Writes Pener: "Hollywood is built on design. From the way a lasting image is carved from light to the structured cadence of music that stirs the soul -- without design, this town would never have existed in the first place."
THE HOME DESIGN ISSUE: Hollywood is built on design. From the way a lasting image is carved from light to the structured cadence of music that stirs the soul — without design, this town would never have existed in the first place.
Two years ago, The Hollywood Reporter went through its own redesign and emerged as one of the most exciting new magazines in the country, covering not only the industry but the style and the culture of the people behind it. At about the same time, Related Companies, the nation’s most prominent real estate firm, completed its instantly iconic tower, The Century, designed by renowned Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Together, the two — who have a shared insight into what luxury living means in Los Angeles — have now teamed to present a one-of-a-kind showhouse, THR Design Hollywood at The Century, bringing together 14 of the most dynamic interior designers working in the city today. Each of these creative forces, whose combined client list is every bit as glittering as the turnout at most awards shows, has created a room that interprets sophisticated Hollywood glamour for the present moment.
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The idea, generated out of a conversation between THR and Related seven months ago, attracted L.A.’s most in-demand designers, many of whom went to unprecedented lengths to give their rooms a truly custom, handcrafted feel. It’s a testament to their passion for design, and a great honor for THR, that they would put in untold hours of work and call in favors from vendors all over town, who donated or lent pieces, all to help us launch our showhouse — and an annual Home Design Issue — in such a bold, breathtaking way.
For tickets to the showhouse, open to the public Oct. 28 to Nov. 18, go to THR.com/designhollywood. We hope you’re as inspired as we are.
Degen Pener
Culture Editor
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CONTRIBUTORS
Nicole Kidman
The actress has starred in more than 50 films, including To Die For, Moulin Rouge and The Hours (for which she won an Oscar); earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in HBO’s Hemingway & Gellhorn telefilm; and took time away from filming Grace of Monaco in France to write about her time with Stanley Kubrick. She worked on the notorious erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut with then-husband Tom Cruise for, all told, four years. “Stanley Kubrick was a big believer in the rehearsal process,” she says of the late director, whose show at LACMA opens Nov. 1, “to the point of exhaustion — to find something magical, even a moment. Tom and I were on the movie so long, we moved houses three times because our leases kept running out. Stanley found one of the houses for us outside of London — but we were sure it was haunted.”
Douglas Friedman
A New York City native, Friedman has shot scores of celebrities in their homes — boldface names like pop diva Christina Aguilera, fashion magnate Donatella Versace and writer-actor Justin Theroux — and has become an expert at navigating the ego minefield. “You find yourself having to show up at someone’s house, and you don’t want to offend,” Friedman says. “The way the person chooses to live their life often doesn’t make a good picture. People get upset at the idea that they don’t have good taste.” But he didn’t encounter any such problems when he visited the Spanish-style mansion that Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy shares with his husband, David Miller. “With Ryan’s home, there’s nothing offensive about it,” recalls Friedman. “The house is almost unexpected in how simple and warm and pure it is. Almost monastic.”
Roger Davies
Recently returned from a Travel + Leisure shoot in Costa Rica, Davies faced a rather interesting conundrum with THR’s inaugural showhouse: 14 different spaces, each with a different aesthetic. “It was definitely challenging, just going from space to space,” recalls the import from Derbyshire, England, of the somewhat kaleidoscopic experience. “If you’re shooting one house in one day, you get a rhythm and a flow. Every hour was like a whole new job. Still, working with any one of these designers is a treat. To get to work with them all … it was just brilliant. It’s so fun to see how each of them approached a room and how they imprinted their personality and style.” And while Davies is hesitant to name a favorite, he is somewhat partial to Marmol Radziner & Associates’ bedroom, inspired by David Fincher’s oeuvre. “But then, I love his films.”
