Moroccan Accents Add Flair To A Spanish Colonial Revival
Stein incorporated an antique rug belonging to the home’s previous owner into the scheme for the great room. Holly Hunt supplied the sofa, in fabric by Manuel Canovas, and the club chairs, in Jerry Pair leather. Facing the fireplace are Magni lounge chairs from Thomas Lavin in Pollack fabric; the coffee table is by Gregorius Pineo. Jane Churchill fabric dresses the A. Rudin chairs arrayed around the games table.
When residents Jenny and Luis Li first saw this 1920s house by the renowned Santa Monica architect John Byers, they fell in love with the original elements that characterize its Spanish Colonial Revival style: arched windows, plaster walls, rich woodwork, iron fittings.
The California homeowners tapped Tamar Stein for the interiors and architects Marc Schoeplein and Toni Lewis for renovations to the kitchen and baths, bringing the residence to modern-day standards while preserving its historic look.
“We liked the architecture, but we didn’t want to live in a period piece,” says Luis.
Playing off the colors in the previous owner’s large Persian rug, Stein began setting the palette for the living room, with notes of caramel — accuentuated by pops reds and blues — spread throughout.
Per the request of her clients, the designer also incorporated textiles from the couple’s travels around the residence. For example, a piece from Cambodia hangs over the bed in the master bedroom.
A sliding barn door in the bathroom features the same tongue-and-groove paneling as the original ceiling of the residence’s entry–on which the new kitchen ceiling was modeled–bringing consistency to the updates.
A Moroccan mosaic in sparkling aqua wraps around the tub, contrasting with the matte finishes. Says Lewis, “Blues and greens in a bathroom always feel right.”