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“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that house and the murder.  I poured through hundreds of pages of police testimony, actual newspaper articles from the period and etc.  It’s obvious to me what happened in that house and it’s the exact opposite of what everyone was led to believe.  Theodore was gay and Lucy was his “beard” of sorts, as all three of them met at the little gas station that her dad owned and Theo worked at changing tires.  They were all close friends before the marriage and that’s how the gas station guy came under employ at Greystone as the valet.  Ned Doheny was a total daddy’s boy, hence the house and his life given to him on a silver platter. He did everything he could to appease dear old pops including marrying, having children and ultimately getting into big trouble for delivering a whopping check with Theo to bribe a top official for dads budding oil businesses.  They ALL got caught in the middle of scandal, so Ned Doheny concocted this plan to send Theo to an insane asylum just for the duration of the trial, to occur days later.  That was a popular thing to do at the time and it would have been one less witness.  Well, poor Theo was off cavorting with every gay in town including Ramon Navarro (who was also tragically murdered) and Theo was not down with this plan at all.  I can only imagine a big big fight ensued and Theo probably made threats of revealing the true nature of the relationship to Doheny Senior or who knows.  Whatever… it was it sent Daddy’s boy who had been loaded up on liquor for days due to the impending trial into a tailspin.  My thought is Ned Doheny went nuts because he couldn’t deal with the disappointment to his father of botched bribery, homosexuality and more than likely a general dislike of himself an. So it comes to a head.

It all went down in that downstairs bedroom. The one with the elaborate green tiled bathroom that Theo chose himself because he was paying all the contractors at the time.  Kaufman didn’t design that bathroom, Theo did. 

Ned shot Theo who had a cigarette in his hand from a distance and he went down.  Then Ned shot himself at close range, hence the contact wound and bloody face.  Theo could not have done it because he had a long distance contact wound.  Lucy and the Doctor entered the room and Ned Doheny was still alive probably uttering forgive me.  They wiped the gun clean of prints of put it under Theo’s body because of the shame it would cause a devout Catholic family to have someone commit suicide and the fact that they had already set Theo up to be crazy. 

Both bodies were entered practically next to each other in a non-Catholic cemetery and the case was hushed up with money.  There’s the story. ”

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This week’s question comes from Joyce Anthony.  I encourage all of you to offer your feedback for Joyce in the comments section below. 

In the creative process, we all learn from each other.

She writes, “I love the black red and white in this photo and was curious if you could tell me what the wall color is? I am doing this theme for my dining room/kitchen and am having a hard time figuring out what to paint the wall to match yet not be boring white or crazy red! Thanks so much! Joyce Anthony”

I am a big fan of white walls like the room I designed in the above photo.   I find them clean and not boring at all.  They work especially well when there is a lot of accent color and texture in the space. 

What are your thoughts? I’m sure Joyce would love to know.

Thanks,

Lori

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The atelier concept  is a new one for La Cienega  showrooms, as Barclay is more interested in bringing in his existing clients for a little “shop time”  and is a bit less concerned with retail sales.  (I’m not saying you can’t purchase his scrumptious furnishings at the shop, you can. It’s just an amuse bouche, instead of a smorgasbord.) 

“Often times with celebrities and moguls there is a demand for the utmost discretion and privacy.  These clients will now enjoy a very on-brand setting to meet and review projects.  We will have our material at our fingertips, access to internet, samplings of furniture all handy.  It’s the quintessential arrangement for both designer and client” said Butera. 

 With appointments already booked and a  staff of capable, design assistants to cater to one’s every need,  Barclay is sure to have yet another grandslam.

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Barry Katz was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book.   Being a recently selected as a member of the ASID National Sustainable Council, one of our first assignments was to update the bibliography.  The book couldn’t have arrived at a better time.  Practical Green Remodeling extensively covers areas like insulation, ventilation and alternative energy systems.  Filled with plenty of eye candy and pictures of Americana style homes, it’s easy (and fun) to read in an afternoon.  If you’re just beginning your journey to the green side of home remodeling,  get up to speed quickly with this power trio: Green Interior Design by Lori Dennis, Practical Green Remodeling by Barry Katz and  REGREEN, a joint effort of ASID and the USGBC.  You’ll gain a vocabulary and grasp of the industry that would make Ed Begley Jr. proud.

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Taking in the natural beauty, I began to flip through my porfolio of work in my head and realized that I often design in hues that resemble this late November afternoon on a Southern California beach.  Touches of beachy blues, stimulating oranges, sunshine yellows and driftwood browns, combined with muted backgrounds of sandy creme have become my signature.  Spending so much of my life on these shores has really influenced the way I approach the built environment.

I suppose the next time I’m asked “what inspires you?”, I’d better fess up and give nature some props.

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Take it away Jennifer:

We had the most fun last week when Los Angeles designer Lori Dennis, who has become nationally known for her expertise in green interior design, came for a visit. Her new book, Green Interior Design, will be out later this month:

I knew Lori back when I edited a publication for HGTV, so when she called to say she’d be in town, I invited her to lunch with a few green experts, gathered through builder Mark Turner of Greenspur, who built the CharityWorks GreenHouse in McLean last year.

