A particular pitfall that’s almost inevitable when it comes to designing spaces is the tendency to rely on the reassurance of a reputable brand name. Incorporating a classy hand-painted wallcovering by De Gournay or a set of upholstered cushions adorned with Pierre Frey (tres elegant always) such as this gives a high-end luster that’s simple to rely on when faced with difficult design choices. However, for the designer Gary McBournie–who recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of his famous company in Boston, which he manages with his co-worker in work and personal life William Richards. Real art goes above and beyond the glitz and glamour of a pricey label to produce genuine and authentic.
“When a person hits it really rich, they often buy the first big trophy house and fill it with all the things they think rich people should have,” McBournie says to ELLE DECOR. “But I’m not one to look for the obvious. I try to mix things together in a blend of low and high that does not look like you’re creating a space for a wealthy person or museum.”
The 1932-built home is located in a swathe of iconic Hollywood houses. The pool area is the McKinnon Daybed, a Harris, and a pair of club chairs, each upholstered with Perennials fabric.
A French chateau-style home in the Westside of Los Angeles would prove that McBournie’s devotion to a curated style results in something unique. The house was built in 1932. house is tucked away amid a few classic Hollywood homes built in the 1920s. They serve as witnesses to the glamour and rich history of Tinseltown. McBournie describes it as “these little fantasies.”
The house, designed to host large-scale events, is a shining example among these houses, adorned with ceiling-to-ceiling windows, a marble-lined entrance, and 1.3 acres of well-groomed landscape. The home was purchased in 2014 by an Los Angeles couple–a former business executive and a woman in business. And three years later, they enlisted McBournie to fill the house with new energy.
The current trend in this neighborhood has been to tear these historic homes down, begin over, and build what bloggers and the L.A. City Council have criticized them as ugly and unappealing; the owners wanted to preserve their homes with the least amount of structural changes feasible. “The house had too much charm,” McBournie states. “Most of these houses in the 1930s were really well thought out, and this one was no exception.”
Despite that, a major remodel of an interior room was also in work, requiring a year to design. “We could never find out who lived in the house when it was first built, but by the ’60s it was cut up into pieces for various residents, and the house lost its center,” Richards describes. “This large grand staircase was situated at the back part of the home. We wanted to recreate the sense of having an entrance hall and the front entrance.” Its solution collaborates with architects company Vincent E. Gormally Architecture, Inc. The idea was to take down the original staircase, remove one wall of w vast library at the front of the house and construct an alternate staircase a few steps away from an entrance. “It looks like it’s always been there,” McBournie claims.
Moving the stairs allowed a wide range of options for the space of two stories it was initially used for. They could build additional space on the top floor that would later become the wife’s office. It was also possible to raise the ceiling in the entryway and connect it with the guest suite. “Originally, there was a hole in a closet that you had to walk through to get to a staircase that led you up to the guest suite,” McBournie laughs. “You were required to walk through this maze of hallways in order to reach these bedrooms. It was completely bizarre.”