Greystone Files

Grand Greystone Mansion is known for it's Romance and ghosts. We are thrilled to be a part of the Maison de Luxe showcase house bringing it back to life and all it's glory.

Here is our design for Mrs. Doheny's bedroom. We used all shades of pink with a Hollywood Starlet in mind. Little did we know we were channeling the original bedroom...Later, once the room was installed, I was sent this photograph of Mrs. Doheny's original bedroom. I couldn't believe how the framework and composition of the room was so similar. Especially, with the mural behind the bed! Kismet? or were we possessed by Lucy Doheny?

All in all the house turned out magnificent! And I am sure the spirits would agree.

W&R Moment

Lunch meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool.

Greystone

Fabulous photoshoot with top photographer Grey Crawford and Pam Jaccarino of Luxe Interiors and Design magazine.

Bowtie-backs

Inspired by fashionable bow-ties. Yes, you heard it here first. Bowtie-backs!
A signature drapery detail seen in many W&R projects and featured here in Mrs. Doheny's bedroom at Greystone mansion.

Greystone

Going with the deep, starlet pink. Lucy Doheny would swoon!

Greystone

Final cross check before installation.

Greystone Sketch

Mrs. Doheny's drapes are going to be tres chic.

W&R Moment

We are thrilled to be included in the most recent Andrew Martin Interior Design Review book --volume 15!

Considered "The Bible of Interior Design", the book is a compendium of the world's greatest designers and their best work to date.

It features almost a 100 designers from every corner of the globe and offers a guide to the styles and trends of international design found in superyachts, hotels, restaurants, and homes from five continents.

It includes over 1,000 images illustrating an extraordinary diversity of projects, from the casual restraint of Scandinavia and the forward edge of West Coast America to the glamour of 21st century China and the earthy traditions of Africa.

Design Friends

Dining at the spectacular unveiling of our project in the Ritz-Carlton Residences downtown with Mauricio Umansky of The Agency.

Getting Ready For Greystone

Preparing to transform the Courtyard for the Maison de Luxe Gala.

Design Friends

With the impeccable Barry Darr Dixon preparing for Greystone.

Design Friends

The Uber Chic Mary McDonald, me and Martyn Lawrence Bullard lookin' fierce!

Getting Ready For Greystone

Setting the mood or color selection is one thing. It's the layers, textures, prints and patterns that make it another. For those of you who live in Los Angeles, we all know that flair & nostalgia is alive and well.

"More is more and less is a bore." ~ Tony Duquette

A Glimpse

Did someone say Norma Desmond? A sliver of the rendering of Mrs. Doheny's bedroom for Greystone. Marker, pencil and ink on vellum.

Design Friends

Jaime & Ron with the one and only Peter Gurski, set decorator to the stars.

A Glimpse

Rough Room Sketch for Greystone.

Getting Ready For Greystone

Preparing for our (Lucy Doheny's) room rendering and design to be unveiled at the PDC.

Welcome to Maison de Luxe!

The branding concept and sketch for the upcoming Greystone showcase house and Gala with Luxe magazine.

Getting Ready For Greystone

The palatial entry hall.

Black & White

Fit for a Silver Screen Siren. This moody installation is beyond chic! The 1940's Regency sofa & chair suite was a special find.

Design Friends

Ron, Jaime and the dapper David Dalton.

WP-24

Fabulous evening downtown. Private dinner by Wolfgang Puck and one of our favorite client's Ritz-Carlton/AEG.

Molding Inspiration

For drapery detail. Too much? Never.

Gifts of the Sultan

What a special night at LACMA, thanks to our dear friend, Oliver Furth and the DADC. Linda Komaroff, curator of Islamic Art led a private tour through a stunning exhibit titled, 'Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts'. Also, it was such a treat to be in Resnick Pavilion on a closed evening; not to mention viewing the space mid-installation of another upcoming exhibit on Modernism. As you can see in the background here.

(Karen Figilis, Ron Woodson, Thomas Lavin, Erica Liscano, Oliver Furth, Jaime Rummerfield)

W&R Moment

Yet another great client meeting. Very productive. A beautiful 1930's California Romantica Spanish. The original stenciled, timber ceilings are to die for.

Another Day At The Office

W&R Moment

Next project on deck. Classic; fit for a Dame.

W&R Moment

Project installation. Incorporating diverse scale and proportion is key. Love this vintage, brass rams head table base.

W&R Moment

Another install. Fabulous abstract painting by Sai Tekai.

W&R Moment

A great find. Just installed this unique vintage canopy chair for a client.

The World of Franz Kline

We always enjoy participating in LCDQ's Legends of La Cienega installations. This year's theme is "Celebrate Art". One of our favorite artists is Franz Kline, of which we selected as our inspiration for Szalon's window.

Franz Kline's dynamic artworks were figurative, social realism with cubist overtones. During the 1950’s, Kline developed his unique vocabulary of gestural brushstrokes and became associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement.

They very expressive, evoking the urban landscapes of New York and Pennsylvania. Kline used ordinary household paint and large housepainters’ brushes to quickly apply paint to canvases tacked directly to the wall. The black brushstrokes go beyond the edges of the canvas creating an energy and dynamism, while also giving the effect of presenting a detail or huge fragment of an even more monumental image. In the late 1950’s, Kline introduced color into the paintings, but he died before it became a major part of the work.Art and poetry from MOMA exhibit.
Here is a sneak peek into the Franz Kline installation as we put the window together!These red doors were salvaged from a beautiful Hollywood style Estate in Hombly Hills from the 1940's. The hardware and knobs are stunning. A must see in person.Come to Szalon and see the unveiling!
Hope to see you "on the street" for LCDQ
http://lcdqla.com/legends-of-2011-designers/

Design is a work in progress

Many people, including myself, swoon over a delightfully finished project via magazines, books and blogs. Such instant bliss and gratification! But there is much effort in getting from point A to B in the professional interior design world. Did you know most projects take up to a year in preparation before being unveiled? The design process is one of my favorite parts of a project. From the planning, the inspiration & the sourcing to the sketching & the drawing.

Ron and me creating a design concept.
Many ideas are reviewed, edited, tossed, cataloged and developed. Design is not arbitrary or random.

A huge part of the project is the visual inspiration. Creating insatiable project Mood/Inspiration Boards is key for a road map and documenting a vision.Sourcing for the perfect fabric/textiles is major leg work, yet a fanciful feast for the eyes. Finding the right materials, textures and colors is a wonderful hunt.

Layouts and edits are essential to the process and having a project "On purpose". Typically goes unseen or appreciated, but to us it is all about the magic of process.
This is a part of why we love what we do.My favorite professor once said, "Design ends when you run out of time or money".
Ain't that a fact.
Let's not forget, hiring an interior designer is definitely a luxury service.
Some how it has become quite diluted in this day and age.
Don't let TV or DIY cheapen the expertise, craft, magic and art of this profession!
It takes a lot of experience, work, time, care and effort to usher a successful project through from concept to completion.
There is major value in that alone -- getting what you want.
Ron and me in a finished room.