Even over email, Brigette Romanek‘s warm and winning personality comes through. The self-taught designer’s responses to our questions about her recently completed Malibu project were short and forthright, typed in all caps, and generous with exclamation points. It’s clear that the in-demand LA decorator (with an enviable client list that includes Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Demi Moore) knows what she likes and isn’t afraid to go bold.
About this project: Nicknamed “The Bu” — “I don’t know who started it, but it stands for Malibu!!!” — “it’s a house for a 40-something man, with a gorgeous little boy who runs around the property,” she shares. Which is why, perhaps, her client’s request was for a “house that was calming and serene,” she says, but not shy.
Brigette delivered just that: a Zen-like escape that’s light on furniture but powerful in impact. As she succinctly says of the project, “every piece, a statement.”
Let’s take a tour.
Photography courtesy of Romanek Design Studio.
![vintage rattan armchairs on the ipe wood porch greet guests. to the right is th 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-entry-733x533.jpg)
![\2\20; absolutely love the combination of neutrals and shapes we used in 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-living-room-733x917.jpg)
![a must for a kid: a ping pong table. a must for his design conscious dad: that 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-ping-pong-733x558.jpg)
![the first floor is one open room and includes the kitchen. above the island are 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-kitchen-733x545.jpg)
![a pendant light from hollywood at home hovers over the vintage dining set. behi 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-dining-733x550.jpg)
![brigette tells us the blackened wood staircase was inspired by the japanese tra 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-stairs-733x907.jpg)
![the lofted primary bedroom is now enclosed in glass, with dramatic sloped oak c 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-bedroom-733x550.jpg)
![the dressing area, lined with oak closets, leads to a deck. 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-bedroom-1-733x929.jpg)
![a second floor bathroom lined with green zellige tiles. 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-green-bathroom-733x977.jpg)
![the climate appropriate garden was designed by eric brandon gomez. 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/romanek-design-studio-malibu-house-exterior-733x550.jpg)
For more LA style, see:
- Steal This Look: A Bungalow Bedroom in Malibu, California
- Steal This Look: A Los Angeles Architect’s Casual but Elegant Kitchen
- Found Space: A Garage-Turned-Cottage in LA
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