DOCENT Briefing No.19 | I'm Home

Hi All-

I have recently returned from an incredible journey through the Middle East with colleagues, friends and my Saudi family. I spent meaningful time in multiple cities in three countries - Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.  

Most people don't know that I actually started my professional career in Saudi Arabia in 1999. My best friend, Rasha Al Hoshan is a Saudi woman. We met and became close during our years in graduate school at Pratt in New York and also studying abroad together. She says that we bonded over our "fundamentalist" backgrounds - mine Christian, hers Muslim. She couldn't believe the similarities between us - given the different worlds that we called home. 

When we graduated, she went back to Riyadh to begin her career. Before starting my career in New York, I waited nine long months to be granted a visa to visit Rasha and her family in Saudi Arabia. When the visa was finally granted, I had a plane ticket for a 3 week trip… but instead, I stayed 6 months. We opened her design firm, acquired our first clients and began designing and constructing projects. 

Almost 25 years later, it was an honor and a privilege to be welcomed back by Rasha and her family for this heart-warming excursion and reunion. I felt as though we were "timeline shifting" every day. Riyadh did not have a single skyscraper when I flew out in 1999 and neither she nor I had husbands or children. A lot has grown up since then!

For this reunion visit, we spent our days and mostly VERY LATE nights (it was Ramadan, after all) visiting museums, exhibitions and world-renowned artists' studios, as well as, historical sights and the homes of welcoming friends and family. Rasha insisted that I spend my time catching up on geo-political and cultural issues...not just "shopping and going to fancy restaurants". 

The most important note about these outings is that we did them ourselves, in HER car, with our heads UNcovered, with HER DRIVING ?!?!? I kept asking “are you sure it’s ok?!”... What a change! In the 90s we spent our time hiding from the religious police and sending the driver out to get us falafel in between prayers. It was fascinating to be back in this young country, I mean, Kingdom, as it evolves so quickly. 

Before joining up with Rasha in the Arab world, I spent 10 days in Israel acclimating on my own and then with the Leader's of Design Council for our annual conference. Tel Aviv won my heart and Jerusalem taught us complex political, historical and cultural lessons - all at once.

Although a little unnerving, it was thrilling to be there during the mass protests, as the people fight for government reform and to maintain their democracy. I spent afternoons in coffee shops and evenings in cafes questioning ex-pats and locals about the recent changes and the current unrest. Lively dialog was welcomed. Of course, it was also overwhelmingly moving to be in this diverse land during the simultaneous celebration of Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. Incredible. 

We visited the Dead Sea from both the Israeli and Jordanian sides and giggled like children floating on its surface. I hiked Masada and Petra (7 miles in a day!); rode a camel (much to my dismay!); slept in a bubble in the Wadi Rum desert; shed pained tears at Yad Vashem; and found solace in Temples, Mosques, and Churches. 

Now we have new stories and belly laughs to last for years to come (ie Rasha and I getting a flat tire in Jeddah during Ramadan fast, 100 degree heat and not another woman in sight) and enough challenging questions and intriguing discussions to send me flirting with grad-school applications. A Ph.D. should give me plenty of time to investigate all of the issues further. 

Thank you for your patience while I made this voyage. I am back and recouped from my 24 hour journey home.

Here’s to being HOME —- here...and there.    

DOCENT Briefing No.18 | Hello Again

Hi There—

You may recall that just before the pandemic, I launched DOCENT. A digital platform here on my website where I explore and share my thoughts and experiences solving design problems with ingenuity and beauty. In my world, it was all systems go…it was Spring 2020… 

Since then, we’ve experienced a global pandemic together, become social justice advocates together, I sent my first-born off to college, played a full-length concert in honor of my 50th (were you there ?!), I completed my marriage of 25 years and I got a dog. Well, technically he belongs to my younger teenager who is still at home. Yes, times have changed. We ALL have changed. 

During this time, there’s been deep reflection and reinvention in my life and in my work. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to slow down and rethink how we live and work. And now, moving into a new future, we all have the opportunity to re-set. As a small business owner, a single mom of two teenage girls and a creative problem-solver, I am committed to using my skills to build a healthier future. With that said, be on the lookout for my post-pandemic endeavor called Homelife — targeted Home Decor Services to make your home look and feel good. Follow on instagram @homelife.la

My mission to create "interiors that look and feel good" has never felt more needed as cocooning at home becomes the new normal - except when we’re out traveling - FINALLY! The desire to shelter yourself from the harsh realities of the world by creating a home that feeds your soul and meets your functional needs requires an internal focus. What makes you feel comfortable? What holds meaning to you? How do you want to design your lifestyle? 

This year, I will be back with you exploring these questions and many more. Here’s to dusting ourselves off and starting again…!

DOCENT Briefing No.17 | Decorating Tips to Elevate Style & Soul

Hello and Welcome to DOCENT - your guide to design intelligence, creative solutions and earthly beauty.

The year 2020 – a time of clear sight – barely got started before a global pandemic forced us to slow down and rethink how we live and work. As a small business owner, a mom of two teenagers and a creative problem-solver, I am committed to using my skills to build a healthier future. My mission of creating interiors that look and FEEL good has never felt more needed as cocooning at home becomes the new normal.

Before we dive into my tips for creating stylish and soulful homes, I want to address a common misconception between the work of interior designers and decorators.  INTERIOR DESIGN is the art and science of understanding human behavior to create functional spaces that also adhere to regulatory requirements. DECORATING is what I refer to as the final layer – the adorning of a space with furnishings, art and other beautiful objects.  While in the real world the role of designer and decorator can overlap, it is important for clients to be clear on the unique backgrounds of each.

With a Masters in Interior Design, and a family full of engineers, I find the technical aspects of design invigorating, even thought provoking. But, when a project moves into “the final layer” phase, I turn into quite the romantic…creating a home is first and foremost an emotional endeavor requiring sensitivity and heart intelligence. There are no hard and set decorating rules, but I am happy to share a few guidelines that have helped me “bring soul home”.

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A lifetime of detail shots and vignettes provide study for the palettes of future projects

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GET PERSONAL 
A home is not a glossy showroom, it is a living, breathing story of who you are. It reflects the places you have been, the people you have loved and what soothes your soul. There is no need to justify or overthink what you find beautiful or valuable, just be yourself. People with character own homes with character and that makes the world more interesting. Ultimately, the question to ask yourself is - Does my home tell the story of who I am?

A Texas born client who spends hours selecting the framing for her collection of vintage Bedouin textiles isn’t following the “boho chic “trend. She is honoring her childhood living on an ARAMCO campus in Saudi Arabia. A busy music producer who spends thousands restoring original mid-century modern pieces instead of buying new editions, wants to feel connected to his middle class Michigan roots (the epicenter of MCM). While these choices may tie into larger design trends, they are made meaningful by personal history.

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This mid-century kitchen needed more storage but has very few walls. Why not suspend translucent upper cabinets along the bank of windows and harvest the natural light to back-light custom Ginko leaf printed glass? And for this vivacious client who loves butterflies, just for fun, we took it to the extreme - notice the drawer pulls and the mosaic floor inlay | For the powder room, my client fell head-over-heels for this double rose mural from Thomas Lavin and Flie Paper. I paired it with a custom exotic rosewood vanity and biomorph modern pulls from Liz’s | A favorite snap of rolled painted papers captured at a boutique in Lisbon | A tiny paper bowl with a bright yellow stripe at my client’s home in Venice | My favorite Blackman Cruz armchair for my client’s home in Crestwood Hills

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SET THE STAGE THROUGH EMOTION 
Did you know that the heart’s electrical field is about 60 times greater than that of the brain? No wonder we humans respond to emotions, good or bad, with such verve. Want to feel calm, inspired or glamorous? Create a room around a desired emotion, mood or idea. At its essence, the final layer of design is about storytelling and nothing moves a story along like emotion. Getting clear on how a client wants to FEEL in a room organically streamlines my selection process. When a client tells me she wants to feel like she is stepping into a Balinese spa in the morning, I immediately start to generate a scouting list. A client that wants to feel inspired by 1940’s glamour when she steps into her dressing room will conjure up a different list. Emotional clarity creates momentum.

