavers reclaimed from Belgium imbue a geometric motif. The exterior furniture is Formations and McKinnon Harris. The much-frequented spot has become a calming respite for Klein and Goldwyn and often used whenever they’re hosting friends or having parties.
Goldwyn, an avid gardener who can often be found with pruning shears in his pockets, and Klein collected all of the art together by trawling through flea markets, antique stores, or auction houses. Meanwhile, in a former concrete open box with irregular walls, a loggia with four classical arches and Belgian antique pavers was built in the downstairs entry hall with lush potted plants and succulents selected by Liza Zeder. “Every night, we sit in the loggia, turn on music, and have a drink while watching the sunset,” Klein says. “The light dapples across the gardens and the smell of jasmine wafts into the house—I look forward to it everyday.”The façade of the house remains largely unchanged since it was built back in 1937. The steel troweled, unpainted stucco exterior wall finishes were designed to patina and crack with age, French ardoise slate covers the roof, and three dormers inspired by the original architectural plans were refabricated. Climbing white, orange, and pink French roses from Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria cover virtually all of the exterior walls, blooming four to five times a year. Limestone steps and dove gray wooden shutters were added while the French copper lantern hanging above the door is circa 1880.
Floor to ceiling shelves and cabinetry were installed in the primary sitting room to accommodate books and photographs. Chairs and a sofa from George Smith create a cozy reading nook underneath artist Rose Wylie’s framed prints, and French doors lead to a terrace that looks out to the back gardens. Goldwyn, a producer, reads at least two books a week—from novels to European histories—as well as countless Hollywood scripts. The sitting room also includes a hidden midnight kitchen.
In the dining room, curved walls cladded in linen juxtapose a late-19th-century French dining table surrounded by antique Irish chairs upholstered in burgundy leather from Hawker. Klein and Goldywn found the chandelier at Flair during a trip to Florence, while the mauve silk rug was custom designed. “We open the French doors leading to the upper terrace surrounded by flowers during dinner parties—and you can hear the peaceful murmur of the fountain in the lily pond,” Klein says.
Cased in light walnut wood paneling, the library features blue armchairs by Rose Uniacke, a 19th-century Italian card table that seats four, and a sofa and coffee table from Roman Thomas. In addition to the two tall bookcases, low shelves line the side walls to accommodate the hanging of art. Perched upon the Jamb fireplace mantel is a Jean Cocteau pen and ink watercolor from 1958. On the right, three sets of French doors provide direct access to the back garden.
In the primary bedroom that adjoins the sitting room, an intricately paneled octagonal coved ceiling was built to add height and scale. A very pale pink plaster was applied to the walls while the furniture is a mix of Rose Tarlow and bespoke pieces all upholstered in cream velvet fabric by Nobilis. The doors flanking the bed lead to matching closets and bathrooms, while French doors on the south wall open out to a balcony. The lithograph is by Francis Bacon and a pop-up lift for a television comes out of the custom curved desk.
One of the two identical primary suite bathrooms, which connect to the walk-in closet and the primary bedroom, features walls clad in full slabs of Calacatta viola. Unstained antique French oak sourced from an old country home in England used throughout the majority of the house covers the floors. “We added a pitched ceiling for additional height along with a Jamb hanging globe,” Koch adds. All the plumbing fixtures are Waterworks while the vanity was custom made.
Painted in an obsidian dark green high gloss lacquer from Fine Paints of Europe, the downstairs powder room opens into a floor-to-ceiling mirrored alcove. Koch added traditional crosshead basin taps from Lefroy Brooks to the custom-made marble and bronze vanity with an integrated marble sink. The room looks out to the front garden while full marble slabs cover the lower walls and floors, imbuing a seamless visual high impact. The sconces were found on 1stDibs.
