A Spanish-style 1920s villa in California's Los Feliz neighbourhood
'This house had a litany of unfortunate facelifts,' says Martha Mulholland of the 1920s villa she was called upon to design. Situated in California's Los Feliz neighbourhood, it was originally built by the son of the mining tycoon who gave the land grant for Griffith Park, before being lived in by Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, Flea. Over the years, the house had been pulled in a number of different directions, and Martha's primary aim was to 'bring back its spirit.'
Most recently, the house had undergone what Martha describes as '80s-ification'. 'It was almost what people think of as contemporary Italian,' she explains, 'all white porcelain and swoopy plumbing fixtures.'
Unlike the U.K., historic homes aren’t afforded special protections in California. In fact, Martha had to deal with the opposite challenge. 'For the most part,' she explains, 'unless it’s been submitted as a home of a notable resident, the house has no protection.' Much of the time, the golden state asks you to bow to modernisation, with environmental laws and health & safety protections put in place to protect the residents, not the house. As Martha puts it, ‘sometimes you are forced to strip out the beauty.’
The house had been purchased by a young couple, Cara and Blake Bartlett, who had recently relocated to California from the East Coast. They had a more considered approach to preservation, and came to Martha through a recommendation from a friend. 'They had heard that I really love historic properties and always try to lean into a house’s character. If you don’t care about provenance and story then I’m probably not the designer for you,' says Martha.
In their first meeting, the couple came with a very ‘sophisticated and specific’ brief, and had even chosen a colour palette and made moodboards. They were leaning towards the typical twenties Spanish style, with beautiful sage greens and warm woods running throughout. Admittedly, it was 'more direction' than Martha was 'used to taking'. ‘Usually I have to coax what people like out of them, but in this instance they brought it directly to me. They were very active participants.’
In the initial consultations, Martha tried to read between the lines. 'I would show them three versions of the same thing, and without fail Cara would pick out the handmade version.' Seeing that the duo always opted for the thing that had the most character and felt most bespoke informed much of Martha's choices down the line. 'It was very refreshing to hear them say they didn’t want recessed lights in the ceiling unlike a lot of other projects I’ve done in Los Angeles,' laughs Martha. Ultimately, the couple 'just wanted everything to be done right. Every door knob and switch plate had to be the best. I didn’t feel I had to impress the value of things upon them.'
‘We more or less left the floor plan intact. It had already been carved up to accommodate a larger bathroom and other modern features, so we just tried to work within the footprint. It was just the way it had been configured that needed changing. We were stripping and redoing floors, kitchen, bathrooms, fireplaces but we weren’t moving walls.’
The aim was not to make a pastiche of a Spanish-style house, rather to emulate the way living in one would have felt. These houses did have crisp white walls and ironwork, which might have might them feel a little austere if it wasn't for their dynamic nature. ‘The plaster would have been troweled by hand and you would have seen all this movement. The way the light plays on limewash and plaster brings the finish to life.’
Drawing on this, Martha picked out living finishes, like unlacquered bronze and brass, that will develop patinas and tarnish with age, growing and changing with the house. Beautiful, tactile moments became a through line in the house, and both designer and homeowners were keen to use handmade items where possible. 'We did a lot of custom things,' says Martha. 'We designed all the fireplaces and surrounds from scratch, as well as the large dining room table.'
The largest commission for the house was the solid walnut front door. 'My carpenter does a lot of work on early American pieces. He had to hand carve the door, chiselling out these medallions.' The design is inspired by a 17th-century Andalusian mural and features the couples' initials, hidden discreetly in the carving. 'We ended up doing five or six iterations to make sure it was perfect,' says Martha.
Martha also played with the principals of Spanish architecture, juxtaposing softness with sharpness throughout the project. 'We’d have a curved archway in one place, then a piece of angular furniture, or something with a linearity beside it.' She was keen to emulate the restful quality these houses possess, 'you need these vast expanses of white walls, this calmness, to appreciate small details. I think a busier scheme would deny these smaller things their moment in the sun.'
The couple have now been living in the Los Feliz house for a couple of years now, and Martha recently ran into them at a cocktail party. How has it been in the interim years? She asked. 'They told me they are so happy there–and that's all you want to hear as a designer,' says Martha. 'They really are living the California life they were after when they left the East Coast.'
Shade Degges1/24In the office, a vintage desk chair by Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius takes centre stage. The freefrom ash desk is from Fundamente. On the left of the desk, a credenza by Michael Robbins. On the right, a vintage planter by David Cressey. In the far corner, Martha has chosen a lounge chair by Paul McCobb in a De le Cuona tweed.
Shade Degges2/24At the kitchen table, vintage Italian lighting hangs above a J.F. Chen table. Gio Ponti ‘Superleggera' chairs sit opposite a custom banquette.
Shade Degges3/24On the dining room wall antique prints pulled from a book of historical decorative motifs hang.
Shade Degges4/24A Royère chandelier hangs above a custom dining table, designed by Martha Mulholland. The chairs are a mixture of Mario Bellini leather and vintage French ones, and they sit on an antique Afghan rug from Doris Leslie Blau.
Shade Degges5/24On the opposite wall sits a black credenza.
Shade Degges6/24The painting is by William McClure and the stools are by Osvaldo Borsani.
Shade Degges7/24A hand-chiselled sink imported from Puglia is the focal point in this tranquil powder room. It was a ‘feat of engineering to get it onto the wall!' Says Martha. The fittings are by Waterworks and the pendant is by Amy Meier.
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Shade Degges10/24The sitting room is a 'beautiful, dynamic space.' The vintage ‘biomorphic’ coffee table is from Galerie Provenance, and it sits on a custom mohair rug from Lawrence of La Brea.
Shade Degges11/24A large sofa by Dmitry & Co in a Holly Hunt linen provides a comfortable seating area in the sitting room. The paintings are by Lou Fink, and the photographs are by Joslyn Lawrence.
Shade Degges12/24The chairs are also vintage, by Charles Dudoyt bought from Orange Furniture. One of the very special things about this house, is ‘the way the light interacts and dapples through the trees.’
Shade Degges13/24The sheepskin game chairs by Design Freres.
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Shade Degges15/24The pedestals are by Josh Greene.
Shade Degges16/24In the primary bedroom, a bed by Amber interiors has been upholstered in a Pierre Frey mohair. It is flanked by antique French nightstands with Breche d’alep marble tops. The curtains are a Schumacher velvet.
Shade Degges17/24At the foot of the bed sits an iron bench upholstered in a Fortuny cotton. The dresser is by Sawkille and the mohair armchair is from Obsolete.
Shade Degges18/24The custom marble fireplace surround was designed by Martha Mulholland.
Shade Degges19/24In the primary bedroom en suite, the file tile is by Arto and the bronze shower enclosure was custom made. The sconces are by Apparatus and the fittings are by Watermark.
Shade Degges20/24The bathtub sits in a niche, decorated with Tabarka tiles.
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Shade Degges22/24In the guest room, the table lamps is from Obsolete. The bed linens are from Pat McGann, Anichini and Society. Beyond, in the bathroom, the floor tiles are by Tabarka and the sconces are by Anna Charlesworth.
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