Name: Ricki Miller (vintage jewelry collector and graphic designer) & Chad Miller (Creative Director for motion picture advertising firm AV Squad)
Location: Brentwood, California
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Years lived in: 2 years
Ricki and Chad found their perfect home two years ago (right next to Chad's mother). When the house became available, they jumped at the chance to live in such a spacious home and be close to family. They moved from a condo and have been slowly pulling together their home with collected furniture and decor. It is still a work in progress, but they are in no rush because they plan to stay in the house for many, many years.
One of my favorite rooms in their house is Ricki's closet/office. It is her special place where she feels most inspired. Although Ricki confesses she needs a little help organizing and laying out the space. The clothes racks take over the room and don't leave much open space to create a functional room. If you have any space planning suggestions for Ricki, she is all ears to get a few outside ideas.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Mid-Century modern with Spanish and Italian elements thrown throughout. We wanted the house to be clean and upscale while still bringing in elements of color and fun, as we like to entertain a lot and felt the house needed to have some pop to it, so our friends and family could feel loose in it.
Inspiration: We both grew up vacationing in Palm Springs a lot and were really influenced by that style, artists like Bjorn Wiinblad, etc. When we finally moved into a Mid-Century home, we jumped at the opportunity to decorate it in that bright Palm Springs vibe.
Favorite Element: The architect Cliff May did a really cool thing by putting three different fireplaces in the house. The big one is amazing and we use it all the time. There's also a high set one in the dining room that's unique.
Biggest Challenge: It was hard keeping in line with the traditional Mid-Century architecture while slightly updating it to be more warm and fun.
What Friends Say: Its, cozy, comfortable, and the perfect party house. Someone always mentions the deer head.
Biggest Embarrassment: The unfinished rooms.
Biggest Indulgence: Hardwood floors, television.
Best Advice: It will never be perfect, but that's what makes it a real home. Just mix it up until you feel comfortable and don't follow any rules.
Dream Sources: We love buying stuff when we travel. We usually will hit a flea market whereever we end up.
Resources of Note:
APPLIANCES
- GE stainless steel appliances
- Wolf stove
- Basin sink
FURNITURE
- Sofa: Room Service
- Coffee Table and wood chairs by Warisan (closed down)
- Lamps and pillows by Jonathan Adler
- Other stuff by Plush Pod, Calypso Home, CB2, Chiasso
ACCESSORIES
- Chotchkies from flea markets
- Sentimental stuff we've collected from over the years
- Deer head from Inheritance
- Pure Modern
- Ceramic dogs and Bar area by Grace Home
LIGHTING
FLOORING
- Hardwood floors from Lumber Liquidators
RUGS & CARPETS
TILES & STONE
- CaesarStone in kitchen
- Vintage tiles
- Butcher block wood
WINDOW TREATMENTS
- Came with house and looking to replace them soon.
BED
ARTWORK
- Painting from friend - Andrew Foster
- Photography from an Iraq War exhibit curated by our friend Dane Jensen
- Shepard Fairy
- Dalek
- Ricki's grandfather, Bill Helfman
OTHER
- Outdoor furniture from Room Service, CB2, Crate&Barrel and flea markets
Thanks, Ricki & Chad!
(Images: Marcia Prentice)
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Beautiful home. Would love to have seen some befores.
Love the paintings in dining room!!! Love!
absolutely beautiful! I would love to see the exterior. Is there a reason AT does not typically include exterior shots?
That burl coffee table! Ack! WANT!
Dreamy! And what a house. Those ceilings? I die. I have a (broken) intercom in my kitchen too but my kitchen is still ugly and original. Well done.
Here's a case where wood paneling is absolutely gorgeous!
Love Cliff May, the Balenciaga and Celine.
I'm not sure how serious they are in soliciting the comment section for design advice, but a few thoughts I had about that closet room (man, just typing those words makes me jealous) are:
- Consider getting some of those velvety slim-line hangers. Seriously, I have a 22" wide closet and those things are godsends. They look much neater and nicer than white plastic (of which I still have many, alas), take up less room, and have a great grippy surface for slippery fabrics and thin straps. At the very least, they could replace all the odd mismatched hangers and just have slim-line and white plastic.
- Add another layer of organization; maybe sort garments by color or length to make the room feel a little calmer.
- Think about adding a folding screen -- it could simultaneously shield some of the clothes, create a dressing area, and shield the office from the "closet" area somewhat.
um is that a CHIMP PILLOW???? = AWESOME.
Yesssss. I love space planning. I haven't even looked at all the pictures yet, I got so excited. I second the suggestion to get the slim hangers. That was my first thought in seeing those racks. My other suggestion would be to utilize the height of the walls. Get rid of the racks completely and install two bars above each other on one of the walls, maybe where the computer and the tapestry are. You could make the top bar swing down to access it easier (using other AT posts, what what). Once that's done it's easy to hang a curtain or something in front if you don't want the visual clutter. You could float a desk in front of the window/sliding door, so you can have a nice view while working and also block less light coming in. The other desk can be perpendicular to it, so you have one big workspace. The dresser goes either next to the desks against the wall, where the racks/mirror are now, or next to the wall o' clothing.
Do you really need the standing mirror there? It takes up a lot of space and doesn't seem to reflect light from where it is. You could hang a mirror on one of the closet doors, or just keep it inside the closet, although I think once the clothes are moved aside the mirror could help make the room seem bigger.
