Fresh Air

Author:Abigail Stone

M. Elle Design turns up the volume on traditional style with their work on the interiors of a home in Bel-Air by DARX Studio

The key to a memorable room invariably rests on something small yet surprising—a touch of the unusual or the unpredictable that upends expectations. Whether a novel color, a twist in proportions, a juxtaposition of opposing styles or the incorporation of an unconventional texture, it’s often these minute details that elevate a room above the ordinary.

Witness this house in Bel-Air designed by DARX Studio’s Oren Dothan and Ryan Childers. Deftly marrying traditional architecture with contemporary living, its low-key exterior, clad in a Belgian-style brick perfected with a textured, plaster finish, is matched by restrained yet elegant interiors. This vision is anchored by an H-shaped floor plan that is highlighted by handcrafted custom oak paneling, troweled plaster walls, ornately detailed ceilings, sturdy steel-framed windows and wide oak plank floors that frame stunning outdoor gardens and terraces.

“The house had a soul of quiet luxury,” acknowledges Marie Carson of Southern California-based M. Elle Design, who shouldered the interior work. “While the house was rooted in tradition, we wanted to bring in some European and contemporary influences,” she explains. “The idea was to play with the tension between the classic and the unconventional in a way that would reflect the vibrancy of its young, creative family.”

Apart from the West Coast’s well-known emphasis on blurring the lines between indoors and out, one of its other hallmarks, especially as practiced in Southern California, is its focus on entertaining at home. “This is something our firm thinks about a lot,” Carson shares. “We’re always asking ourselves, ‘How will people move through these spaces? Where are we setting up the food? How many people can we fit on this sofa or around this table?’ So when our clients start to inhabit these spaces and share them with their friends, they know that they will work for all kinds of situations, from pool parties to intimate dinners.”

This focus on connection and conviviality dictated the choice of furnishings. “They really wanted to incorporate some wow conversation pieces while ensuring that the house would still be very livable,” Carson says. She points out pieces like the curved McKinnon and Harris settee that curls around the outdoor fire pit, the arresting sofas that commandeer the formal living room—Pierre Paulin’s channel-tufted Alpha style and the sprawling skirted Palais Royal FrouFrou by Pierre Augustine Rose— and the walnut Ingrid Donat Tribal 230 table in the dining room. “These pieces are intriguing but because they’re also beautifully made, undeniably luxurious and yet understated, they’re also pieces that will have longevity,” she notes.

To ensure that the presence of these collectibles didn’t overwhelm the rooms, M. Elle Design balanced them with color and texture. “We wanted to bring in warmth while still keeping the rooms low-key so that it’s the people using these rooms that become the focus,” Carson notes. In the dining room, a buffet by Orior clad in ruby leather acts as a counterpoint to the intricacy of the bronze inlay of that Ingrid Donat table. “That shot of color accentuates the room’s details without pulling focus,” says Carson. In the living room, the foil to those powerful sofas is provided by the subtle mint green hue of the room’s long length of draperies and the pale lavender Loro Piana fabric that wraps that iconic Pierre Paulin design. In the kitchen, the riff of teal that covers the back of the breakfast banquette counters the drama of both the expansive Rose Uniacke oval table and the ebullient Roman-style draperies. “Taking a cue from DARX Studios, we helped shape what the house could be and encouraged the clients to let us go there,” she says. The result is a home that is both memorable and living, a winning combination.