Oh, Mr. Formby...

Ok, so this could be one of the houses that I've liked the most from all of the houses I've posted here. And it does not have anything to do with Rudolph Valentino or Stevie Nicks, even though those two add cachet to a very, very cool house that definitely stands out for all the right reasons. Or with the incredibly adorable house owner. I wanna lick him.

Anyway, one of the things we seldom see is the 'before' of the houses we tour. We do not get to see how the previous inhabitants had decided to decorate those rooms and how they looked before the person who is showing the house now decided to have a hand at them. We only see the fantastic, incredibly chic and elegant final result. But here we get glimpses of what this house looked before it got an incredible overhaul and I like it even more.

Scott's obviously somebody who knows what he's doing. Duh. But really, I was not expecting these results. I think this is a fantastic way to use color. It separates the living spaces and it brings to the forefront the best features of the rooms. Also, the use of pattern and how space is allocated. Brilliant. 

This home was built in 1924 (just three years after the one that Bob posted was built!) and it's a fantastic example of Spanish Colonial (told you the best ones are in Cali!) and yes, Valentino built it for a friend and Stevie lived there. But what gave me an idea of the changes was those 'before' photos of the living room and the kitchen! Nothing to do with Scott's vision! And we are better for it.

I cannot imagine the process of doing the architectural fixes (arches, floors, the works) before even installing the mural, that literally makes the living room. Also, this is the kind of room that can be painted a deep hue and it'll look sophisticated and sexy. I think it's the use of texture, too. It's inviting and sensual. And then there's that ceiling and all the art, and Scott knows his art (duh, designer??) I love when people can name drop and make it sound like '... and I got this at a sale at Target'. Love that.

So the fact that the dining room (that was an 'entertainment center in the first floor) are in the second floor, I think it's fantastic. Because the house is built in the hill, this makes sense. The dining room is dreamy -notice the chairs- and I think I totally love tables that are not square. I love the wall color (that green is my fav green and it's NOT an easy color), and the sitting corner is just dreamy, and the kitchen! I think I like the kitchen's personality and attitude. It's like it's a kitchen that does not really want you to think about it as a 'kitchen'. It's charcoal with turquoise accents, natch. 

And what about the laundry room that ended up being a powder room? Right? And then you land in the bedrooms and you seem to be in a totally different house. Love that journey, especially because it involves that little bathroom with all the patterns. And then there's the pool outside the studio. I immediately thought about Big. If this were my house, you'd be all invited. Really.

XOXO