Great Room by David Phoenix

“I’m not just a traditionalist. People in L.A. need functional, sexy spaces — places to gather and have great conversation,” he says. When it comes to hunter-gathering, David Phoenix, whose next project is The Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, advises: “Buy what you love. Furniture is like a boyfriend — if you want it, you’ll find room for it.” The designer secured an original Botero bird sculpture as a centerpiece.

Phoenix's room: Construction of sofa, in Beacon Hill fabric, and club chairs, in Innovations leather, by Warner Bros.; Circa Lighting lamp; Jean de Merry sconces and table; Natural Carpet Company rug; art from Travis Hansson Fine Art.

Design Hollywood Room by Jane Hallworth

Jane Hallworth chose dandy Beau Brummel, who invented the modern men’s suit, as the inspiration behind her “thinking man’s den” in THR’s showhouse is telling for this designer and gallery owner. (She names James Franco as a Brummel for today.) She creates maximum impact through her use of saturated hues (“I drench the space in a pigment and then play with textures,” she says) and “a few great pieces that are particular to each person.”

Hallworth's room: Beacon Hill wall fabric, Walnut music console by BDDW; secretaire from Leif Almont; Velcro chandelier by Rachel O’Neill; chaise from JF Chen; Circa Lighting table lamp, stool and bronze side table from Blackman Cruz; rugs from Jamal’s Rug Collection; painting by Jaime Orozco.

Dining Room by Tim Clarke

In his THR showhouse living room, Tim Clarke — who came out with his first book, Coastal Modern, this summer design issue — blended sandy neutrals with an ornate mirror that suggested bronze driftwood. The designer sees neutrals returning to design after years of bright color being the trend: “All that really poppy color looks good in a photo but can be hard to live in.”

Clarke's room: Table, chandelier, leather rug and Circa Lighting sconces from Grace Home Furnishings; gold-plated Florentine stemware by Suzan Fellman; Coupe dinner plates and bowls by Heath Ceramics; Beacon Hill drapery; Woven wall treatment by Caba Barkskin.

Master Bedroom by Joan Behnke

Her THR showhouse master bedroom is modern yet cozy, a chic mix of neutral tones, textures and subtle pops of color. Famed for her intrepid cherry-picking abilities in remote corners of the world, Joan Behnke constantly is carting back rare textiles and art. The designer layered and removed tape to create a gridded, iridescent plaster wall.

Behnke's room: Table lamps by Scott Daniel for Environment; cashmere shams and throw by Micucci; iron mirror by Pierre Quinton Designs; banquette embroidery by Mary Lu Teryua; Stark carpet

Design Hollywood Room by Waldo Fernandez

“I am constantly inspired by movies,” says Waldo Fernandez, who designed the “unique, elegant and modern living room” in THR’s showhouse and was “inspired by the modern Century building” in which it’s housed. “I look at all my projects as a script and try to explain the design process to my clients that way.”

Fernandez's room: Jean Royere Ours Polaire sofa and chair; Circa Lighting floor lamp; vintage Moroccan rug from Mansour; Valley Drapery Roman shades in Belgian linen; custom Pierre Chareau-inspired stools and Jean Royere-inspired coffee table, all by Waldo’s Designs; circa-1940 Hardoy and Bonet bat chair; plaster walls by Brett Lutgens from Agave Designs.

Vestibule by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

The one-of-a-kind “Design Hollywood at the Century” showhouse unfolds over two luxury condominiums on the 20th floor of the 2-year-old Century tower, built by acclaimed Robert A.M. Stern architects.

Stern's Vestibule: Decorative screen by Dragonette; Bernd Goeckler bench with Albert Menin upholstery; wall paint finish by Premiere Paint; Farrow & Ball ceiling paint; sconces by Pascal Boyer; overhead light from Maison Gerard.

Designer to Watch: Natasha Baradaran

The Brentwood rising star who got her start designing high-end hotel interiors draws inspiration from the dusty palette and filigree of the Persian souk as well as her two young daughters — “they encourage me to create spaces that are livable.” Currently, Natasha Baradaran is tricking out Hudson and rocker fiance Matthew Bellamy’s just-purchased Tudor in the Pacific Palisades.

Baradaran’s hall: Jean de Merry console; wall art by Lonney White from Holly Hunt; The Rug Company runner.

