As mentioned in last week’s post covering Met Lofts, last month Dwell Labs brought together Dwell Media LLC, Klein Financial, and ASID Los Angeles (American Society of Interior Designers) to partner and showcase modern design and city living. Today I am covering yet another building, 1600 Vine, located at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, or for those familiar with twitter, “#hometohollywood”. And “home to Hollywood” it is – located along the Hollywood Walk of Fame and situated at one of the most legendary corners in Tinsel Town. An intersection where luxury, excitement, and convenience converge.
Four very talented ASID Los Angeles interior designers, chosen from many, were given the job to design and stage each of their respective units for their fictitious clients, and were only given a matter of four weeks to complete their design.
Just a few of the views taken on the grounds of 1600 Vine and from the apartments. Our tour was to see the interior of the units, so not much time was spent touring the grounds. From what I can see from the 1600 Vine website, the common areas are amazing, so take a look for yourself.
Suite 856, Designers Cynthia Lambakis and Samantha Williams, ASID
3 bedroom/3 bath townhouse, 3 private balconies, 3183 sq. ft.
A sophisticated space designed for an entrepreneur in his late 30s and his 6 year old daughter, this space, although rather large and open, feels quite intimate. Pasadena interior designers Cynthia Lambakis and Samantha Williams outfitted the walls, floors, and furnishings in a muted palette of grey, taupe and cream, and the space is brought to life with the touches of color in the client’s fine art collection that is sprinkled throughout the residence (85 pieces, to be exact!)
The rear wall below is constructed of basket weave wall panels faux finished in a pewter matte metallic, with just the right amount of sheen. The Seth Parks Glass hand blown glass chandelier, the photography on the back wall, and the driftwood base coffee table in the center of the room, keep the room balanced by adding a few organic references.
Photo courtesy of Seth Parks Glass
The eating area has a mural of trees with a Seth Parks Glass light fixture hanging from above. Trees seem to be a a recurring theme in the unit, as this is just the first time that trees are referenced, but they will come up again as we continue through to all the rooms.
Photo courtesy of Seth Parks Glass
In the living quarters on the floor below, more color is introduced, but it is decidedly very masculine. Navy blue along the wall of the master bedroom and the adjoining sitting area is offset with contrasting orange accents. The blue washed grasscloth in the sitting area provides warmth and texture by offsetting the otherwise cold, bare concrete column in the corner of the room.
The bathroom was full of visual stimuli at every turn. Artwork hanging on almost every wall, each making its own statement. Different textures, materials, and sheen, but each unique piece of artwork complimented the others and together they worked in harmony. Notice the trees on the wallpaper below.
The room for the 6 year old daughter – sweet, but not too sweet. Sophisticated but very tastefully done. The color palette inspired by the colors and flavors of French macarons – pistachio, raspberry, passion fruit, salted caramel – simply decadent.
The third room housed the office and had a deep oxblood wingback leather chair and zebra upholstered chairs to give depth and drama to the room and was further complimented by the colorful selections of fine art on the walls.
Suite #813, Darra Bishop, Allied ASID
Studio / One bath, 612 sq ft.
Given a space of only 612 sq. ft for her 20s something aspiring actress client, Los Angeles interior designer Darra Bishop was able to prove that one need not sacrifice style and space in favor of function. The living area is divided into two distinct areas, with the rug defining the intimate lounge space, where conversation can be had and music can be heard from the stylish speakers from Symbol Audio, which coincidentally, I recently featured as one of my top picks at ICFF – the International Contemporary Furniture Fair .
Photo courtesy of Edward Carreon
Photo courtesy of Bel Air Photography
In back of the sofa, is what appears to be a built in book case. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that one could flip up the front panel to reveal a desk and work area. Brilliant, right? Well, I’m not done yet…
Return and secure the desk surface and legs to its former resting place, spin the book case around, and voilà, a queen size bed appears from behind. This amazing unit takes up only 13″ of space and is from the European manufacturer, Clei and now available at Resource Furniture (another product I featured as one of my top picks from Dwell on Design) But unlike the bed/shelf units off the Resource Furniture floor, Bishop customized the look by applying a metallic grasscloth wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries, which gives off a more polished, custom look and ties in with the adjacent built in book shelves.
Photo courtesy of Bel Air Photography
Photo courtesy of Bel Air Photography
The bed/bookcase/desk in action.
Photos courtesy of Bel Air Photography
This space below, which contrasts a little bit of whimsy with a little bit of macabre (the black raven on the top shelf made me think of Edgar Allan Poe), was one of my favorite spaces on the tour.
In the kitchen, Bishop gives a little touch of glam and a touch of ethnic to the kitchen by incorporating a Moroccan inspired tile with a subtle metallic finish from Walker Zanger.