My only regret is that you don't live in NY, so I can't come over and help you really organize. I'm crazy like that.
OK, I looked, and I love the bar cart, and the art, and the PUPPY. I also started sketching out a plan for the clothes room. If you want to work together and make up a complete plan with the right dimensions and everything, leave a comment here and I'll get you my email. (This is not a business thing. I really do just have a weird love of organizing.)
I can't say my idea of the perfect home would be near my mother in law...but...nice home guys!
I sure hope Ricki likes Chad's mother.
The first shot was kind of funny -- the mounted deer's head looked like it was sitting on Chad's head like some kind of berserk Viking crown. A classic photographic mistake. That's a serious drink cart. Liked the black Pantone chairs. Agree with Sabrina the Destroyer about the clothes rack.
awwww can you guys get any cuter and the dog ???? What a treat thanks for sharing that lovelty home. Love the drinks cart and the greyhound statue , you have me searcghing for foo dogs now. like NOW !!!!
Reader downtheavenue offered a brilliant suggestion: if only to give further context, AT really ought to provide one or two exterior shots of houses, and even building exteriors for apartments (unless the visual location information invades the owners' privacy).
Beautiful home & I love that it's not filled up with too much stuff! It looks like you all have very personal collections & love what you bring in.
Regarding the office/ closet room- please provide a layout of the space (including door & window placement) & you'll get lots of very helpful tips. Do you have any interior closets within the room? Do you use those clothing racks for blog writing? How do you want to use the space? Is it a dressing room with a desk for emails/ internet surfing or an office that also holds your clothes? If you love open clothes storage, I worry about your clothes & bags fading terribly because of the light coming in those lovely windows. Maybe the windows have good uv filters though. Hmmmm.... I am thinking of lots of ideas. Perhaps do a separate post with the dimensions & layout & you'll get great ideas!
I love their aesthetic!
Bethany [at]
www.PowellBrowerHome.com
Forget about the dog. How about the man??? That Chad is a cutie, and Ricki is a doll. Their space is lovely, too.
Such a cool house. Love the eclecticism. I'm glad to see someone working on their home and turning into something they plan to live in. A real work of art!
I wholeheartedly agree re the slim line hangers...about a year ago I slowly converted all my white plastic hangers to black velvet hangers...I bought them a box of 36 at a time from Bed Bath and Beyond using the ever so available 20% off coupons-- I couldn't be happier and they give you so much more space, black disappears and they hold everything in place...take it from a dyed in the wool Virgo, you'll love them...also cringed when I saw the long dresses dragging on the floor on your racks...nightmares of getting stuck under the rack wheels....like the idea of wall racks another poster suggested...good luck!
In pics 2, 3 and 4 I see a wall unit that was sold by Ikea's classy predecessor, Mobilia. Is this a new piece or is it a vintage find? I want, I want, I want.
Love. the. BAR!!! And the backyard, the perfect place to enjoy and imbibe!
Very nice home... but am I the only one who's seen way too many mounted animal heads and antlers in these home tours?
The dressing room/office: it's difficult to offer suggestions since the photo is cropped & doesn't show the whole room (what's on the wall opposite the desk & clothing? What's on the wall opposite the closet?). However, here's immediate suggestions: get rid of that bulky mirror behind the clothing racks. Put mirrors on the clost doors instead. Move the desk to one of the opposite walls or floating in the middle of the room. Then, get some white Ikea type Pax wardrobes to place all along that wall (leaving 2 feet or so to get to the closet). If there's room for the desk on one of the walls put an ottoman in the middle of the room for some Hollywood glamor.
Are the 1970s considered mid-century? Just curious. To me this home really embraces that decade, with the animal statues adding a little of the 1980s. They look like nice people, and they've made a beautifully cohesive home.
Love the puppy! He looks just like mine :). Love the bones of the house, and the relaxed yet hollywood aesthetic.
I couldn't agree more about the slim hangers. It's a clean look and a functional answer to slippage. I always tell my clients to invest in them, they're worth the price.
Jeni
www.cluttercowgirl.com/
Reading the other comments about the slim line hangers - I tried using them, and I hate them - a tug on a pair of jeans to get them off the hanging breaks the bottom of the hanger.
I use *gasp* white plastic ones that have the rubberized inset on all sides - stops pants from slipping off, and holds the shoulders of tops in place - they're not as "pretty" as the slim line velvety ones, but much more practical, IMO
http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00avpTQkfqqKus/Plastic-Non-Slip-Clothes-Hangers.jpg
Big congratulations on creating a space that doesn't cleave slavishly to a particular craze or era, and still exudes livability and style! The bones are superb, and with the Adler touches the whole thing gives off a very "Single Man" feel :)
I have one suggestion for the closet/office, and one for the living room.
For the closet, In addition to slimline hangers here's a more radical idea: install a dry cleaning rail that rotates. Maybe you can inventory and photograph your clothes and use the photos as labels, to make them easier to find.
For the living room, it broke my heart to see the giant, out-of-proportion flat screen stealing the soul away from that absolutely knockout fireplace and the room it was born to anchor! I'm not normally a fan of TV cabinets ("guess what's behind the door?!?!"), but if the big hi-def movie experience is a key part of your lives, it might be worth investing in a great built-in for that wall, and mounting the tv on a pivoting arm behind sliding doors. Thoughtfully designed built-ins would echo the spirit of the architecture.
I know you're just getting started so maybe these are long-term projects to start noodling on in idle moments.
Good luck and enjoy your lovely home.