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Anthony & Gregory’s 1912 Contemporary Craftsman

Marcia Prentice
Marcia Prentice
Marcia is an interior, portrait, and travel photographer and has photographed over 50 homes of creatives. Her photographic style is capturing her subject in the most natural state and creating an emotional response.
published Oct 26, 2010
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Name: Anthony Franco, Clothing Designer and Wardrobe Stylist and Gregory Metcalf, Wardrobe Stylist and Pillow Designer
Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California
Size: 1,782 square feet — 4 bedrooms & 3 bathrooms
Years lived in: 5 years

My friend told me about Anthony and Gregory’s home and I welcomed the opportunity to check out a 1912 restored Craftsman home in Silver Lake. When they purchased their historic gem it was in poor condition, but as the only house on the street with an unrestricted view of the Hollywood Hills, Hollywood sign, and Griffith Observatory, the hilltop home had potential to be something spectacular. Walking through their front door for the first time, I was greeted with a contemporary, well designed, and very personal home. Also, did I mention four cute dogs fill the home with life and energy?

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Exterior: Front (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

My definition of a great overall design is derived from a mixture of styles, resources, and selecting items based on their design quality instead of just the status of their name. Anthony and Gregory were successful in incorporating one of my favorite light fixtures, which happened to be from Lamps Plus, with a high end designer chandelier. Ironically, they spent a lot of time shopping for their furnishings and the Lamps Plus ceiling light in the hallway was a last minute, unplanned purchase, but is the one element that guests notice first!

I enjoyed the story behind the more personal items in their home — like the underlying meaning for the maple leaves art piece in the living room. Guests may view the piece as simply beautiful, but Anthony and Gregory see it as a symbol of how they first met. The love in their home continues to the kitchen, where Gregory is often found spending many hours experimenting with recipes and making several dishes over an afternoon. He promises to make his famous key lime pie next time I visit. I have to dream up an excuse to coincidentally be in the neighborhood.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Eclectic for sure. We have items ranging from contemporary to vintage, and some things are just down right cooky.

Inspiration: We live in a craftsman home that was built in 1912. We felt that a craftsman has the clean lines of modern décor, but also has history, so we mixed the two elements throughout our home. You can definitely see our emotions through our house. We have pieces that remind us of our family. For example, we have a big white ceramic elephant because my mom loved elephants and it reminds me of her everytime I see it. We also have maple leaves throughout the house as well as outside. It has somehow been a symbol that has followed Anthony and I during our relationship. Also, there are tons of fashion books lying around, which is where Anthony’s passion lies.

Favorite Element: The view. We have the most amazing sunsets. We have a view of the hills with the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory and on clear days we can see the ocean. It’s nice to have a glass of wine in the evening or a cup of coffee in the morning and stare at the view. It reminds us of why we work so hard for this house.

Biggest Challenge: STORAGE! Our craftsman has no storage, so we have had to get very creative with where to place things. We are clothes shoppers and I buy shoes like crazy, so storing our clothes has definitely been a challenge. Also, the front stairs are a big challenge. We have rope windows and had to have someone come out and repair them. There are two people in Los Angeles that do this. The window doctor came and repaired a few of the windows. However, when another broke and we called him he said it’s just too much trouble to climb those stairs for one window!! It’s 57 stairs from gate to front door.

What Friends Say: They say, “wow I feel so comfortable in here and everything is placed so perfectly”…aww they love us.

Biggest Embarrassment: I think I am again going to have to go back to the closets. They are filled to the gills! They are organized, but still it’s like playing tetris anytime we get something out.

Proudest DIY: They have changed over the years. I was really proud that I refinished the wood staircase one year. Then I turned a small coat closet into a pantry by building shelves. Having that pantry has actually created a ton of storage and helped a lot, so presently that my proudest DIY.

Biggest Indulgence: I would have to say candles. We buy them in bulk! With two boys and four dogs, a plethora of candles is a necessity. We love Burn Candles, Voluspa, and Tony’s new obsession is a candle line called Cire Trvdon, which we buy at Mohawk general store here in Silver Lake.

Best advice: Tony’s mom, Janelle, and I started a kitchen remodel. It was going to be simple, then we decided to tear down a wall. Once we got the lath and plaster off the wall, we paused. We couldn’t tell if it was a load bearing wall or not. We walked away for a day and Janelle’s dreams gave her the advice to call a contractor. She dreamt the house was sliding down the hill. Good thing she had that dream because our contractor, Shai from Creative Construction, came out and said it was a load bearing wall. He said if we would have cut the support beams that our living room would have slid down the hill! Thanks for the vivid dreams Janelle.

Dream source: We love antique shops in Palm Springs. We used to go to Antiques 111 in Palm Springs. We also shop a lot of Design Within Reach. Twentieth on Beverly Boulevard is also a place where we shop for vintage and modern furnishings.

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Resources of Note:

APPLIANCES

FURNITURE

ACCESSORIES

RUGS & CARPETS

LIGHTING

TILE & STONE

  • Granite and Backsplash in Kitchen: The Great Indoors
  • Bathroom Tiles: From the 50’s

FLOORING

  • Kitchen: Original Hardwood Flooring
  • Bathrooms: Tile from the 50’s

BEDS

ARTWORK

  • Office: Vintage Photographs by Irving Penn
  • Painting: Nathan Spoor
  • Sitting Room: All vintage from 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s: Antiques 111 Palm Springs
  • Living Room Art: Vintage c. Jere Maple Leaf Sculpture

WINDOW TREATMENTS

HARDWARE

PAINT

  • Living Room: Behr Evening Hush
  • Bathroom (w/ clawfoot tub): Behr Baby Suri

OTHER

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Thanks Anthony & Gregory!

Images: Bethany Nauert

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