The breakfast room off the kitchen furnishes a generous view of the garden due to the installation of a curved window. “The Paul McCobb dining chairs, which originally belonged to my clients, were restored and reupholstered in ultra suede,” Koch says. A French 1960s bronze chandelier hangs above the limestone dining table and, on the opposite wall, Koch designed floor-to-ceiling cabinets to accommodate a collection of 19th-century silver and crystal glassware.
A view of the back exterior of the house, which now features a loggia leading out to a rolling lawn and lush leafy gardens. To maximize the space of the gardens, a guest suite that had been added in the 1990s was removed from the north side of the house. All the landscaping and plantings were designed by Lisa Zeder Design Group. Below the terraces, Zeder set twelve linear Platanus x Acerifolia trees into beds teeming with green and white plantings—creating an homage to the style of old estate gardens in France and Italy.
#tour #transformed #oasis #inspired #historyTour a Transformed LA Oasis Inspired by History and Travel
In 2017, interior designer Lisa Koch, who had recently finished decorating The Faena in Miami, met hotelier Jeff Klein at the Sunset Tower in Los Angeles. He hired her on the spot to freshen up the Art Deco landmark: “I was extremely drawn to Lisa because she wanted to respect the soul and listen to the history and bones of the building,” says Klein, who also owns notable properties like the San Vicente Bungalows and The Jane Hotel. Two years later, Klein and his husband, producer John Goldwyn, purchased a nearby 1937 property built in the style of a 19th-century French manor—and knew Koch could transform the interiors into an inviting and transporting oasis inspired by its original architectural blueprints.Interior designer Lisa Koch sits in the curved breakfast room. “I found this French 1960s chandelier at Carlos de la Puente in New York and sent a picture of it to Jeff,” she says. “He replies yes, go ahead—so I brought it back to Los Angeles.” The house project took her almost five years to perfect.
“Jeff and I are quite aesthetically aligned,” Koch says. “We didn’t come into each room with a distinct vision but rather it unfolded very naturally.” With the help of architect Ward Jewell, nearly every inch of the house was overhauled, from the climbing rose-covered stucco exterior walls and dove gray shutters to intricate arched foyers and a walk-in walnut bar. A guest house was removed to maximize space for the gardens by landscape designer Lisa Zeger, and a large swimming pool was replaced with a smaller one at the rear of the property. Unstained French oak floors sourced from an old English country estate cover every room except the kitchen and gym, with each plank laid with uneven spacing to exude the sense they’ve settled, like the house, with time. “Our intention was to respect the integrity of the property so it didn’t feel like a 1970s house Halston could have lived in,” Klein says.In the living room, pigmented plaster done by hand and applied paneling on the walls were inspired by the late-1930s architectural appeal of the original house. “We added thickness to the walls to allow for paneled casing around the French door and windows,” Koch says. Above the fireplace encased in an Italian marble mantle from Jamb hangs an inset brass-trimmed antique mirror that reflects light from the gardens. The painting on the far wall is by Jean Dubuffet, while the sofas are from Roman Thomas.
In the living room, dentil crown molding, pigmented plaster, and decorative paneling were added to convey the original 1930s architecture, while the walls were thickened to include detailed casings around the French doors. An inset brass-trimmed antique mirror sits above the Italian marble mantle by Jamb, while a Jean Dubuffet painting hangs beside the grand piano. Pocket doors lead into the library, where a chandelier that belonged to Lord Mountbatten vies with Rosie Uniacke periwinkle armchairs. “We had planned on making the walnut paneling dark and bought dozens of stain samples but in order to remove the cathedral wood grain patterns we had to bleach it out multiple times,” Koch explains. “But after we lightened it, it looked much better, so it was a happy accident.” Above the fireplace, a projector unfurls from the ceiling, allowing it to double as a screening room. A 1958 pen and ink watercolor by Jean Cocteau—the first piece the couple ever bought together—stands between shelves lined with antiquarian and art books. “John is a voracious reader and very particular about organizing his books,” Klein muses.Glass pendants from Gordiola hang above a 19th-century French table in the kitchen that had once been a small room with a fireplace and two sofas. Koch completely reconfigured the space to accommodate large prep stations, two Miele dishwashers on either side of a double integrated marble sink, and a walnut paneled pantry with sawtooth adjustable shelves. It connects to a butler’s pantry equipped with open shelving and a second Subzero refrigerator. A skylight and the pitched ceiling was installed to allow natural light to pour in throughout the day.