Photos courtesy of Bel Air Photography
Bishop maximizes the space in this small 612 sq. ft. apt. by making otherwise unused areas usable, allowing more space for entertaining. Below is the pop up table that is used for dining. When not in use, it can be folded down and out of the way. On the right is the Symbol Audio speaker that I mentioned – pretty stylish!
The bath incorporates just the right amount of tile, wood and chain metal (yes, that’s right, the shower curtain is made of chain metal) to take it from simple and ordinary to absolutely fabulous. Bishop did a phenomenal job in proving that both form and function can indeed coexist and that just because a space is small does not mean that entertaining is impossible.
Photo courtesy of Bel Air Photography
Suite #1109 Penthouse, Laura Schwartz-Muller, Allied ASID
3 bed/3.5 bath, 4 private balconies, 2976 sq. ft.
Upon entering the penthouse unit designed by Laura Schwartz-Muller, I could tell right away that this was one unit I was going to love. As a former triathlete, I was thrilled when the first thing I saw was a road bike hanging on the wall as though it was a work of art being showcased for all to see. To the left of the entrance was a small powder room that sported a large custom mural of the Hollywood sign with the “streets of LA” winding their way around up above.
This penthouse was designed for a successful film director in his early 30s who is currently enjoying the fast paced life of Hollywood. Partying, expense accounts, a rotating door of women, designer clothing, fast cars, he is like a kid in a candy store – do you blame him?
Nineteen foot ceilings line the outside perimeter of the sun drenched living room – complete with motorized remote control shades on the upper windows, and manual controls on the bottom. The space is open and furniture is strategically placed to to allow for pockets of spaces in which to lounge around and entertain.
Photo courtesy of Laura Schwartz-Muller
Below, designer Laura Schwartz-Muller explains the inspiration behind her design. The entire unit celebrates the urbanization of Los Angeles. The floating shelf system that rises one and a half stories above, was custom designed, built offsite, and then transported to the unit in three pieces to be assembled on site. (Laura’s husband and business partner, Cliff was the contractor for this project and built all the floating shelves throughout the unit.) Its unique shape represents the streets of LA – complete with left turns, right turns, and dead ends. Above the floating shelf is a series of three vintage mid-century sputnik sconces, which was inspired the glittering LA skyline at night.
From every window in every room and from each of the four private balconies are amazing views of the city – the Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory, Downtown LA, and on a clear day, the ocean. (The photos of the city views in the first image of this post were all taken from various spots in this penthouse)
Photo on the right courtesy of Laura Schwartz-Muller
Photos on left and right courtesy of Laura Schwartz-Muller
Throughout the living room and three bedrooms, the concrete walls are left bare and exposed, yet blend in beautifully with the wood floors and furnishings around. “Urban industrial chic loft living” is what I call it – with just the right amount of glamour for the successful single bachelor living the Hollywood high life.
Photos on the right courtesy of Laura Schwartz-Muller
On the landing which adjoins the bedrooms on the second floor is a chic little sitting area that overlooks the living room below and the view outside – the perfect spot to curl up and read a good book.
Below is yet another one of my favorite shots from the tour. A little bit of retro with the mid-century chair, a little bit of industrial with the concrete wall, a little bit boho ethnic with the ikat pillow, and a wonderful splash of French macaron-like color in the painting on the wall, but together it all works.
Below, a quiet moment at the bedside table in the third bedroom.
Suite #734, Suzanne Furst, ASID
Studio/One bath, 1058 sq. ft.
This studio/ one bath unit was designed for a single British ex-pat in her early 30s who works at Paramount Studios as a costume designer by day and moonlights as a tattoo artist in a hip Hollywood tattoo parlor by night. Yes, very cliché, but oh so Hollywood!
To define the two separate spaces, Furst designed a custom glass wall partition, which divides the large space into two separate spaces while still allowing light to filter through from one space to the other.
The color palette consists of white, soft greys, and contrasting black accents. Furthermore, little pops of colorful accents are sprinkled throughout to draw attention to key items in the room.
I especially love the double window treatment – one set of drapery which provides privacy and allows light to filter in during the day, and the outer set to provide privacy at night and completely blocks out every trace of sunlight during the day.
Furst did a great job with mixing the expensive with the inexpensive. For example, the dining table from CB2 below is paired with composite dining chairs from Roche Bobois, yet nothing looks out of place.
I hope you enjoyed today’s tour through the four designer decorated units at 1600 Vine. 1600 Vine is located at 1600 Vine in Hollywood, adjacent to the W Hotel and the Metro Red Line. All the units shown today are available for lease, as well as several others in the building with similar floor plans. Check the 1600 Vine website for details.
Again, a huge thanks to ASID Los Angeles, Dwell Media, Klein Financial, the talented designers, and to Rhonda Huber and Allan DallaTorre for organizing the event and making it a fun and successful event! You’re the tops!
Unless otherwise noted, all photos were taken by me, Jeanne Chung. Feel free to use, but please credit accordingly and link back. Thanks!
