Character-driven homes attract like-minded characters. For the fourth set of Los Angeles creatives inhabiting this midcentury modern Pasadena gem, the 1958-built home’s charms—from a spacious entry foyer to a sunken living room kitted out with library shelving and a rolling ladder—“provoked an emotional response,” recalls Maisie Culver, a television and film writer. “I was knocked out when we walked in.” Her husband, transportation designer David Imai, felt similarly drawn to the home. Their visceral reaction deepened when they learned its history: The dwelling was designed for Lucile and Remy Chatain Sr., second-generation owners of legendary L.A. textile brand CW Stockwell and the creators of its iconic Martinique banana-leaf wallcovering. The pattern is rooted in the city’s culture thanks to decorator Don Loper’s arresting use of it at the Beverly Hills Hotel (over 5 miles of it still flourishes there)—and, fittingly, the famous print features in the Chatains’ former bedroom too. For Maisie and David, both fans of Martinique, which hung in their prior home, this felt like a sign.
The house had been well cared for by a succession of creative stewards, but it begged for zhushing to shine anew. “It was clear to us that this was a ‘wallpaper house,’ especially when we saw photos of it from the 1960s,” notes David. “We wanted to bring it back to its former glory, taking inspiration from what the Chatains had done as a springboard to a new vision.” To do so, the couple engaged interior designer Peti Lau. “She uses wallpaper in incredible, interesting ways,” says Maisie. Adds David, “Peti is a very brave designer, fearless in terms of mixing influences, patterns and colors in compositions that create amazing experiences.”
Lau credits her international background for this vivacious aesthetic. “I love creating collected, glamorous homes that showcase my clients’ lives,” says the designer, who draws from an early career spent in Thailand, Mauritius, Europe and New York. Given the residence’s midcentury modern architecture (the work of once-prominent L.A. firm McCarthy, Zemke and Hartfelder), she opted to combine its clean lines with color, contrast and a certain opulence that nods to the Hollywood Regency design style. Accents of teal, tangerine, yellow and a whole gradient of greens bring a youthful energy to the home, which Lau furnished with famed pieces from midcentury giants like Hans Wegner and Mies van der Rohe. “We chose the period elements we liked without letting them dictate the mix, which is much more eclectic,” the designer notes. She also found places to pay homage to symbols of Californian modernism—see the poolside tableau that pairs yellow scalloped umbrellas with white lounge chairs in a wink to Slim Aarons’ 1970 Poolside Gossip photograph. “It’s such a simple setup, but that image is a cultural touchstone, so it invariably evokes that moment,” Lau observes.
In the living room, designer Peti Lau enveloped an existing bookshelf in Benjamin Moore’s Teal, backed with a Cole & Son wallpaper. Atop a Modern Rugs Los Angeles floor covering is a Knoll coffee table. The sculptural dracaena hails from The Haus Plant.
A Phillip Jeffries wallcovering sets off a ModShop sofa and a credenza with Louis Poulsen lamps in the living room. A vintage boat painting, bottom left, joins works (from top left) by Richard Hutter, Adrian Kay Wong and Makiko Kudo.
Mecox Gardens nesting tables and Modernica’s Papa Bear Chair by Hans Wegner in green leather rest near the living room’s travertine-lined fireplace. The linen curtains were created by Heritage Draperies and the playful fringed suede stools are Made Goods.
In the living room, designer Peti Lau enveloped an existing bookshelf in Benjamin Moore’s Teal, backed with a Cole & Son wallpaper. Atop a Modern Rugs Los Angeles floor covering is a Knoll coffee table. The sculptural dracaena hails from The Haus Plant.
An Élitis rug anchors the entry foyer alongside a Phillip Jeffries mural. Mies van der Rohe’s 1947 Barcelona chair and Flos’ 1962 Arco floor lamp nod to the architecture. The vase is Hyunuko and the artwork is Ai Weiwei.
The dining room is immersed in de Gournay’s atmospheric Badminton wallcovering. Lau drew together a pink-marble Crate & Barrel dining table, CB2 velvet chairs, an Ashley Childers for Global Views rug and an Eichholtz chandelier.
CW Stockwell’s Martinique wallcovering accents the primary bedroom. The bed is Jake Arnold for Crate & Barrel, bookended by Made Goods’ Burlwood nightstands. A Marc Phillips rug lies underfoot.
Limewash adds depth and texture to the walls of the primary bathroom, where a vanity was revamped with Jason Wu for Brizo fixtures. The stool is from Property Furniture.
Two sunny yellow patio umbrellas from California Umbrella shade a pair of 1966 Adjustable Chaise lounge chairs by Richard Schultz for Knoll. The side tables are West Elm.
Then there’s the home’s array of wallcoverings. Witness the entry foyer’s exuberant botanical mural, which seems to mirror the vivid foliage of the Arroyo Seco parkland seen through its glass sliders. “The view here feels like we have box seats to this great natural beauty, and that jungle mural brings the outside in,” says David. The graphic banana leaves of Martinique, of course, connect the primary bedroom to the surroundings as well, while the living room’s pale green grass cloth offers a soothing meditation on the lush terrain. And in a dramatic departure, the formal dining room showcases walls wrapped in a hand-painted chinoiserie mural on silver gilded paper given a deep-rose finish. It’s a moody, romantic twist on the foliage-forward theme, entwining the glitz of Hollywood Regency (as seen in the cascading glass droplets of the palm-leaf-inspired chandelier, the pink-marble table and the leopard-print rug) while also referencing the Chatains’ original interiors, which included chinoiserie wallpaper. Saying yes to such a bold combination was a leap of faith, the owners admit, but the result is captivating. “This room is spectacular at sunset or during a candlelit dinner,” Lau enthuses.
The designer also put her stamp on other significant spaces like the living room, where existing beige shelving was revamped with teal paint and geometric wallpaper. Family heirlooms and vintage finds layer in additional warmth, completing a home that honors its past while debuting a dynamic bridge to the future. “My goal is always to set the stage for my clients to have a beautiful life,” she concludes.
An Élitis rug anchors the entry foyer alongside a Phillip Jeffries mural. Mies van der Rohe’s 1947 Barcelona chair and Flos’ 1962 Arco floor lamp nod to the architecture. The vase is Hyunuko and the artwork is Ai Weiwei.
Editors’ Note: This story highlights a space in the Los Angeles region impacted by the January 2025 wildfires. Please consider donating to LA CAN DO and other relief efforts to help the community rebuild.