Homepolishing in La Habra Heights

Photos by Bethany Nauert courtesy of Homepolish. Portrait by Matt Lara.

Dear Diary,

One of my first projects post-Emily is also one of my very favorites. I was called upon to decorate this glamourous house in La Habra Heights, a beautiful little town about 40 minutes east of Downtown Los Angeles. The home is located on a huge lot on top of a hill and has an amazing view. The family that lives there (who wish to remain anonymous because they are already, like, way too famous) is a young couple with two kids. They recently remodeled this 1930s Spanish home and added an extension that was in perfect keeping with the gorgeous Spanish Revival style of the original house.

THE KITCHEN

Their lovely kitchen. I didn’t want to over accessorize in here because it was already so pretty and white and open. I sourced a few table top items from the Los Angeles Flower Market, but otherwise allowed the beautiful cabinetry and subway tile to speak for itself.

I love that little geometric cloche. I found it at some weird store in Beverly Hills that was going out of business. A fun fact about me is that I am really good at killing air plants like the one above. I water and water them, but they are still dry and sad and die.

THE SUNROOM

This is one of the brightest rooms in the house. It overlooks the pool area and serves as the entry to the outdoor area when the family has people over for pool parties and/or glamourous BBQs. The pool has a lovely dark blue finish, so I brought that color indoors in the chairs and rug. The family found that amazing Jeffrey Pallidini painting while on a trip to London and it finished the room off perfectly.

The space next to the television was a bit awkward, so I made that graphic trianglepainting to engage the space and make sure that wall wasn’t all about the television.

Sofa from Room Service. Man in pool painting by Jeffrey Pallidini. Coffee table from Blu Dot. Rug from West Elm. Gold stools from West Elm. Blue deco chairs are vintage. Pillows from Ikea and West Elm. Tray from Crate & Barrel. Accessories from Shopclass. Geometric painting by Orlando Soria.

I love both of these classic pieces. The parson’s bookcases added some beautiful, open display space while that barcart, in all its Milo Baughman-inspired goodness, gives a nod to the couple’s love of hosting.

Parsons bookcases from West Elm. Bar cart from Crate & Barrel. Accessories and art from Shopclass.

THE MUSIC ROOM

This room is part of the original portion of the home. It is also where the kids play and practice piano and talk about how they want to be like me someday. I kept a lot of the furniture the family had already while updating it with a few pieces to give it a fresher, younger feel. The beautiful coffee table from Empiric was a game changer, making the space feel as young and cool as the couple that owns the home.

Sofa from Pottery Barn. Coffee table from Empiric. Chair, bench, side tables, armoire and stump accent table all vintage. Rug from West Elm.

Ceramic tray from Nickey Kehoe. Pierre Cardin chess set and brass die from Lawson Fenning.

Bench and mirror vintage. Pillow Nate Berkus for Target. Pillows on sofa from West Elm, Ikea, and Nickey Kehoe. Throw from Ikea.

Gallery wall sourced from Shopclass. Standing lamp from West Elm.

MASTER BATHROOM

Bathmat from West Elm. Turkish Towel from Poketo. Garden stool from Wisteria. Burl accent table from HD Buttercup. Accessories from Shopclass.

MASTER BEDROOM

The master bedroom is on the second floor and overlooks the gorgeous backyard and hillside vistas of La Habra Heights. The bed is the room’s most exciting feature and I wanted it to feel effortless. I achieved this look by using a collection of bedding from five different sources. I think this helped make it look a lot more nuanced and natural, less like someone just went in to a big box store and grabbed a boring bedding set.

Bed from Restoration Hardware. Side tables from Cisco Home. Lamp from Empiric. Rug from West Elm. Gold mirrors vintage. Accessories from West Elm and Shopclass. Duvet from Serena & Lily. Throw and blue pillow from Nickey Kehoe. White pillows from Ikea. Gold pillows from West Elm.

All art and accessories vintage. Drapery from Pottery Barn.

THE GREAT ROOM

The palatial living room was one of the biggest challenges of the home, mainly because the space was so grand. I combined a lot of vintage furniture with some new pieces to give the space some character. The sofa, in custom navy velvet, is a vintage piece from the 1960s. That and the ottoman are my favorite pieces in the room. A Ben Medansky sculpture and a great collection of art books gave the coffee table an art-centered appeal.

Left: Sofa, side tables, and ottoman are vintage. Leather chairs and mirrored coffee table from Restoration Hardware. Rug from Madeleine Weinrib. Chandelier from Cisco Home. Round mirror from Organic Modernism. Right: Art vintage, gilded by Orlando Soria. Green console table from Mix Furniture. Extraction sphere sculpture by Ben Medansky. Accessories from Shopclass.

THE PLAYROOM

The playroom was a chance to have a little fun. I wanted it to be colorful and exciting so I painted the built-in shelving Hague Blue and created a cork board wall with a hand-painted pattern on it (I drew the design small and then blew it up wall size with a projector).

Organizational supplies from Land of Nod. Desk and shelving by Land of Nod. Rug from RugsUSA.

THE GUEST BEDROOM

I’m all about updating a traditional space with a piece of contemporary art, so I made this glamorous circle painting for above the bed. I think it added the needed pop to this room, allowing everything else to be calm and relaxing.

Bed from Cisco Home. Bedding by Serena & Lily. Gold blanket from West Elm. Art by Orlando Soria. Drapery from Pottery Barn. Side tables from Cisco Home. Lamps from Ikea. Accessories and art from Shopclass.

THE OFFICE

I kind of died for these chairs the moment I saw them at Lawson Fenning. Since they are so open, I paired them with a graphic table. I liked this side table from Crate & Barrel because it reminded me of an Ellsworth Kelly drawing.

Chairs from Lawson Fenning. Side table from Crate & Barrel. Art and accessories from Shopclass.

Desk from Wertz Brothers. Lamp from Lawson Fenning. Desk chair vintage reupholstered in leather. Rug from Rugs USA. Accessories from Shopclass.

Sometimes, you work with clients that are so special that you end up falling in love with them and wanting them to adopt you so that you can just continue to decorate their home for the rest of time. I felt this way about this family, who would constantly supply me with champagne and glamour hors d’ oeuvres every time I came over. Luckily, the family keeps adding on to the house (you should see the adorable tree house they built for their kids!) so I don’t think my job there will be done any time soon.

Love,
Orlando

PS: Interested in making your house La Habra Heights Haute? Contact Homepolish!