Just to buy a 1928 seven-bedroom Spanish Revival house, which is surrounded by plants, a couple moved out to Los Angeles. The house was previously owned by Diane Keaton and Orson Welles. After this, they hired LA design royalty, Madeline Stuart, to set up and design the home as per their own choices. Madeline Stuart says that “it’s just a period and an aesthetic that I have real enthusiasm and passion for it. It is a fantastic thing to get to go back and see how I have evolved, see how this house has evolved, and see how they have evolved in terms of their aesthetic, style, and taste.”
But over the years, Madeline has layered in her flourishes and world-class antiques. Madeline says that for her, “it is all about creating an environment that is cohesive as everybody is part of a concerto and everyone has a note”. Talking about the living room, a wall covered with reproduction Batchelder tile came down and got replaced with wooden beams and an antique stone fireplace. Stuart says that the whole place is massive, and the homeowners gave it a new design, weight, and texture”.
Great Room
Madeline says that weighty objects need to be there in such a massive room. Otherwise, things just tend to float away”. Madeline considers her affinity for antique shopping not just a talent but an obsession. Coffee tables are antique Spanish Lucca, Gilt benches are 20th century Dragonette, Sette is early 1900s Revival antique, and the Sofas are custom made by Madeline Stuart Associates.
Dining Room
Madeline’s direction for the painted ceiling by Jean Horihata, an artist, was clear. Madeline says that it is not playful and not even attractive. The colors are very muted, but it brought much more depth to the whole room.
Kitchen + Breakfast room
In the kitchen and breakfast room, the black tile comes from California-based Mission Tile West and provides contrast in the stainless-steel kitchen. For the breakfast area, the home’s former owner Diane Keaton collected only vintage tiles and installed them in a mix-match pattern. The current owner of the house decided them to keep in place.
Study
Most of the wood shelves provide storage, and a 17th-century Spanish table stands in as a desk under a dramatic cove ceiling.
Madeline developed a line with “Mission Tile West” that replicates styles of the tile from the 1920s. Madeline selected the antique mirror for the back of vanity to make the room appear even more extensive.