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I created a moody haven for this dynamic client and his unique art collection | Silver leaf, antiqued mirror and black sheers reflect and veil the light while beaded brocade drapes shroud the room and frame the view. I especially love the Alexa Lixfeld glass floating on my custom mirrored and upholstered coffee table - it’s placed just next to my client’s ouija board | A favorite snap captured at a Nilufar Depot

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LEARN TO SEE LIKE A PHOTOGRAPHER
Learning to see like a photographer is a bit more involved than owning a smartphone. It’s about understanding light, establishing a focal point and creating a frame for entry. The same principles can be applied to decorating a room. Natural light sources are a designer’s guardian angels, infusing spaces with luminosity and grace. Arranging furnishings and objects to accentuate light sources creates a natural setting and relaxes the senses. People intuitively look for a focal point when entering a room, so make it a worthy one. Studying the work of photographers to deconstruct how they used light and frame the shot helps me stay focused. In this Beverly Hills spa shower, gifted photographer Joshua McHugh illustrates how it’s done.

MASTER THE MIX 
There is a reason Parisian interiors are so often cited for their refined yet effortless chic. French interior designers have perfected mastering the mix of the classic with the modern. This aesthetic is both sophisticated and livable, not to mention loaded with character. I am an enthusiastic fan of placing a mid-century modern chair next an 18th-century dresser or ultra-modern lighting against an ornate floral background. The creative tension that exists between different periods and styles adds a rich layer of history and originality. I also advise to mix straight lines with curves and high design with simple craft. Let your room come alive with human history and a wide range of creativity.

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A sleek eclectic living room from a recent Santa Monica project I designed with Michael Kovac of Kovac Design Studio. The dining area features the polished Emco rockers from my client’s former London loft where Philippe Starck was their interior designer | I designed this overscaled cedar screen for the lobby of Claud Beelman’s Getty Oil Tower located in mid-city and paired it with a group of upholstered ottomans and an over scaled craftsman-esque floral carpet | A favorite snap captured at the Moooi install in Milan

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EXTENDED STUDYOne of my life’s mantras is “You only know what you know and it is never everything”. My passion for art and design (and my motivation for launching DOCENT) stems from my insatiable curiosity. Creating a home that reflects the authentic you is a life-long exercise in self-discovery. Follow your natural interests to a deeper well of knowledge and you will find more to love. Travel, attend gallery auctions, museum lectures or surf the world from your Miesian leather daybed. Remember, sophistication is a knowledge base, not a large bank account. I leave you with this from design icon and lover of life, Le Corbusier-

“The home should be the treasure chest of living.”

DOCENT Briefing No.16 | At Your SERVICE!

Hello and Welcome to DOCENT - your guide to design intelligence, creative solutions and earthly beauty.

Today’s DOCENT Briefing walks you through the specific way I deliver invaluable Interior Design Services to savvy, thoughtful homeowners who are not getting bucked off the bronc in their first rodeo.

FACT: All things Interior Design require focused time and significant investment. I don’t care how clever you get, and believe me, I can get DOWN AND DIRTY CLEVER - nobody’s doing it “on a dime”. We all LOVE to peruse the finished product of other people’s home design process on glossy pages and on chic insta feeds, but when it’s your home - reaching your exact desired destination safely and smoothly is what counts.

Here are 3 ways I work magic for you…*

Magical lighting fixtures I captured at Catellani & Smith in Bergamo, Italy

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PUT IT THERE

My genius and the skill of placement

Recently, I met with a potential new client to see if she needed my services. I reviewed her extensive collection of beautiful artworks and artifacts that had never been framed or were not hung because they were living in old frames that looked dated and worn. I surveyed her library shelves that needing styling and while I was there - although she didn’t mention it- I was intuiting all the slight (and not so slight) shifts to the existing furniture placement that would revolutionize the look and feel of her soon-to-be extraordinarily lovely home. After she walked me through and gave me a long list of desired outcomes and to-dos, she looked at me and questioned, “So I guess you just have a knack for this?” I swallowed an almost rogue belly laugh, and answered simply with a Santa Claus worthy eye twinkle, “Why, yes. Yes, I do.” It is a thrill to make magic for people, especially using their existing belongings that they already love and cherish.