Bedroom by Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe of Nickey Kehoe

Ask Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe of Nickey Kehoe to describe the process behind the “earthy elegance” that informs their mix of classic and California modernist, and you’d swear you were talking to a couple of studio creative executives. Says Nickey: “We really work hard with people to create their narrative. We’re like editors.”

Nickey's and Kehoe's room: Steel tube base work desk and oak frame chairs in Rose Cumming from Kneedler Fauchere and Claremont Furnishing fabric, all by Nickey Kehoe; wall art from The Rug Company; wool rug from Jamal’s Rug Collection; artwork from Sears Peyton Gallery;

Master Bedroom by Trip Haenisch

The seamless mix of texture, shape and color speaks to an existence that will seem lighter, brighter and cooler than your own — all while feeling perfectly natural and unforced. “I once traveled with a famous costume designer who took forever to get ready. When he emerged, he looked fantastic but like he’d done very little,” says Trip Haenisch. The designer created a custom dual-arm light fixture that attaches to the column.

Haenisch's room: Alexandra Von Furstenberg acrylic desk; Beaubourg chair, custom ottoman in Pacific Hide and Leather lambskin; linen throws by Waterworks, Robert Polidori photograph from M+B Fine Art; cowhide arm chair by Hans Wegner; Maria Bellini B&B Italia sofa; shades by Valley Drapery in Beacon Hill fabric.

Designer to Watch: Adam Bram Straus

Adam Bram Straus’ entry-level position at Kenneth Brown Design changed his earlier career path as an investment banker. The resident of Hollywood is working on a Belgian-inspired Beverly Hills estate once owned by Dolly Parton. “I’m big on mixing traditional with modern, so it looks curated and like an environment that has evolved over time,” he says. “It’s about the individual pieces, loving those pieces and having them work cohesively together.”

Bram Straus’ powder room: Stark wall fabric; Orange Furniture mirror; Farrow & Ball paint.

Designer to Watch: Oliver M. Furth

At 15, Oliver M. Furth entered design with a part-time job in an architect’s office, and now with a slew of boldface clients, the 31-year-old baby-faced chairman of the Decorative Arts and Design Council at LACMA has been rightfully dubbed the “Doogie Howser of interior design.” Furth pulls inspiration from a tapestry of sources to create his signature urbane spaces, but he says he doesn’t have a style. “I have an approach,” he says. “I want the client and I to visit galleries, study art, find that sense of history.”

Furth’s vestibule: Bandaji chest from Susanne Hollis; JF Chen sconces; Farrow & Ball paint; Malayer rug from Stark Carpet; Blackman Cruz amethyst lamps.

Family Room by Kathryn M. Ireland

This Sebastian Salgado photo of a train station in India (far left) was an inspiration for the final scene in Slumdog Millionaire. “I hate things that don’t have a purpose,” says Ireland, whose THR showroom was inspired by Berenice Bejo. She explains: “After all that black and white in The Artist, I think she’d want a colorful family room in a South of France summer house.”

Ireland's room: Sofa by Grace Home; Balinese coffee table and antique Ralli armless chair by Kathryn M. Ireland furniture; Woven Accents rug; Sheers in Sun Valley by Kathryn M. Ireland textiles; pillows in the designer’s textiles.

Bedroom by Marmol Radziner

The firm imagined the room as the perfect place for David Fincher to contemplate his next film. Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner earned the design community’s unwavering attention in 2007 for their respectful and enlightened restoration of Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House in Palm Springs. Warming up modernism with their extensive use of stone and wood, the design duo’s living spaces are customarily linear but never lacking in character.

Marmol's and Radziner's room: Custom walnut bed by Marmol Radziner Cabinet Shop with headboard and night stands in Garrett Leather; Calvin Klein Home bedding, Beacon Hill and Knoll Textile pillow fabrics; Matthew Brandt photo from M+B Fine Art; Angelo Mangiarotti table lamps from Downtown. Pictured: Ron Radziner.

“Design Hollywood at the Century”

On Oct. 26, THR and The Related Companies will open the one-of-a-kind “Design Hollywood at the Century” showhouse at the Century tower, where 14 of L.A.’s top designers each have created a display of decorating virtuosity. Begun in June, each room is inspired by a Hollywood icon, from Marmol Radziner’s moody bedroom for a David Fincher type to Kathryn M. Ireland’s colorful South of France kitchen for a Parisian actress.