Comfort Meets Glam Inside A Football Great’s L.A. Home

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Webster notes the family room...

Webster notes the family room is the most popular spot in the house. A Stark rug anchors the space, where Webster placed a custom sofa from Pearce Upholstery, a Flemming Lassen chair from Horne and a Noir coffee table. The chandelier is by RH; the artwork is by THRY.

In the pub room, Arteriors...

In the pub room, Arteriors swivel chairs gather around a Bernhardt coffee table in front of the fire. The carpet is by Stark.

Designer Lada Webster bestowed a...

Designer Lada Webster bestowed a home Inspired by classic L.A. architecture with glam yet family friendly spaces. A mirror and console create a stylish vignette near the family room.

A casual dining area connects...

A casual dining area connects the family room and kitchen. The Four Hands table, surrounded by oak chairs from DRC, is extra-long to accommodate the family. Warren Christopher supplied the European oak flooring.

The kitchen island, in Benjamin...

The kitchen island, in Benjamin Moore's Soot, features Four Hands counter chairs, a Kohler sink with Dornbracht fittings and pendants from Visual Comfort & Co. The Wolf ovens and Sub-Zero refrigerator are all from Pirch. A custom Modern-Aire hood is above a Lacanche range. The stone countertops are from Ollin, and the backsplash marble is from Tile Elements.

"We wanted to create a...

We wanted to create a jewel box of a space," says Webster of the dining room. Noir chandeliers hang above custom chairs from C&L Designs and a Hickory Chair table. The wallcovering is Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa, from Kravet. Antique brass pulls adorn the built-ins painted in Benjamin Moore's Onyx.

Noting that "many guest rooms...

Noting that "many guest rooms are an afterthought filled with leftover furniture," Webster devised a thoughtful, curated space with a CB2 bed dressed in linens from The Studio at DRC and flanked by nightstands from Orient Express Furniture. At its foot is a West Elm settee. Beneath is a Loloi rug. The lamps and pendant light are from Arteriors.

In the master bathroom, an...

In the master bathroom, an Arteriors chandelier hovers above a Laura Kirar for Kallista tub. Softening the area are a West Elm settee and a Loloi rug. The sconces are Kelly Wearstler for Visual Comfort & Co.; the herringbone-pattern marble flooring is from Tile Elements.

Seabrook wallpaper brings a whimsical...

Seabrook wallpaper brings a whimsical feel to a powder room. A Kohler sink with a Kallista faucet is inset into a quartz vanity. The mirror is from West Elm, while the chandelier is by Arteriors.

The Perlick beer dispenser, Bosch...

The Perlick beer dispenser, Bosch dishwashers and Sub-Zero refrigerators in the pool house are all from Pirch. Countertops from Ollin, backsplash tile from TileBar, Popham Design tile from Ann Sacks on the bar, and flooring from Tile Elements ensure a dynamic vibe.

Outdoor furnishings by RH face...

Outdoor furnishings by RH face the pool, which was the work of LC Pools. Natural Art Landscapes installed tailored outdoor spaces created by landscape architect Gary Mason.

Stately Georgian Revival homes have dotted Los Angeles’ finest neighborhoods since the 1920s when Hollywood’s elite began commissioning masterworks from legendary architects like Roland Coate and Paul R. Williams. Fast-forward a century and it’s much the same, but this time around Georgian Transitional, as it’s called, brings added swagger. Like its predecessors, it’s designed for elegant living. What makes it different, though, is a glamour that owes more to midcentury architects–Pierre Koenig’s glass walls, for example–than to English kings. It’s a style that just makes sense in L.A., and especially for the family of former NFL superstar Tony Gonzalez.

“Entertaining is a big part of their lifestyle, so the goal was to create a beautiful and inviting home to welcome friends and relatives,” says designer Lada Webster. The Gonzalezes had been living in Huntington Beach but wanted to be closer to Tony’s workplace (he’s an analyst for Fox Sports) and to his teenage son. “After failing to find a turnkey house, our real estate agent took us to see this amazing property in a neighborhood with walkable tree-lined streets,” recalls Tony’s wife, October. “We knew we could build our dream home.” The couple had fallen for Georgian-style architecture while living in Atlanta, where Tony, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August, played for the Atlanta Falcons, and they knew it would fit into their new surroundings comfortably.

“I contacted Lada immediately and she lit up with excitement at the idea of building from the ground up!” says October. (Longtime friends who worked together during their early 20s, the women reconnected in 2007 when Webster joined forces with the couple on their previous home.) “So many designers can’t help but incorporate their own personal flair, and I knew that Lada wasn’t that type.” From there, everything fell into place. A friend recommended general contractor Craig Williams, who in turn suggested architect Philip Vertoch. “Philip understood that we’re a big family with kids ranging from 4 to 17, so functionality was vital,” she adds.

Early on, Vertoch remembers talking with the couple about ease and an open ground floor–“something that could suit 200 guests or just 6 to 8,” he says. The resulting plan includes a two-story main house, expansive back terraces, a swimming pool and a pool house with a gym, plus a sports court. (A basement offers additional living areas and a multilevel garage.) “Tony and October set the parameters and let Lada and me run with ideas,” says Vertoch, who collaborated closely with the Gonzalezes’ project manager, Mike Milot, along the way. “The flow, the circulation–it’s a unique plan. I think Paul R. Williams would walk around and say, ‘This works!’ ” Contractor Williams (no relation to the renowned architect), who’s been building homes with Vertoch for decades, is quick to agree. “It has a traditional-transitional feeling but it’s not over-the-top,” he says. One of the biggest challenges came not from the city, as one might expect, but from the effort to move 15,000 yards of dirt. “It was a huge amount of earthwork,” he recalls, praising his firm’s project manager, Ryan Braun, for guiding the process from beginning to end. Notes Vertoch: “Design and construction should be fun but it isn’t always. This was.”

Webster has high praise for Vertoch. “Philip is the dreamiest architect ever,” she says, noting that homes of this size can often feel cold but he laid this out in a way that feels connected. “From the beginning, there was a clear direction: a Georgian façade that becomes a modern oasis in the back.” With the Gonzalezes’ busy schedules, furniture design concepts were discussed online. “Lada listened to us and really helped us discover our own style,” adds October, recalling shared Pinterest boards and schemes that evolved from glam-bohemian to California cool. Webster sourced furnishings from myriad companies but relied heavily on generously proportioned custom pieces. She designed sofas for the living areas and the children’s playroom, the banquette in the bar, and the wingback dining chairs whose shape is reflected in the room’s Art Deco-style wallpaper. A custom bed and lounge chairs, all upholstered in cream, create a cloudlike master suite. “I tried not to be so predictable,” says Webster. “It’s classic Hollywood but youthful.” To give character to the mostly white, high-ceilinged spaces, she opted for lots of black (in the kitchen, Tony’s office, the bar and the outdoor dining area), adding sparkle with metallics and softness with muted gray-greens.

Carrying the look outside, Webster chose light-toned wood and black furnishings, the clean lines of which repeat in the garden. “The architecture really drove the design of the hardscaping and the planting,” says landscape architect Gary Mason. “It’s a little bit formal with a linear quality but it’s not fussy. Their principal concerns were privacy and space for the kids to play, but we also kept a simple palette of whites and greens to match the house,” he explains. “No space goes unused,” adds October. “Our favorite thing to do is host Sunday dinner. We open the doors, turn up the music, cook a big meal and watch the kids play. This was our dream, to build a home that seems like a vacation and where everyone feels welcome. I’d say we nailed it.”