Placing furnishings, arranging artifacts, framing and hanging art, creating thoughtful compositions with these elements - for me is like singing. It’s immediate and innate. I FEEL space. I SEE and HEAR composition. I know how to work the angles and I vibe the rhythm. I didn’t learn it in grad school and I can’t explain it.

DWID Service offering No.1: CREATIVE CURATION. Utilizes existing furnishings, art and artifacts.

From Left to Right: Color and materials mix playfully in this Venice loft I decorated for a young gallerist | In this Studio City new construction home, I flanked the dining room entry with a custom wood lined hutch on each side. Decorative books displayed facing forward act as small works of art | I grouped this musician’s monochromatic lithographs by Picasso and Dali in his dreamy boudoir | My team and I custom colored, upholstered and built this contemporary billiard room with a minimal DWID designed cue rack

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DECORATING DEVOTION

The whole kit-n-kaboodle

Start with the above referenced case study, now add to it the SELECTION and PROCUREMENT of the furnishings, art and artifacts. Knowing by heart the canon of interior design styles and trends and knowing the current market, make it possible for me to conjure your signature style and guide you through the process to manifest it. And that pixie dust swirls from stylistic choices, to fabric selection, to fabrication, installation AND EVERYTHING in between. Each piece, each finish, each seat height, each decorative choice - to tuft or not to tuft!? - makes its way to the final creation.

DWID Service offering No.2: FULL SERVICE DECORATION. Utilizes new furnishings, art and artifacts. 

From Left to Right: I selected tailored, rounded seating in earthy tones and olive greens to compliment the hillside views in this A. Quincy Jones renovation I recently completed with architect Corey Buckner in Crestwood Hills | Brightly patterned Ikat was our choice for this girl’s bedroom in this Brentwood home | I played with layering rattan and caned pieces in this Beverly Hills Renovation | I worked closely with my aesthetically savvy client to create an eclectic mix for the living room at my award-winning Hagy Belzberg masterpiece in Brentwood (see the home in the Interior Design Magazine feature)

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REDUX REEDOO

Shall we begin again?

Start with the above referenced case studies, now add to it the fact that you need the dining room to be where the kitchen is. Or, you CAN’T STAND the way the living room is separated from the garden but you don’t know what to do about it. “This entire wall keeps getting in my way!”… Let me lead the way to a NEW way. Transforming your layout is my guilty pleasure. Working with top architects, structural engineers, contractors and a roster of reliable vendors, I’ll make your not-so-perfect-house the home of your dreams.

DWID Service offering No.3: RENOVATION + DECORATION. Incorporates construction and project management to reimagine an existing home and achieve the optimum desired look and feel.

It was a thrill to re-worked this family home in Beverly Hills. The formerly Miami-Vice-esque lair was dysfunctional and disjointed before I transformed it into to a flowing contemporary haven.

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*Bonus DWID Service offering No.4: NEW CONSTRUCTION. There’s no joy greater than a blank canvas ready for that first, bold swath of expression. If that’s where you are starting from then by all means, LET’S GO!

In 2020, DOCENT will continue to explore with intelligence, creativity and beauty the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of creating the homes where we love to live.
Meanwhile….give me a call at 310 828 6417 and let’s schedule your project review!  It will be my pleasure to roll up my sleeves, wave my magic wand - and delight YOU with what’s possible.

Briefing No.15 | Homecoming

Hello and Welcome to DOCENT - your guide to design intelligence, creative solutions and earthly beauty.

Today’s DOCENT Briefing turns the tables on me as I elevate my professional design expertise by landing a seat on the other side of the drawing table. This bright new year finds me deep into construction on the first custom home built for my family and me.

FACT: As my fellow designers can all attest, our empathic skills are, by nature, off the charts. I’m talking psychic, mind-reader level. But with decades of experience and sharp-as-a-tack active listening skills, even I’m getting a lesson that only a turning of the tables could offer.

Here are 3 things I didn’t know would be hard about being the client…

From Left to Right: Project by Rebelo Andrade | Our Family Room under construction in Santa Monica | Our Front Facade | A Danish house in Kastellet. Photo by Lara Stefansdottir | Note: Architect Alan Jones and I met while completing graduate studies together in Copenhagen.

