An Elegantly Bohemian Family Home in Brentwood

It was a homecoming of sorts. Since setting up his studio in New York, L.A.-born interior designer Josh Greene has made his name with the urbane, sophisticated apartments he has created across Manhattan and beyond. When he took on this project in Brentwood, only his third project in his hometown—with its white clapboard front and pitched roof—he also took on the opportunity to get back in touch with his California roots while creating an elegantly bohemian and civilized home.

The house itself had previously been owned by The Hills star Lauren Conrad. “It was very typical old-school West L.A.,” he says, recalling its floors and ubiquitous white marble features. “A bit ranch-y, a bit traditional, a bit bland.” The bare bones, however, made for a perfect family home: three bedrooms upstairs, large master suite downstairs, playroom, and family room. Unlike so many newer properties in the area, the rooms in this 1950s house were all “nice and human-scale,” Greene notes. The new owners were relocating from Santa Monica and, at the behest of Greene, more than happy to “start ripping things up” in their pursuit of the perfect pad for their young family.

The footprint of the kitchen was kept roughly as it was when the current owners purchased the house, although a new worktop in luscious Calacatta Viola stone was added. Its burgundy tones pick up on other elements throughout the house, such as the curtains in the living room.

First came the master bedroom, for which Greene brought in L.A.-based architect David Magid to help reimagine. The space had a low ceiling and limited windows, which the team transformed by adding a pitched roof. “The change was subtle because we didn’t want it to feel out of scale. All these decisions were considered and deliberate,” says Greene.

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The subsequent decoration was as subtle as the renovation. Colors were kept largely light and bright. Cozy nooks were created with some flashes of interesting wallpaper, including a print by a fellow Angeleno, designer Nina Freudenberger, in the entryway. The glitzy style of some of its neighbors was resisted in favor of maintaining historic touches such as moldings and paneled doors. Flashes of luxury were added but in artful, tasteful ways, such as the two antique mirrors in the living room or the show-stopping, veiny Calacatta Viola stone of the kitchen counter, which replaced the ubiquitous Carrara. “The warm, sunny climate allows you to skew a bit more playful with color, but this is a mature house,” says Greene of the overall taste. “It just has a California wash over it, like things were left out in the sun.”

An Elegantly Bohemian Family Home in Brentwood

In a Brentwood, L.A., home designed by New York–based Josh Greene, Abbot Kinney wallpaper by designer Nina Freudenberger for Studio Four brightens up the broad entrance space, which opens directly into living room and adjoining kitchen. The client “took a risk on this” says Greene, which certainly paid off.

The interior was kept rather simple in the main living room, which has openings onto other rooms of the house on its three sides. A mix of old (such as the pair of antique gilt frames) and new (a graphically printed rug by Amadi Carpets in Los Angeles) add depth and sophistication.

A cozy nook in the powder room strikes a more somber tone, featuring crushed capiz shell wallpaper from Innovations.

“The warm, sunny climate allows you to skew a bit more playful with color, but this is a mature house,” says Greene of the overall taste. “It just has a California wash over it, like things were left out in the sun.” The central kitchen space leads toward a sunny breakfast nook overlooking the backyard.

The footprint of the kitchen was kept roughly as it was when the current owners purchased the house, although a new worktop in luscious Calacatta Viola stone was added. Its burgundy tones pick up on other elements throughout the house, such as the curtains in the living room.

A 12-foot-long sofa in the family room was custom made by Josh Greene. “We used the back of the fabric, as the other side was too pungent,” he says. Beach-themed prints on the walls riff on the house’s West Coast location.

A sense of drama was added to the master bedroom with the addition of a gently pitched roof, designed in collaboration with local architect David Magid. A coffee table from designer Greene’s forthcoming furniture collection sits in the window.

While much of the house has kept decoration relatively plain, this dressing room, located between the master suite and bathroom, was given the flash treatment and painted an inky blue.

The clever approach to sourcing and styling is apparent here in the guest suite. A printed rug and four-poster bed adds a sense of depth and history, while simple window treatments and shapely furniture more typical of a Californian home keep things breezy.

How careful was he to maintain the California clichés? “It’s elegant bohemian, that’s what this house is all about,” comments Greene. “It’s versus the big, intense houses that are too white. This house has things with personality, things with interesting shapes, things that are refined and elegant.”

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest