Beverly Hills

Sarah’s inspiration for this project were the riads of Morocco as experienced through a contemporary California lens. She strove to avoid the cliches of the typical southern California Spanish Colonial house so that it would be more tailored to the client’s personality, be lighter and brighter, and more connected to the outdoors.

She pushed for steel frame windows and doors over the traditional wood because the steel has a much thinner profile, and the spectacular views of Los Angeles would be far less obstructed.

But, it was also imperative to include enough Spanish Colonial architectural references so that it becomes impossible to pin down when this home was completed (2019)

Like all SWDS projects, this one is full of bespoke details, cabinetry, and finishes, and a focus on quality and collaboration with artisans and crafts people.

There is a distinct decorative vocabulary throughout, such as the ETERNAL KNOT, found at the front gates, front door and on a shower floor, as well as custom made Zellig Moroccan tile for the interiors and exteriors, Mosharabi cabinet details in cerused rift oak, dramatic marble, locally fumed oak floors, ceilings and doors, French limestone floors, curved Venetian plaster ceilings, arched doorways and transitions through the space.

Sarah was very careful to combine these elements in such a way that the house had a quiet timeless richness, rather than what could have been garish.

The furnishings were approached similarly, in that Sarah mixed ancient, vintage, and new, high and low, in such a way that she is confident the clients will not feel the need to redo the furniture in five years because it was trendy.