Left to right: Architect Ernesto Santalla of Studio Santalla, who designed the meditation/spa room in the Green House; Theresa Norton; Mary Anne Duffus, founder of the ultra-green Brooksfield preschool in McLean; Marcia Twomey, president of the McLean Chamber of Commerce; Lori Dennis; Designer Barbara Hawthorn, who designed the outdoor space at the Green House; (me) Jennifer Sergent, Director of Marketing for the WDC; Designer Skip Sroka, one of the design chairmen of the Green House; and Annie O’Connell, manager of the Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman showroom, where the photo was taken

We toured through showrooms with products that Lori writes about in her book, which will be out on Nov. 16. We started at Donghia, where showroom manager Liz Allner welcomed us with coffee and pastries.

Liz had laid out many different fabric lines that are totally green, including Brentano and Pollack. But the coolest show-and-tell examples were the dazzling samples of Maya Romanoff wallpaper:

During the tour, Lori and the showroom managers talked about products that were not only green in and of themselves (Maya Romanoff uses recycled glass for its beads), but also the companies who make them, which practice green standards. Overseas, child labor, too, is a big problem — and these companies try to stay away from factories that are caught using school-age children on their lines.

Next, we went to Farrow & Ball, which is now totally green in all its varieties of paint. They have stopped offering oil-based paint, as well.

Showroom manager Eve Fay describes the green characteristics of Farrow & Ball.

The greatest thing about green products for the home these days (if we haven’t already learned from the stunning CharityWorks GreenHouse), is that going green does not mean sacrificing quality. In Farrow & Ball’s case, it means that their pigmentation is still the best around.

Here’s an example of Rectory Red, on the right, which Eve had “matched” at two other paint companies. Not possible, as you can clearly see.

Moving right along, we went to see the ever-charming and charismatic Brian Benavides at Robert Allen | Beacon Hill, which has an impressive line of green fabrics, from sturdy contract quality to top-of-the-line residential.

Here’s Brian and Lori. Even in a still photo, Brian’s infectious personality comes across.

Jaunty pillows with Robert Allen’s eco-friendly fabric

Robert Allen has an entire green section in the showroom, which Brian pointed out that designers can use to demonstrate to their clients — once again — that the quality of the fabric is never sacrificed just because harmful chemicals aren’t used in the production or milling.

The texture of this fabric is so yummy! The green leaf on the label is a symbol that the fabric is green.

Next, we went to Edelman Leather, where showroom manager Emily Payne not only welcomed us with open arms, but sat us down in the sumptuous (all-leather) sitting area in the front of the showroom.

Emily Payne of Edelman Leather

How is leather green, you ask? Well, for one thing, Edelman uses only leathers produced in Europe, which actually has more stringent green standards than the United States when it comes to using non-toxic chemicals, clean factories, etc.

In addition, no animal is ever killed just for its hide. Emily pointed out that all leather comes from animals in the food industry, where hides are a by-product. So talk about reuse and recycle…

Can you believe this wood-grain pattern on Edelman’s newest leather product? Like, on a wing chair? Amazing. The surface of the cocktail table beneath it, by the way, is also an intricately textured leather.

Emily sent us away with the cutest gifts: small holders for change, credit cards, or business cards. I have already put mine to use!

But probably no one was as thrilled as Mary Anne Duffus, who runs the green Brooksfield School in McLean — Emily gave her a big bag of discontinued leather samples for the toddlers in her preschool to use in their art class. Mary Anne pointed out that no material in their art classes is ever bought new — it’s always reused from something else.

The final stop before our luncheon was Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman, where manager Annie O’Connell told us about her company’s “Pure” line of furniture.

Annie O’Connell

Because this was the last stop on our tour, everyone wanted to take some time to sit down and really “try out” the furniture. Not only are the fabrics, but the frames and even springs in the furniture is green: the wood frames are cut from sustainable forests, and the metal in the springs is recycled.

Theresa Norton sits on one of the “Pure” chairs, which was designed so a lady could sit on it, cross her legs, and look sexy. Mission accomplished, right?

Ernesto Santalla’s purple jacket blends wonderfully with the green silk of this sofa — green in color and concept, that is.

Theresa Norton, Mary Anne Duffus (with her art-class samples from Edelman), and Marcia Twomey also try out the sofa.

Two of my favorite designers came along on the tour with us — and they could have helped Lori quote chapter and verse on green interior design: Skip Sroka, whose new house is a poster child for green building, down to the recycled rubber tiles on his roof (see a story and photos of it here), and Barbara Hawthorn, who’s been doing green probably longer than Lori.

Skip Sroka and Barbara Hawthorn

Skip and Barbara have known each other a long time, and their mutual affection is adorable — I love this candid shot:

There are so many green products in our showrooms that we did not have enough time to see them all, but I’ve been talking to Lori about coming back and expanding our little tour to a larger event during our Capital Design Days in the spring. I was so impressed not only with Lori’s command of the subject, but also of our showroom managers’ knowledge, and our guests’ own experience with the green movement. It was an inspiring day, and I can’t wait to read Lori’s book.