A proper corridor bar was built into a hallway next to the pantry to replace the original smaller one in the library. Paneled in walnut, the interior glass shelving sits in front of an antique mirror illuminated by backlighting. Salmon marble countertops on the sink and bar mix with colorful Murano glassware on shelves along the window. A grid of antique European maps framed in burlwood on the walls nods to Klein and Goldwyn’s love of travel and history.
The kitchen was completely reconfigured with a high-pitched ceiling and a skylight, where sea green pendants from Barcelona hang above a 19th-century French table and a pantry displays Goldwyn’s collection of copper pots and pans he found in the Cotswolds, Paris, and the Hamptons. A dark hallway off the kitchen became a breakfast room with curved floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lily pond and a 1960s candelabra. “We didn’t stick to any formula, but rather purposefully chose furnishings from various centuries and provenances,” Koch says. Pieces found during their travels range from chandeliers and busts bought at Flair in Florence to antique Irish dining room chairs and 17th-century Four Seasons goddess statues salvaged from a torn down European count’s palazzo which now line the pool.Alongside the curved windowed walls of the breakfast room, Lisa Zeder installed a circular pond with floating Egyptian lotuses, lily pads, and a bubbling fountain. Climbing vines, rosemary, jasmine, and lush varieties of flowering perennials in planting beds border the Belgian antique cobblestone terrace.
“We wanted every room to have views of the gardens, so the original staircase was moved and reduced into a spiral shape with a banister I found in France,” she explains. An oval ceiling oculus was added above, as well as a proper foyer where Robert Polidori’s 1986 photograph of Versailles’s interiors hangs beside an antique table with carved lion’s paw feet. Leading into the primary sitting room, a nook with a George Smith sofa is surrounded by prints by English artist Rose Wylie. “They were cut out of an art auction catalogue and framed in burlwood—I’m not too grand to admit that,” Klein says with a laugh. In the primary bedroom, a four-poster by Rose Tarlow flanks a Francis Bacon lithograph and working marble fireplace. Three sets of French doors lead out to a balcony with aerial views of the gardens, terraces, and round lily pond.A loggia with four arches was installed to allow views of the terrace and gardens below, and the exterior walls are clad in stucco. Old Belgian pavers cover the floor while a wooden ceiling gives the space both texture and intimacy. Liza Zeder Design Group designed the arrangements of plants, ferns, and trees in antique pots. The furniture is a mix of custom and vintage Baker upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric. “The loggia truly connects the interior to the exterior,” Koch says. “We didn’t want anything in here to feel like it belonged strictly inside or outside.”
A sense of quiet serenity radiates from a rectangular lily pond directly across from the front entrance to the house, setting the tranquil tone of the property. Verdant hedges, vines, and lush flowering bushes of white rain lilies surround its borders.
An outdoor fireplace and seating area on the south side of the house adorns the upper terrace, where grass pavers reclaimed from Belgium imbue a geometric motif. The exterior furniture is Formations and McKinnon Harris. The much-frequented spot has become a calming respite for Klein and Goldwyn and often used whenever they’re hosting friends or having parties.
