This midcentury mod house is a little bit of SoCal cool in Piedmont, so when interior designer Courtney Lake was hired to reimagine it, he nicknamed it "Hollywood in Piedmont."
The house is the perfect match for Lake's client, a vintage loving tech guru who loves Atomic Era design, classic cocktails, and vinyl records. Lake was hired to make her new house match her personality.
He sets the stage in the entry, with a display of his client's art—black velvet paintings of modern vessels and a photographic work showing cassette tapes. The floors are ebonized, not only to ground the space, but as a pratical matter. "She loves to wear high heels," says Lake. "Her shoe collection is beautiful, but heels leave black scuffs all over the house." The slender bench in the entry is a nod to her fashion taste—it's a great place to kick off stilettos after a long day.
The real star of the entry is the massive light fixture. "It's a custom piece with over 100 arms," says Lake. "Hanging it was quite a feat."
The living room, with a built-in bar, record player console, and long sectional would seem to be all about elegant entertaining. But here, beauty has a practical side. "She has cats and dogs," says Lake. "So the grasscloth wallcovering is tough vinyl, and the rug is very forgiving to pets, and anything they might do."
"If you are on a budget, you can make a big impact by mixing high-end peices with some wise choices from vintage and big box stores," says Lake. In the living room, a vintage chair—which likely started life as an office seat—is dressed in faux ostrich upholstery, making it right at home with a bird lamp and avaian art.
Lake gilded the inside of the living room bar (it's hidden behind a panelled wall) for an extra dose of Mad Men-style glam.
Classic vinyl sounds even better through modern speakers. Lake dressed up the setting with a groovy metal wall sculpture and a sleek, big-box console fitted with high-end handles.
FLOR tile in rainbow hues makes a perfect statement in the dining room of Lake's color-loving client. Lake says the blue ceiling is not only fun, but leads the eye through the floor-to-ceiling windows to the dramatic tree views. An Artichoke light fixture adds the right period note.
A custom dining room console by Berkeley's Thomas Wold has blue detailing, oversize keyholes, and doors backed by blue Lucite.
Lake describes the master bedroom as overtly "girly" with a lustrous pearly wallpaper and glittering sconces. To add texture, he layered in a purple African feather hat. The pillows are custom sewn pieces mixed with cushions from West Elm and Target.
The dressing room is equipped with a floating console and a make up mirror. The mirrored island is topped by a proud peacock Lake scored at TJ Maxx. "I wanted to give her some things that would look nice and be fun for now, but later, as she continues to collect and change things, she won't feel bad about passing on," says Lake.
The wallcovering in the bathroom speaks directly to the nickname Lake bestowed on the house. "It reminded me of the kind of pattern you'd see in a Beverly Hills hotel," he says. 90210, nailed.