Jason’s Highland Park Home

Name: Jason Stein – Senior Specialist, Design at Paddle8
Location: Highland Park; Los Angeles, California
Size: 972 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years

Jason was a first time home buyer and was just not finding a house that really spoke to him. When he told his realtor to expand his East Los Angeles search to Highland Park, they discovered this Spanish house up in the hills. It’s Jason’s perfect combination of cozy and modern.

Because Jason has worked in the art auction world for the last 20 years every piece of artwork, design book, and object in his house has been carefully collected and not just presented for aesthetics or a space filler. For this reason, as I explored his house I took extra time to really pay attention to the books and art to get a closer look at Jason’s passions and interests. It’s interesting to see which artwork made the final cut for the home of someone who sees so many incredible pieces each year.

My Style: All inclusive Modernist

Inspiration: Working in the art auction world has given me access to some extraordinary places, many of which have informed my design choices at home.

Favorite Element: The far corner of my den has a long narrow window that is original to the house and gives me a great view out to the plants and trees in my yard (and beyond). I love sitting on my sofa listening to music while I take in that view.

Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge (which I like) is editing what I have collected so every piece displayed has pride of place.

What Friends Say: My friends tell me that the design of the interior feels highly personal and they often comment on liking the flow/energy of the house.

Biggest Embarrassment: When I moved in a few years ago as a first time homeowner, a graphic designer friend and I tightly planted a perfectly symmetrical bed of succulents only to observe shortly after that plants like that need plenty of space to grow! Needless to say everything had to be replanted and staggered accordingly. Live and learn!

Proudest DIY: I must admit that I’m not a DIY guy, but luckily I have some skilled and generous DIY friends.

Biggest Indulgence: Definitely searching for and acquiring works of art or design for my home.

Best Advice: Get a place that suits your lifestyle and fill it with pieces that you love.

Dream Sources: Generally it’s a mix of acquiring things at auctions, estate sales, consignment shops and design stores. That said, I am happiest when shopping in the artisan markets throughout Mexico.

• Interior & exterior by Dunn-Edwards

• Italian plastic coat rack – Shopclass, Highland Park, California
• Steel mirror – Bonhams Adventures in Style auction
• Chromed metal and glass bar cart – Rubbish Interiors, Silver Lake, California
• Pablo acrylic floor lamp – early Design Within Reach
• Custom acrylic coffee table, side table, and white metal and black plastic floor lamp – gifts from a family friend
• Glass orb and ceramic elephant – acquired on trips to Mexico
• WMF acrylic and chromed metal table box – acquired in a little design shop in Notting Hill
• Roland Brice ceramic biomorphic dish – acquired from a friend
• 1960s sofa – vintage store find reupholstered in Maharam wool fabric
• Glass, chromed metal and plastic hurricane lamp – Bon Vivant, Palm Springs, California
• Set of Piero Fornasetti porcelain coasters – Goodwill
• Noguchi Akari table lamp – Japanese American Cultural and Community Center shop
• Ansel Adams waterfall photograph over Wassily chair – Butterfield & Butterfield
• Jean Dubuffet lithograph over sofa – Butterfield & Butterfield

• Danish teak dining table and chairs reupholstered in hide – Sueno, Silver Lake, California
• Pair of Hans Hansen two light candelabra – gift
• Ceramic vase on Charles Hollis Jones acrylic base – gift from the artist
• Pair of Allan Adler silver and glass candlesticks/bowls – gifts, one of which was given to me by Rebecca (Mrs. Allan) Adler to form the pair
• Mexican silver bowl – Butterfield & Butterfield
• Rug – Thrift store find
• Akari hanging light – Noguchi museum shop
• Moroccan stitched brown leather pouf – gift
• Victor Pasmore and Josef Albers lithographs – Butterfield & Butterfield

• Roland Brice ceramic free-form dish – acquired from a friend
• Porcelain fortune telling cup and saucer – recent vintage store find in Colonia Roma, Mexico City
• Creamer and sugar – gift (acquired at Poketo, Downtown Los Angeles)
• Plastic mugs and wood trays/bowls – all vintage and thrift shop finds

• Nest of acrylic tables – Misty’s consignments, Rancho Mirage, California
• Frosted glass and cork lamp – gift from friends
• Sofa – Crate&Barrel
• Pair of steel end tables and steel media stand – West Elm
• Japanese cinnabar lacquered wood miniature tansu – Hedge, Cathedral City, California
• Curtis Jere Owl – gift from my parents
• Peter Shire ceramic bowl – Parachute Market, Downtown Los Angeles
• Los Castillo alpaca and enameled footed bowl – Dharam Damama
• Japanese studio pottery ‘fish’ bowl – Craft and Folk Art Museum Collection auction at Butterfield & Butterfield
• Japanese studio crackle-glazed pottery vase – Japanese American Cultural and Community Center shop
• Japanese woodblock – En Japanese Arts & Crafts, Silver Lake, California
• Kozyndan poster – Acquired at an anime shop in Chinatown, Los Angeles

• Bookcase – West Elm
• Charles and Ray Eames lounge chair and ottoman – Bonhams
• Acrylic and chromed metal magazine stand – The Estate Sale Co., Palm Springs, California
• Curtis Jere Infinity Light – purchased by a friend at a yard sale
• Mid-Century Dutch enameled metal desk and chair – Amsterdam Modern, Van Nuys, California
• Danish teak wastepaper basket – Hughes Estate Sales, Altadena, California
• Hesher film poster – gift
• Out of focus photograph – I shot that years ago and a friend who was a photography specialist at Christie’s encouraged me to blow it up and frame it

• Morris of California ‘Architectural Modern’ walnut night stands – Danish Modern LA, Silver Lake, California
• Japanese kiri wood Tansu – En Japanese Arts & Crafts, Silver Lake, California
• Ana Maia painted paper and metal table lamp – WA Gallery, Provincetown, MA
• Fantoni glazed earthenware bottle-form vase – thrift shop find
• James Wayne green glass vase – gift from a friend
• David Leach glazed earthenware covered bowl – gift from a friend
• Stripped wood into – En Japanese Arts & Crafts, Silver Lake, California
• Wool rug with geometric pattern – acquired from a friend
• Richard Diebenkorn etching – Butterfield & Butterfield
• Anonymous charcoal drawing – Butterfield & Butterfield

Thanks, Jason!

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