Allen & Nate’s Cool Combination of Styles in LA
Name: Allen Loeb and Nate Clark
Location: West Hollywood — Los Angeles, California
Size: 1,450 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years; Owned
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When my friend Jason Martin told me about Allen and Nate’s gorgeous West Hollywood home, I jumped at the opportunity to photograph it. This home is one that is stylish but warmly minimal. Each room has a personal touch that expresses their personalities but still feels both refined and functional. With a great mix of modern and refurbished vintage pieces, Allen and Nate have created their dream retreat, complete with a sound studio and a lovely backyard.
Allen is a lawyer and Nate is a comedian and actor. Their home exemplifies clean lines, is full of polished details like beautiful tiling and hardware, and is a perfect space to entertain and relax. However, their gorgeous whippet, Viola, is the showstopper of their home—they feel she’s the prettiest “thing” in the house, too!
For Nate, cohesion is the most essential part of designing a home, though Allen says it’s “comfort and bowls, lots and lots of empty bowls.” Ha! Really, after spending some time in their home, I would say that California itself has a major influence on their personal design aesthetic. “We built a hedge to keep out the lifestyle and culture in Los Angeles. But seriously, we’re both influenced by LA’s preoccupation with Mid-century modern furniture, as well as SoCal’s natural environment,” they say. The bright, airy quality of their home plays so well with the weather, and who wouldn’t want to relax in their beautifully landscaped backyard?
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: If Allen had his way, then the walls would all be white and the furniture would all look like it was made for an office. Nate prefers warm, dark and intimate spaces (like a private smoking library in a mystery movie). But, they found that their tastes meet at a neutral gray palette, with occasional blue accents, clean-lined furniture and natural materials.
Inspiration: The thousands upon thousands of photos online—Pinterest, Houzz, Remodelista, and, of course, Apartment Therapy. (Also, our friend Jason Martin of Martin & Brockett really helped push us in the right direction.)
Favorite Element: We have three: (1) The refrigerator, which looks like an armoire we could never afford. (2) Andy, the taxidermy porcupine created by Allis Markham—we negotiated for it at a white elephant gift exchange this past Christmas. (3) The framed poster of the web series we wrote together—Somewhere in Palm Springs, (check it out!)—which hangs in the guest room.
Biggest Challenge: It’s cliché, but probably combining our two styles. We don’t bicker about much…but we do bicker about rugs, curtains and where to hang what.
What Friends Say: We met while doing improv comedy in LA, and most of our friends come from the comedy community. When they come over it’s always like, “Wow, did you sell a TV show!?” We haven’t yet.
Biggest Embarrassment: The dead fiddle leaf fig in the living room.
Proudest DIY: Every time I tried to DIMyself, it didn’t really work out. So, I suppose the only DIY element we have is a small ceramic pot that Allen made, which holds a succulent and sits in the master bathroom. Note, this is the 4th succulent, the 3 prior succulents having passed on. (Or do the dining chairs we had someone else re-stain, re-cane, and reupholster count? If they do, then those. If not, then it’s the pot.)
Biggest Indulgence: Fireplace. Though not a necessity in Los Angeles, we actually have been using it a lot.
Best Advice: Try not to take it too seriously, because at the end of the day, you’re just trying to make a room look nice. Just kidding—it’s actually really goddamn important, so get it right, or don’t even bother trying.
Dream Sources: Martin & Brockett, MidcenturyLA, and Lawson-Fenning.
Resources
PAINT & COLORS
- Living room: Benjamin Moore, color-matched to Farrow & Ball Strong White
- Dining room: Benjamin Moore, color-matched to Farrow & Ball Strong White
- Hallway: Benjamin Moore, color-matched to Farrow & Ball Strong White
- Kitchen: Benjamin Moore Fog Mist
- Pantry: Benjamin Moore Blue Note
- Master bedroom: Farrow & Ball Skimming Stone
- Master bathroom: Benjamin Moore Cloud White
- Guest bedroom: Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray
- Guest bathroom: Farrow & Ball Hague Blue
- Den (above): Benjamin Moore, color-matched to Restoration Hardware Slate
- Trim throughout: Benjamin Moore Cloud White
- Ceilings throughout: Benjamin Moore Cloud White
- Exterior: Benjamin Moore Fog Mist
ENTRY
- Tile: Mortarless Building Supply Co.
- Wallpaper: Philip Jefferies via Holly Hunt
- Light: Collected By via Lawson-Fenning
LIVING ROOM
- Rug: Helms Bakery
- Chairs: Room & Board
- Sofa: Mitchell Gold Bob Williams
- Coffee table: Crate & Barrel
- Roman shades: Custom Linen sourced through Martin & Brockett
- Credenza: vintage find at one of those shops up north on Lankershim
- Dead plant: Rolling Greens Nursery
- Ship print: Jock McDonald original via MidcenturyLA
- John R. Johnston painting of King Lear: family gift
- Jean Cocteau drawing: Weidman Gallery
DINING ROOM
- Table: Crate & Barrel—we intend to put a new top on it at some point.
- Chairs: vintage John Kapel for Glenn Walnut, also found at one of those shops up north on Lankershim
- Rug: Pottery Barn
- Bar: Crate & Barrel
- Chandelier: Ballard
- Taxidermy porcupine: Prey Taxidermy
- Vintage Barilla poster: Weidman Gallery
- Paul Maxwell mixed-media artwork: Martin & Brockett
KITCHEN
- Cabinets: Columbia via Hollywood Sierra
- Layout: Columbia via Hollywood Sierra
- Concrete floor tile: Granada Tile via Filmore Clark
- Backsplash: Tempest Tileworks via Filmore Clark
- Counter: Walker Zanger
- Hardware: Cliffside
- Pendant: vintage from Midcentury LA
- Appliances: Thermador via Absolute Appliances
MASTER BEDROOM
- Bed: custom
- Nightstands: Room & Board
- Lamps: West Elm
- Rug: Pottery Barn
- Window treatments: custom from The Shade Store
- Bedding: Matteo
- Audio system: Sonos
MASTER BATHROOM
- Carrara tiles: Modul Marble
- Carrara counters: Modul Marble
- Vanity: custom
- Roman shades: custom from The Shade Store
GUEST BEDROOM
- Furniture: Pier 1 Imports
- Bedding: Matteo
- Somewhere in Palm Springs poster: Somewhere in Palm Springs, a webseries written by Allen and Nate
OFFICE/DEN
- Sofa: Crate & Barrel
- Chair: custom
- Rug: Crate & Barrel
- Chet Baker print by William Claxton: gift
YARD
- Landscaping: Gregory Davis and Associates
- Dining table: Crate & Barrel
- Conversation set: Room & Board
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