Sarah Rosenhaus creates a welcoming, curated home for a U.K. family laying down roots in Los Angeles.
Custom bookshelves in the library painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mizzle hue house the client’s books and sculptures.
THE CLIENTS
When working with a couple from the U.K. with two children—he’s in the music industry and she’s an event coordinator—designer Sarah Rosenhaus of Sarah Rosenhaus Interior Design was challenged to create a home that met several criteria. “Flow from indoors to outdoors was critical,” says Rosenhaus, who notes that performance fabrics were also necessary. “The client wanted a sophisticated curated look that could handle the kids jumping and playing without worry.” The East Coast colonial home in Hancock Park had a traditional vibe: Rosenhaus had to find a way to infuse it with her client’s love of midcentury modern design and furniture, and seamlessly integrate their extensive art collection with pieces by Banksy, Damian Hirst and more.
A runner from Lawrence of La Brea lines the entry hallway, which also features a midcentury credenza from MidcenturyLA. The gallery wall showcases part of the client’s art collection.
THE PROJECT
In addition to updating the entire home with fresh paint, fixtures, furnishings and decor, Rosenhaus was tasked with performing a significant renovation. “The entire back portion of the house, which is now the butler’s pantry, kitchen and family room, used to be a small kitchen, a small family room and a guest room with a bathroom where the family room now is,” she shares. “We opened up the entire space and added a wall of steel and glass windows and doors out to the back deck—which was also built new.” The backyard, which was initially a concrete slab, required a pool, guesthouse and lawn.
A Hans Wegner dining table and Wishbone chairs—topped by a square Noguchi light overhead—in the dining room.
THE PLAN
“We wanted to create space in the back of the house and an informal area where the family could congregate and entertain with an easy relationship from the kitchen and inside to out,” Rosenhaus explains. “The deck and pergola become an extension of the kitchen and family room by creating additional entertaining space into the wide open yard.”
Palette-wise, Rosenhaus’s clients were drawn to warm tones and textures—particularly deep oranges and rusts. “The Calacatta Viola counters and backsplash became a jumping-off point for the palette at the back of the house, where we were able to incorporate the tones of green, warm cream and rust from the stone,” she explains. “This palette is carried throughout the family room furnishings, the kitchen finishes and into the butler’s pantry.”
A pair of Lawson-Fenning sofas upholstered in Maraham high-performance linen flank the fireplace in the formal living room. Custom pillows and drapes in a pale sea foam shade are by Sarah Rosenhaus Interior Design.
THE ENTRY
“We wanted to take this opportunity to showcase the client’s art with a gallery wall and an antique rug, a midcentury credenza from MidcenturyLA and Cherner chairs,” says Rosenhaus of the entryway that’s situated between the dining room and the living room. “At the end of the hall, you see the new custom steel and glass windows and doors that lead out to the deck off the back of the house.”
Portola’s textural Roman Clay plaster coats the kitchen walls.
THE LIVING ROOM
“The clients wanted to create a space to relax in the evening and listen to their extensive record collection while winding down,” Rosenhaus shares of the living room, where the homeowners switch up the art regularly. “We worked to create a formal living room that felt lived in and traveled just like the client.” A fan of repetition and symmetry, Rosenhaus Thanked the fireplace with a matching pair of curved-back sofas from Lawson-Fenning in a Maharam high-performance linen. She added pops of color via custom pillows in subtle green, blue and mustard shades. The custom drapes—in the most “beautiful frothy sea foam color,” according to Rosenhaus—are from Rogers & Goffgon.
Rosenhaus designed the dining room to balance and complement the formal living room.
THE LIBRARY
Located right off the formal living room, the library houses the client’s extensive collection of art and books. The entire room and millwork is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mizzle color, and the vintage striped Turkish kilim is from Marc Phillips. “This room doesn’t get much light, so we wanted to create a more cozy feeling to play off the shadowed light that the room naturally has,” shares Rosenhaus. “The client favors midcentury furniture, and we played with [juxtaposing that] with the more traditional architecture.”
A bed from Soho Home, Finn Juhl bedside tables, and an Apparatus chandelier help blend the traditional style of the home with the client’s love of art and midcentury furnishings.
THE DINING ROOM
“The main focus of this room is the art, the Wegner dining table and chairs from Carl Hansen, and the square Noguchi light,” says Rosenhaus. “The client initially wanted a statement chandelier, and after months of searching and not finding anything we loved, I finally suggested this square Noguchi light. I love it for its refined simplicity and the unexpected shape of the square hanging in the traditional home.” The pale apricot and terracotta-colored rug from Lawrence of La Brea hints at the deeper orange and rust tones in the back of the home.
“I wanted this room to feel dark and mysterious with just a hint of light glowing from the porcelain wall sconces,” says Rosenhaus of the powder room, covered in Cole & Son wallpaper.
THE POWDER ROOM
“Nestled under the staircase, this is probably one of my favorite moments in the house,” the designer says. “I love creating mood, and when I showed this Cole & Son paper to the client, she instantly loved it. We were drawn to the rich orange and green on black and [how] the bird pattern creates an endless quality.” A custom oak counter holds a round limestone sink from TashMart, while Stahl + Band sconces Thank a mirror from Burke Decor. “I wanted this room to feel dark and mysterious with just a hint of light glowing from the porcelain wall sconces.”
Rosenhaus redid the entire backyard—a concrete slab when purchased by her client. “I wanted the yard to feel as though you were on a summer holiday in the Hamptons or some lovely European country home,” she says.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
Rosenhaus has many favorite areas of the home, including the kitchen, the butler’s pantry and the powder room. “I love the mix of materials in the kitchen and the subtle details like the bevel on the bottom of the island counter,” she says. “The cabinets, paint color and counter in the butler’s pantry are exactly what I want in my own home—especially those little black round knobs. I love a dark, moody moment with hints of light and natural elements, and the powder bath captures that for me. The combination of the limestone sink with the delicate patinaed brass faucet and dark wallpaper makes me swoony.”
THE OUTCOME
After three years of construction during the pandemic, the project turned out perfectly. And best of all, the clients feel at home. “They are thrilled,” shares Rosenhaus. “They love it so much.”
DESIGN DETAILS
TYPE
Single-family home
LOCATION
Hancock Park
INTERIOR DESIGN
Sarah Rosenhaus, Sarah Rosenhaus Interior Design
sarahrosenhaus.com
BUILDER
Alexander Symcox, The Alexander Building Co.
alexanderbuilding.co
RESOURCES
APPARATUS
Primary bedroom chandelier
apparatusstudio.com
CARL HANSEN
Dining room table and chairs
carlhansen.com
COLE & SON
Powder room wallpaper
cole-and-son.com
LAWRENCE OF LA BREA
Living room and dining room rugs
lawrenceoflabrea.com
LAWSON-FENNING
Living room sofas
lawsonfenning.com
NOGUCHI
Dining room chandelier
noguchi.org
MARC PHILLIPS
Library rug
marcphillipsrugs.com
SOHO HOME
Primary bedroom bed
sohohome.com
SOHO HOME
Primary bedroom bed
sohohome.com