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Name: Christina, Tom, Luca (7 years old), Amelia (3 years old) and Peaches the bulldog (7 months old)
Location: Studio City — Los Angeles, CA
Size: Large 3 bedroom + 2 bathroom home.
Years lived in: 2 years- rent

Christina Malpero-Wheeler is a dear friend of interior designer Evan Harrison, who was featured in a a house tour last month. Christina and her adorable family reside in traditional American two story home, complete with a pool and guest house. The entire home is warmly decorated with rich colors, eclectic textures and textiles. The whole house feels like the set of a Nancy Meyers film — perfectly “lived in” with authentic personal touches.

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A family home of four (and one dog) can often be disorganized and cluttered, but not in this house. With the great inspired decorating of Evan, Christina’s home is filled with love and style. Each room had plenty of light and courageous bright color palettes, including the dining table outside on the patio where she prepared the most incredible spread of drinks & hors d’ourvres I’ve seen all season on the day of the shoot. Both her son and daughter's bedrooms are creatively decorated with art, books, big comfy beds and collections of their favorite things. Last but not least, I have to pay homage to Peaches, because she was very helpful during my shoot, stepping into each frame as she followed me from room to room. Enjoy!

Apartment Therapy Survey:
MY/OUR Style: Fresh family eclectic

Inspiration: : My Grandmother! She has impeccable taste. But I’m more playful. And, of course,
Evan Harrison, he’s been a wonderful mentor and sounding board for me and has really encouraged me to experiment with my designs.

Favorite Element: Fabric

Biggest Challenge: Knowing when to stop (and our bulldog, Peaches, who likes to steal pillows…)

What Friends Say: Help! You have to come over !

Biggest Embarrassment: Designing for families offers its own challenges and occasional limitations: we had a nude painting over the dining room table and when my son’s six-year-old-friend came over for the first time, he walked through the door and took one look at the nude painting and said: “Boobs!” turned to my son and asked: “Is that your Mom?” Needless to say that painting is now in my bedroom.

Proudest DIY: My dining room banquet which I designed with Evan Harrison.

Biggest Indulgence: Shopping with Evan – it’s all discount but we do a LOT of it!

Best Advice: Listen to the emotion of the room.

Dream Sources: A Moroccan Mother of Pearl server from Bada Designs. A Vintage Parisian bar with a zinc countertop.

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

    • : Sherman Williams. But I tend to go for the feeling it gives me so I don’t remember the names.

ENTRY

    • Red Asian table-ABC HOME
    • Branches-Jasmine Blue, my favorite florist

LIVING ROOM

    • Sofa- recovered in white denim, from HD Buttercup
    • I don’t remember where we got our chair but I recovered it in an Ikat fabric from Filigree
    • Leather Club Chair- vintage French, from ABC Home
    • Hot Pink Kid’s Chair- Nursery Works
    • Baby Club Chair – 20 dollars at the flea market on Fairfax Ave, recovered in distressed leather.

DINING ROOM

    • The barn table was where we started and I was inspired by an Elle Décor cover with a banquette. The Barn Table is from a roadside antique shop in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I’ve had the table for 15 years. I love to collect things as I find them.
    The server was Tom’s Mom’s also from an Antique shop in Buck’s County Pennsylvania. It is early American.
    • The Carriage bench I am using as a cocktail table.
    • The Banquette – Jimmy Young built and upholstered, designed by Evan and I
    • The Couch – HD Buttercup sofa, slip covered in a silk/linen blend.
    • Lighting- all vintage

KITCHEN

    • Dining table-Ballard designs
    • Dining chairs- Ballard designs
    • Dining hutch- found at an antique gallery in NYC, 15 years ago
    •

MASTER BEDROOM

    • My husband bought me that chandelier for my birthday when I turned 25. ABC Carpet Home Chandelier. It looks great anywhere. Right now it’s perfect as a dimmed nightlight over our beds. My kids love to snuggle with us under it.
    • Vintage lamps- the Pasadena Rose Bowl flea market.
    • Sheets - Matteo Home. I love Matteo.
    • Bed-built by Jimmy Young
    • Paintings – by Sossie Vanek

BATHROOM

    • Wooden stained glass hutch- at an auction in upstate New York

LUCA’S BEDROOM

    • I started his room when I was 6 months pregnant and the first element that was purchased was the red vintage fire bucket and then my inspiration came from there. We’ve been working on his room for a s long as he has been born but now it’s done. Evan and I go everywhere looking for the right touches. We’ve been from Artesia to Santa Barbara. Luca’s lockers are from a metal factory downtown called Twenty Gauge, I ordered them for him before he was born. His bedding is a combo of Vintage, Pottery Barn and Matteo Home. Most of the art is his own except for a painting that he bought me for my first Mother’s Day at a gallery in Rome.

AMELIA’S BEDROOM

    • Amelia’s room started with the green vanity. It was mine and I always knew that it would be my daughter’s. Then we upholstered the antique French chair in raw hot pink silk and before we new it found the French Daybed at The Rosebowl and off we went. We wanted the room to be French but more eclectic and cool. I love to walk into ABC Carpet home and that is the feel that I was going for. Her bedding is my favorite textile designer John Robshaw…yummy.

Thank you Christina and Tom!

Images: Bethany Nauert

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