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Everyone was there to congratulate Martyn and PARRRRTEH, including Taylor Dayne (who still has PIPES) and Downtown Julie Brown.  I got so excited during Tell It To My Heart, that I jumped on stage with hunky Martyn and boogied my bootie.   Bravo’s new show Million Dollar Decorator was filming, so let’s “Watch What Happens” and see if I make it to the episode.  Big night, big party, big award and great, big, talented, sweet man.  Congrats.

A few days later I spoke at the Solargy showroom opening party in Tarzana.  The first of its kind in Los Angeles, it’s a good looking showroom room filled with energy effiicient solutions for residential and commercial buildings. My favorite was the HVAC system that has an automated humidifier for those dry winter nights.  And designers, co-owner Gabrielle  is quite the charmer. Make sure to book your tour with him.

Immediately after I popped into the Jean De Merrry Party to talk about my book, say hi to everyone and see Mike Ragan’samazing fabric display.  The Melrose Place showroom is breathtaking and I love the way they transformed the parking lot into a green paradise complete with fountain, sculpture and exquisite outdoor lanterns. I’d expect nothing less from Jean De Merry.

Rounding out the weekend, the SoCalContractor and I headed over toFabrik Magazine’s Arts District Art Walk and visited the studios of some of LA’s finest. Sculpture by David Hollen, Canvas by Robert Reynolds and Photography by Cyril Helnwein were all fantastic. The experience was entirely surreal going behind the concrete walls into studio spaces that were buzzing with energy and unbridled, urban beauty.   

DAVID HOLLEN

DAVID HOLLEN

ROBERT REYNOLDS

CYRIL HELNWEIN

 Beautiful blonde Italian, Gemma Sonego (architect, floral artist, collector of vintage furnishings) and little Elle Bell took a liking to each other and stayed side by side for the better part of our visit.  I fell in love with both her and her husband, Robert Renoylds and will be having them soon for a soiree on the West Side. 

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Thanks just isn’t enough for something of this magnitude.  I need to design a spa pronto and get both Pam and the publisher, Jo Campbell-Fujii comped for a week of massages, facials and great food. Trust me, I’m working on it!

Speaking of Jo Campbell Fujii, I had the pleasure of meeting her at the cocktail and private preview she hosted for the Avenues Design Show House by Billy Rose Design and Assembledge+.     The entire experience was a WOW moment from the bus ride up from Skirball, passing through the Bel Air gates, walking up the split stone driveway big enough to park 30 cars and then entering the 8 foot wide solid wood, pivot door. 

 The eye candy continued with a rustic, but refined, floating stairwell made from entire trunks of bleached oak (FSC certified logs), an exposed wine cellar under the stairs, a media room the size of a small AMC theater(by Innovative), a kitchen that I would kill for, one of the most glamorous master bath suites I’ve ever seen- can you say unlimited material budget?- and my personal favorite an entire wall of Miele washers and dryers in the laundry room.  

Oh wait a minute, I forgot to mention the back patio, with not one, but two jacuzzis (seen below) over looking the twinkling lights of the City of Angels.  Really it was a” pinch me, I’m dreaming” moment when I looked down and saw my magazine cover sitting on the side table of the outdoor lounge.  

Having participated in a few show houses, I realize how much vendors add to the experience.  Here’s a shout out to old favorites like Kallista, Vanatage, EcoSmart Fire, Ann Sacks and Samuel Moyer Furniture and new found treasures from artists Daniel Wheeler and Patte Stayrook.  Kudos to all, the production was A-list all night and I felt right at home. 

Now I’ve got to trot over to the PDC and see what’s going on with Martyn Lawrence-Bullard and his big award.

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This morning at the Pacific Design Center architectural expert Virgil W. McDowell gave a lecture on the difference between Regency and Hollywood Regency.  Technical difficulties aside, it was a compelling session comparing the  two styles, exemplified in McDowell’s own architectural drawings, copious photographs and actual clips from old Hollywood movies starring dreamy Carey Grant (yum). 

 I just love it when eye candy is soooo educational!  

A Los Angeleno, McDowell finds inspiration in the work of legendary, Southern Californian architects like George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, Paul R. Williams and Reginald D. Johnson.  Who wouldn’t ?

Immediately after the lecture I headed over to the ASID office for my interview of Tracy Murdock, January 2011covergirl for LA Design Magazine.  On a rainy LA day she was as glam as ever in her sparkly, leopard print, cashmere sweater from Neiman’s, a triple strand pearl choker and a pair of shiny black Channel rainboots.  When I asked her what places have inspired her during her travels, she told me she didn’t have to go anywhere to be inspired.  Books like  Memoires of a Geisha painted pictures in her mind that were a lot less expensive and time consuming than flying to Japan.  It reminded me of the interview I read on Laura Hunt who said she didn’t need to leave the United States to be inspired or find the best of the best.   

Green lesson learned this week: reduce your carbon footprint by staying home and reading. 

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