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PERSUASION

Doing Voodoo

The first step I took towards creating the home of my family’s dreams - which would mean calmly and thoroughly synthesizing the needs of two professional (stubborn) artists who often work from home, two teenage girls (plus their friends) and a menagerie of raised vegetable beds, welding equipment and pets - was to hire a skilled professional who is NOT me. In our case, this step was easy thanks to former classmate, mentor and long time friend, architect Alan Jones of JONES Architecture located in Portland, Oregon. (Read his highly civilized take on our design process here)
JONES was fantastic and they gave us exactly everything we wanted. But here’s the rub: professional designers (like me) have a way of doing voodoo on you. They utilize exquisite tact and subtle persuasive speaking skills to create compromises and multi-purpose solutions without letting you know something was sacrificed. Therefore, a heated battle between spouses over the direction of a door swing, for example, is effortlessly settled in an instant when the architect “weighs in”.

Rendering of our Santa Monica home by JONES

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PROGRAM

Meet My Needs

To be phenomenal, a HOME must meet emotional and functional needs. As the client, I’m finding it shockingly difficult to determine which is which?! Separating visual aspirations from functional needs can also be confusing. Do I love the IDEA of a dish pantry? Or will I actually love LIVING WITH a dish pantry?….I think so….?

Committing to placing necessary evils like switch plates, air grills and thermostats can put any novice over the edge. Without missing a beat, I do this work for others with GUSTO. I LOVE LOVE LOVE figuring and planning! Yet somehow, I thought my perfect home wouldn’t have any of these annoying things…? Lights and temperature would somehow be magically controlled by my imagination…?

From Left to Right: This was the first image I pulled and one the whole family positively responded to for both materials and vibe. It was my treat to learn this is the home of Keiko and Takuhiro Shinomoto, founders of Tortoise General Store. I’m such a huge fan | Several years ago when renovating my brother’s kitchen, rather than mount upper cabinets over the sink, we opted for a window box instead. This prompted me to install what I called a “dish pantry” for storage. I loved the idea of having all the dishes in one place. When planning our kitchen last year, I found this wonderful image of prop-stylist Heather Bullard’s version. | Kitchen/Dining Vibes by Tenfiftyfive | I adore this eclectic kitchen by long-time role models, Deborah Berke and Thomas O’brien. To me, it appears uber modern while still having a worn warmth.

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PERCEPTION

Dream or Delusion

Lastly, I design and build gorgeous homes for a living so it’s not imperative that I include ideas from every single inspiration image on my Pinterest board in my new home. I’ll have other opportunities. But what if I didn’t do this for a living? The pressure to decide would be unbearable! I would definitely have to hire ME to sort it out for ME. So yes, of course, I’m using my instincts and expertise to hone and edit down to only what’s relevant and exquisite for our family’s HOME. As the seasoned professional doing the interiors, I’m weaving into the design only the ideas that fit the vibe that my husband, kids, pets and me (in that order) will want to live with. But make no mistake: I’m not entirely ok with it…. because YES. I want a Dan Flavin-esque neon light bulb installation across my vaulted living room ceiling. And YES. I want a powder-blue, powder-coated, perforated metal stair that stretches from landing to landing with a quirky art ledge underneath it. And YES. I also want a miniature fairytale gnome door with hand-hewn metal swirls and leather straps that leads to a secret garden. And YES. I also want it all to feel like a John Pawson temple built simply to worship the concept of HOME.

From Left to Right: Door from Hvitträsk the private residence of Eliel Saarinen. It is located about 30 kilometers west of Helsinki in Kirkkonummi, Finland and one of my all time favorite destinations | The Dan Flavin Installation in the Menil Collection's Richmond Hall | A London townhouse by Studio Ulanowski. | John Pawson’s own home at Cotswolds

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This bright new year is off to a busy start and I’m looking forward to sharing much more with you throughout 2020. In my next briefing I’ll reveal exciting news about upcoming DWID service offerings and DOCENT programming plans for 2020.

Meanwhile, let me know when you want to schedule a visit to our new home. I’ll be serving tea and treats in the secret garden…