When Los Angeles-based interior designer Elizabeth Gordon was working on the home of her client, actor-comedian-TV host Joel McHale and his family, she focused the design on being a reflection of the modern and traditional tastes of both he and his wife Sarah, an artist and designer. The two-story home, built in the mid-‘40s, sits in a quiet suburb amidst the larger urban setting of the city and was created to be a quiet, stylish oasis within the metropolitan bustle.
Elizabeth designed the interiors of the colonial brick and stucco home using both antique and modern references in the furnishings. She utilized tiny antique shops and flea markets to upper-crust stores and showrooms in LA, Palm Springs, and New York, mixing the quirky with the sophisticated in defining the aesthetic. When she couldn’t find the exact item she wanted for a room, she designed it herself and had it custom made. For instance, a hammered brass mirror makes the perfect starburst accent at the Living Room, pulling the eye up towards the custom wallpaper at the ceiling; a custom, chrome four-poster bed and vintage light fixtures add a masculine touch to the soothing palette of the Master Bedroom; the graphic print wallpaper at the ceiling of the marbled Guest Bathroom gives the more traditionally serious design a playful vibe; ‘70s Vintage Russian posters that McHale’s father bought during his eastern European travels offer the perfect laid-back contrast to the classic Saarinen-inspired tables and formal lines of the office.
In the family room, Elizabeth created a custom media cabinet with a secret door that opens to a media room beyond. The room, equipped with plush sofa, cork fabric-wrapped ottomans, graphic print chairs, vintage lamps and hide rugs, creates a cozy, intimate space that is perfect for the family to relax together and to entertain. As with all of the spaces there is an element of surprise- a graphic print wallpaper at the ceiling- that keeps the space feeling fresh and modern.
In the dining room, Elizabeth took a cue from the oversize windows looking out onto the greenery of the backyard and decided to play on the views she found there. Dressing the room in a color palette of cool greens and ebonized wood, she topped the cut sea-grass rug with a custom French-polished wood table, a custom ebonized wood sideboard decorated with vintage bronze pulls, vintage lamps, and high-backed chairs. The modernizing touches to the space- a vibrant-colored commissioned painting, a custom designed faux-bois metal chandelier, and wallpaper at both the walls and ceiling- allow the room a comfortable formality perfect for evening gatherings over dinner.
Throughout the home, Elizabeth pairs together a mix of furnishings and architectural details that play on color and materials, balancing glamour and formality with warmth and whimsy. The result is a harmonious eclecticism that embraces the idiosyncrasies of the client’s family life and reflects her own unique tastes.
