Inside the Hancock Park Home of ‘Big Mouth’ Co-Creator Andrew Goldberg

One of the main reasons Andrew Goldberg — writer, producer and co-creator of the raunchy puberty-themed Netflix show Big Mouth and its new hormone-fueled spinoff, Human Resources — and his wife, Colleen, bought their 1920 home in verdant Hancock Park was because “people can’t make those, like, modern McMansions that we were seeing go up in other neighborhoods,” says Colleen. Credit for that goes to the neighborhood’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zone status, which prevents demolition and limits exterior alterations of homes in the area, a magnet for Hollywood homeowners since its development during the 1920s.

The Goldbergs’ Colonial Revival home, purchased in 2019, dates to that era. “When we were renovating, one of the things we wanted to really make sure we did was to keep it in that original style,” says Andrew. In 2020 and early 2021, the couple (who have two young children) collaborated with designer Susan Davis Taylor of Davis Taylor Design on a substantial renovation and the interior design. The goal: to create a home that stylistically feels “traditional old Hollywood with a family flair,” says Andrew.

The space that receives the most fanfare from guests is the dining room, which is lined with custom silk floral wallpaper; Colleen says that she “makes everyone feel” it. Explains Andrew, “Susan had this really cool idea to do a hand-painted wallpaper that we could sort of personalize, which everybody notices.” Made by Griffin & Wong (which has created wallpaper for Hulu’s The Great), the print, in a custom shade of seafoam green, adds a note of decorative surprise.

 

“Colleen and I sat down and designed it together,” says Davis Taylor. “We figured out where we wanted the birds in a certain area, and we wanted a butterfly to be in this little corner. And we wanted this vignette of ducks above the brass console table. And we wanted that whole area to sort of frame this beautiful gold mirror she’d found. It was just such a fun process.” Adds the designer: “They’re not afraid, which is fun. … That dining room is a very special room.”

Another high point is Andrew’s home office, done in a rich navy blue lacquered wall paint (Benjamin Moore’s Kensington Blue). “Andrew gets out there and takes risks every day writing. He writes this wildly funny, creative show, so I feel like he was able to give me that space to lacquer his office dark blue, and that’s what allowed me to make this house unique,” says Davis Taylor.

 

The Emmy-nominated writer’s office also features a built-in bar fit for a midcentury ad executive. “[It] was a little bit in disrepair. Susan got her carpenter to do a really great job of repairing and refinishing it, and I just love how it looks so much. It really feels kind of like an old Hollywood office,” says Andrew, a former Family Guy writer and childhood friend of fellow Big Mouth creator Nick Kroll.

Much of the home’s reconstruction happened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only slowed construction and the shipment of choice décor items but also made the furniture and art selection process a test of faith.

“Basically, everything we got for the house we bought from a picture on the internet,” remembers Colleen, who describes the home as “California casual … not fussy.” Renovations, overseen by architect Noel Williams, included modernizing the kitchen, redoing bathrooms and floors, and opening up and moving a few walls.

The traditional vibe of the house, though, is not without a bit of (literal) cheekiness. “We have a drawing in our powder room that is a diagram of butts,” Andrew says. “People come out, and they’re like, ‘I like your diagram of butts.’ But my question is always, ‘Did you find which butt you are?'”

This story first appeared in the March 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.