It sounds a bit like the plot of a rom-com: “My client had relocated to Los Angeles to be in the movie industry from Vermont,” recalls Jaqui Seerman. Their landing pad, at least, was cinematic: a preserved midcentury home in densely wooded Fryman Canyon, which sits just below LA’s Mulholland Drive. “There’s a lot of very big residences and estates there that are more traditional, and this house was a very midcentury-modern home with these plank walls.”
The latter gave the former Vermonters a feeling of home instantly. “Although it was very midcentury, it gave them an essence of some of the residences they had back in Vermont,” says Seerman. “So they wanted to really lean into the country aspect of the property.” To that end, they set about revamping the heart of the home—the kitchen and dining space—to suit their own needs. “When they bought it, it had very modern 1970s black Formica Italian cabinets, black Formica countertops, and very modern black appliances. We stripped all of that away and lovingly refurbished all of the cedar wood throughout.”
Then it was time to address the clients’ other request. “They really wanted to lean into the very Ralph Lauren vibe of the early aughts and late nineties with layered patterns, florals, and deep greens,” says the designer. One way Seerman achieved that was by employing a multitude of earthy materials. “The terra-cotta tiles that we sourced from Waterworks were really special because they kind of replicated the warm, rosy tone that was naturally occurring in the wood siding.” A traditional checkered floor brought handsomeness underfoot, while a heavily veined creamy marble countertop supplied notes of classicism.
They evicted the original 1970s bifold doors, instead installing cedar floating shelves atop the terra-cotta tile. “And we added lots of traditional elements in the hardware—like the English-inspired bin pulls for the cabinets on the lower level and the brass railing along the little integrated shelf that’s above the range. We just tried to add little touches that reminded us of hardware from equestrian gear or patterns that would’ve been represented in one of Ralph Lauren’s ads.” Embracing the natural world beyond the windows was paramount, especially in Southern California. The designer went for “indoor-outdoor experiences so that you can enjoy the garden as much as you can enjoy the interior. It’s a space for living.”
A long table was coveted from the beginning. “Creating family memories around that central table was so reminiscent of their own childhood,” says Seerman. This particular vintage table is topped in marble. “They set it up for dinner parties with snacks and cocktails and a ‘serve yourself’ little appetizer station. And then during the holidays they clear it off and they roll out cookie dough and make treats with their kids.”
Flexibility was steadfast in the finished product and the process: last-minute ingredient substitutions in the recipe of the design, if you will. “We sourced vintage door hardware from a local hardware vendor instead of going with new because they had us at least twelve weeks out,” she recalls. “Before committing to that, we pivoted and we found this beautiful antique hardware. It feels amazing in the space and it’s such a special little thing that everyone always comments on.”
