Floral velvet has never crossed the threshold of any architect I know. Ditto leafy Victorian wallpaper. I’ve visited a lot of architects at home, and most are highly allergic to color and pattern. Sherry McKuin says she herself was a committed member of that cohort. That was until her family moved from a mid-century house in the Hollywood Hills to a 1926 Mediterranean-style manse in tree-lined Little Holmby next to Holmby Hills and Bel Air.
They had only a week between residences and McKuin strategically took the opportunity to strip the walnut stain from the oak floors, whitewash all the walls, and remove the window gewgaws . There was much more she wanted to do—including starting from scratch in the kitchen—but first she and her husband, an entertainment lawyer, and their two young kids lived in their gracious quarters for three years.
During that time, McKuin says she realized that if she orchestrated the remodel herself, her kids and clients—she runs her own architecture firm, McKuin Design—would take precedence and “our project would keep falling on the back burner.” Also, as a longstanding modernist, she “didn’t feel entirely comfortable detailing a traditional house.” And so McKuin hired interior designer Frances Merrill of Reath Design, whose work she had admired for its nuance and beauty: “Frances keeps things unpredictable—in a good way. Her rooms are both composed and casual, and she’s a genius with colors and textiles.”
“Our goal was to honor the simplicity the family were used to while also celebrating this elegant, warm house,” says Merrill, who got the job done in nine months—and along the way led McKuin into a new realm of pleated curtains and jewel tones. Join us for tour of the eye-opening results.
Photography by Laure Joliet, courtesy of Reath Design.
![the house sits on a corner lot and has its original paneled front door and side 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-exterior-laure-joliet-photo-733x550.jpg)
![a martin & brocket library table stands in the entry under a curved stair. 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-entry-laure-joliet-photo-1-733x977.jpg)
The white paint throughout is Benjamin Moore White PM-2.
![the powder room off the entry is patterned with florencecourt, a wallpap 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-powder-room-laure-joliet-photo-17-733x977.jpg)
Note the baseboards. Merrill comments that beginning with all white walls and refinished floors—”a blank slate”—was her idea of a dream project. “We started by painting all the doors and windows—plus the powder room baseboards—in Benjamin Moore Yorktowne Green, a color that shifts from blue to green depending on the light.”
![the backsplash is composed of zellige, moroccan terracotta tiles, from clé 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-powder-room-laure-joliet-photo-18-733x489.jpg)
![the living room doubles as the music room: there\2\17;s a piano in one e 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-living-room-laure-joliet-photo-2-733x489.jpg)
![the room\2\17;s simple marble mantel replaced a heavy wood design. gone, 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-living-room-laure-joliet-photo-3-733x977.jpg)
The French door are original; the curtains—unlined to allow in the light and let the fabric gently fade—are Newport 127 from Fabricut.
![\2\20;the proportions of the space make it immediately feel good to be i 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-living-room-laure-joliet-photo-6-733x550.jpg)
Merrill composes her designs using large mood boards covered with images and fabric samples that she and her team reference throughout. She says a starting point is often an inspired color combination or material juxtaposition that she spots in an art book or a fashion spread.
![beckoning from the living room is the showpiece of the family room, a custom se 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-play-room-laure-joliet-photo-16b-733x977.jpg)
All of the window treatments are the custom work of Valley Drapery—”we spent hours making drawings and measuring and re-measuring,” says Merrill, who comments that it often takes more than one fitting, in situ, to get the proportions just right. Among the trickiest to finesse were the simple matchstick blinds that hang here. Merrill had them painted the same color as the window trim and hung on brass nails from grommets. The walls are painted Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster, a hugely popular pale pink (see it used in a grand English kitchen here).
![a favorite color moment: curtains in a linen from bart halpern against c 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-playroom-laure-joliet-photo-15-733x977.jpg)
McKuin says that starting afresh was made easier by the fact that at the time of the remodel, she needed to fully furnish their former house, now a rental property they own. “So it all moved there. Had we not had that, we would have kept more. But we had lived with it all for so many years, it was nice to begin again.”
![\2\20;the kitchen was a total gut,\2\2\1; says mckuin. \2\ 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-8-733x473.jpg)
The custom cabinetry is painted Benjamin Moore Laurel Canyon Beige. “The island,” notes Merrill, “is double sided and has glass-fronted, more formal storage facing the table.”
![avocado comeback: the range is a 48 inch bluestar available in 750 colors. 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-9b-733x977.jpg)
The counter is Namibia White, a milky marble sourced from a stone yard in the San Fernando Valley. The Antiqued Brass Gilby Drawer Pulls are from Jim Lawrence of Suffolk, England.
![the sink, with a newport brass bridge faucet, is next to the back door. to keep 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-11-733x977.jpg)
The painting is by Mexico City artist Chuco Reyes and dates from the 1960s; McKuin bought it at an LA estate sale.
![space gained from removing the pantry wall was devoted to a coffee and bar sink 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-9a-733x561.jpg)
![a nook with a built in banquette upholstered in an emerald outdoor velvet from 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-12a-733x561.jpg)
![three favorite details: the curved backsplash of namibia white marble (with one 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-12b-1-733x958.jpg)
All of the kids’ dishes are kept under the sink making it easy for them to set the table—and so far McKuin reports no problems with the curtains getting stained. The shelves are supported by Futagami Brass Brackets and coffee mugs hang from Futagami Brass S Hooks on Futagami Brass Towel Bars, all from Dar Gitane—Merrill found the line on Remodelista.
![the farm table, a joinery design made of reclaimed heart pine by petersen antiq 32](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-13b-733x977.jpg)
Above: The curtains are made of a discontinued paisley linen. The hanging light is the Easy Roof Meringa 60 Pendant by Servomuto of Italy.
![not wanting a formal dining area, the family turned the room off the kitchen in 33](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-den-off-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-14a-733x977.jpg)
![the room is furnished with a michel ducaroy togo ensemble from the seventies fo 34](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-den-off-kitchen-laure-joliet-photo-14c-733x977.jpg)
![the view from the upstairs hall. 35](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-little-holmby-house-la-upstairs-hall-laure-joliet-photo-19b-733x977.jpg)
![painted window frames and vintage globe lights from factory \20. 36](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-upstairs-hall-laure-joliet-photo-19-1-733x1099.jpg)
![the master bedroom is cloaked in rich jewel tones and sunlight. 37](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-bedroom-laure-joliet-photo-20b-733x489.jpg)
It’s the other space that involved construction: on seeing the house, McKuin knew she wanted to flip the locations of the bathroom and closet: “The bath was small and poorly laid out, and the closet was huge.” “Now you can see the bathtub from the bedroom through a pair of new French doors,” says Merrill.
![the custom headboard and bedskirt are in a deep burgundy linen. parachute linen 38](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-bedroom-laure-joliet-photo-21-733x550.jpg)
![merrill upholstered mckuin\2\17;s &tradition fly chair in a rob 39](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-bedroom-laure-joliet-photo-22-733x977.jpg)
![a vintage desk with a castiglioni snoopy lamp stands next to a new wraparound m 40](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-bedroom-laure-joliet-photo-23a-733x550.jpg)
![the new dressing area is fitted with oak built ins. 41](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-closet-laure-joliet-photo-23b-733x992.jpg)
![three arched entries now lead to the bath, shower, and wc. \2\20;the roo 42](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-bath-laure-joliet-photo-24-733x977.jpg)
The bathtub is the Kateryn Bateau Cast-Iron Skirted Tub from Signature Hardware. The bubble-like glass light is the Quilted Pendant Light by Esque Studio.
![the walls have a waxed venetian plaster finish and the sink is made of silver t 43](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/reath-design-holmby-house-la-master-bath-laure-joliet-photo-25-733x993.jpg)
We’re longstanding fans of Reath Design. Here are two more projects by Merrill:
- Kitchen of the Week: Epoch Films’ Industrial Loft Kitchen
- Steal This Look: Bohemian Mix in an LA Bedroom
Also take a look at this house in the neighborhood:
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