Goldwyn, an avid gardener who can often be found with pruning shears in his pockets, and Klein collected all of the art together by trawling through flea markets, antique stores, or auction houses. Meanwhile, in a former concrete open box with irregular walls, a loggia with four classical arches and Belgian antique pavers was built in the downstairs entry hall with lush potted plants and succulents selected by Liza Zeder. “Every night, we sit in the loggia, turn on music, and have a drink while watching the sunset,” Klein says. “The light dapples across the gardens and the smell of jasmine wafts into the house—I look forward to it everyday.”The façade of the house remains largely unchanged since it was built back in 1937. The steel troweled, unpainted stucco exterior wall finishes were designed to patina and crack with age, French ardoise slate covers the roof, and three dormers inspired by the original architectural plans were refabricated. Climbing white, orange, and pink French roses from Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria cover virtually all of the exterior walls, blooming four to five times a year. Limestone steps and dove gray wooden shutters were added while the French copper lantern hanging above the door is circa 1880.
Floor to ceiling shelves and cabinetry were installed in the primary sitting room to accommodate books and photographs. Chairs and a sofa from George Smith create a cozy reading nook underneath artist Rose Wylie’s framed prints, and French doors lead to a terrace that looks out to the back gardens. Goldwyn, a producer, reads at least two books a week—from novels to European histories—as well as countless Hollywood scripts. The sitting room also includes a hidden midnight kitchen.
In the dining room, curved walls cladded in linen juxtapose a late-19th-century French dining table surrounded by antique Irish chairs upholstered in burgundy leather from Hawker. Klein and Goldywn found the chandelier at Flair during a trip to Florence, while the mauve silk rug was custom designed. “We open the French doors leading to the upper terrace surrounded by flowers during dinner parties—and you can hear the peaceful murmur of the fountain in the lily pond,” Klein says.
Cased in light walnut wood paneling, the library features blue armchairs by Rose Uniacke, a 19th-century Italian card table that seats four, and a sofa and coffee table from Roman Thomas. In addition to the two tall bookcases, low shelves line the side walls to accommodate the hanging of art. Perched upon the Jamb fireplace mantel is a Jean Cocteau pen and ink watercolor from 1958. On the right, three sets of French doors provide direct access to the back garden.
In the primary bedroom that adjoins the sitting room, an intricately paneled octagonal coved ceiling was built to add height and scale. A very pale pink plaster was applied to the walls while the furniture is a mix of Rose Tarlow and bespoke pieces all upholstered in cream velvet fabric by Nobilis. The doors flanking the bed lead to matching closets and bathrooms, while French doors on the south wall open out to a balcony. The lithograph is by Francis Bacon and a pop-up lift for a television comes out of the custom curved desk.
One of the two identical primary suite bathrooms, which connect to the walk-in closet and the primary bedroom, features walls clad in full slabs of Calacatta viola. Unstained antique French oak sourced from an old country home in England used throughout the majority of the house covers the floors. “We added a pitched ceiling for additional height along with a Jamb hanging globe,” Koch adds. All the plumbing fixtures are Waterworks while the vanity was custom made.
Painted in an obsidian dark green high gloss lacquer from Fine Paints of Europe, the downstairs powder room opens into a floor-to-ceiling mirrored alcove. Koch added traditional crosshead basin taps from Lefroy Brooks to the custom-made marble and bronze vanity with an integrated marble sink. The room looks out to the front garden while full marble slabs cover the lower walls and floors, imbuing a seamless visual high impact. The sconces were found on 1stDibs.
The breakfast room off the kitchen furnishes a generous view of the garden due to the installation of a curved window. “The Paul McCobb dining chairs, which originally belonged to my clients, were restored and reupholstered in ultra suede,” Koch says. A French 1960s bronze chandelier hangs above the limestone dining table and, on the opposite wall, Koch designed floor-to-ceiling cabinets to accommodate a collection of 19th-century silver and crystal glassware.
A view of the back exterior of the house, which now features a loggia leading out to a rolling lawn and lush leafy gardens. To maximize the space of the gardens, a guest suite that had been added in the 1990s was removed from the north side of the house. All the landscaping and plantings were designed by Lisa Zeder Design Group. Below the terraces, Zeder set twelve linear Platanus x Acerifolia trees into beds teeming with green and white plantings—creating an homage to the style of old estate gardens in France and Italy.
#tour #transformed #oasis #inspired #history
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