Décor at the Core - Page 3

Andy Warhol butterfly pop-art prints pay homage to the William Krisel architecture, as do the hourglass-shaped lighting fixtures, outdoor rope chaises from the Walter Lamb collection for Brown Jordan, and the whimsical hourglass Kartell Princess Aha side tables.

The natural leather furnishings and seagrass-cloth wallpaper are a warm contrast to the stone surfaces, metal doorframes, and cube-shaped end tables.

Kimberly Dudow and Sascha Schleumer made bold color choices for the furnishings and and décor accents in their 1958 Sherman Oaks MCM home, designed by architect Young Woo.

A ‘Kermit green’ contemporary sectional sofa also plays off the lush green landscaping outside and is accented by purple silk vintage side chairs. A vintage gold velvet ottoman adds interest. Orange accents throughout the house, seen on a clock, towels, chairs, planters, and rugs, add a bit of warmth to the color palette and help to draw the palette from room to room. The playful pops of color balance out all the white on the walls and floors.

After purchasing their home in 2009, Dudow and Schleumer spent two years restoring it, making an effort to respect the original architecture, and selected finishes, such as tile flooring, grasscloth wallpaper, that are appropriate for the period, but still look fresh and modern today.

The cool white walls and wood ceilings are the perfect backdrop to the couple’s vintage finds and new purchases that they either inherited, or accumulated over the last 20 years from flea markets, Design Within Reach, IKEA, and Modernica. 

“Before we moved in, we edited our eclectic mix of furniture and decorations and got rid of several items that did not work with the modern aesthetic of the home in order to ensure that the space is streamlined, spacious, and uncluttered,” Dudow says.

Because Kimberly and Sascha didn’t have any artwork that was large enough for the walls in the living room, they created their own modern art out of huge sound panels that were used previously in a sound studio at a radio network.

“We also have a few black-and-white architectural photos on display, but as there is so much glass in the home, the view outdoors becomes our art,” Dudow says.

Color took a leading role in a particular Eichler kitchen that Elizabeth Torbit designed. “The owner wanted to live the mid-century dream that she missed out on by living in England, so the goal was to bring classic Eichler mid-century elements into the 21st century while drawing from the 21st century’s best use of materials, functional working spaces, storage, and manufacturing technologies,” Torbit says.

The color choices were a nod to the original white-faced sliding doors and the darker trims found in so many Eichlers. “We added a third color, a lighter gray, to give the kitchen a little more depth on the back of the cooktop peninsula,” Torbit adds.