A violinist's well composed home

Early on in this project I had the good fortune to hear the homeowner, a highly skilled classical violinist and Co-Artistic Director of the Salastina Music Society, play Vivaldi's "La Folia". This composition first emerged in late 15th-Century Portugal and the name literally means 'madness' in Italian. This simple yet complex melody traveled across the Mediterranean, from Spain to Southern Italy- beginning as humble peasant folk music and later transformed into a spirited and elegant Baroque chamber piece. For me, there couldn't have been a more clear and captivating inspirational starting point for the project.

So how does one begin to renovate (or rearrange) a 3-way split personality house (Spanish, 1970s Brady Bunch, and 1990s Colonial) into a cohesive Italian-Mediterranean-Scandi-Japanese abode for a musician and his meticulous wife? This already sounds mad. One natural calling was the way the house is situated on top of a picturesque rolling hill of Palos Verdes Estates, overlooking the ocean, giving it a proper setting to pursue this distant dream.

The bones were good and after removing the low popcorn ceilings, we discovered voluminous ceilings to shape a series of graceful Roman arches inspired by Italian surrealist artist Giorgio de Chirico's paintings. We also designed a barrel ceiling above the stairway, drawing our eye towards a delicate orb light gracefully resting at the end. Several skylights were strategically placed to infuse the spaces with natural light and a tranquil atmosphere. Minimalist sculptural light fixtures suspend in the air similarly to how musical notes float about the music sheet.

Another major modification was taking down a massive 1970s lava rock fireplace wall dividing the living room and the kitchen, replacing it with a grand arch connecting the two spaces in a softer yet still dramatic way. This was every bit a risky move, yet design is rarely fun without some level of risk and experimentation.

The design of the kitchen drew inspiration from the 17th Century European paintings of ordinary bucolic life, as well as the color palette for the furnishings, warming the rooms with bright rust and saturated blue green hues. We balanced these rustic and historic notes with the neatness of Japanese lines, artisan craftsmanship, and Scandinavian minimalism. The lighter natural wood tones also nicely compliment the owner's collection of Japanese and Chinese tea and dinnerware, some made by their friends.

A coat closet was converted into a powder room, where the narrow and tall shape of the room gives it a calm lightwell experience. The organic cement textures and hazy tones of the limewashed walls are accentuated by the moving light throughout the day. This also happens to be the owner's wife's favorite room as it speaks to her subtle minimalist and often wabi-sabi Asian aesthetics.

The music room on the lower level also serves as a library, with a custom bookcase wrapping around a concert-size mahogany grand piano. It was crucial to find a suitable color to support and embrace this beautiful yet prominent instrument to inspire rehearsing, composing and recording music. The musical chairs are perfect for an intimate practice session by a group of chamber musicians.

In the end, we've rearranged the madness and composed an assortment of new ideas and old influences in harmonious ways that brought more personal meaning to the family.

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Photography by Laure Joliet