Houzz Tours
House Tours
Houzz Tour: A Caribbean-inspired Designer Home in the Hollywood Hills
A derelict house is knocked down to make way for a chic home filled with designer furniture and sleek fittings
Even though the rotting, crumbling 1912 cottage on this Hollywood Hills, California, property was beyond saving, Colin Rhys saw a golden opportunity for the site. As the principal of Xanadu Group, a design-build firm, he knew he would be able to build something new that would make the whole endeavour worth it. So he scooped up the property and set out to create a bright and airy home complete with his own backyard ceramics studio.
Houzz at a Glance
Location Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles
Size 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms plus a guest studio
Who lives here Colin Rhys, the principal of Xanadu Group, a design-build firm
Houzz at a Glance
Location Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles
Size 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms plus a guest studio
Who lives here Colin Rhys, the principal of Xanadu Group, a design-build firm
The home’s elevations were partially inspired by the light and airy plantation architecture Rhys was drawn to during travels to the Caribbean.
An ipe-wood deck and planter boxes, filled with yellow sweet potato vines, surround the house. Rhys used Dunn-Edwards’ paint here: Whisper White for the exterior skirting, Cool December for the cladding and Shallow End for the operable shutters and eaves.
Pavers: Belgard
An ipe-wood deck and planter boxes, filled with yellow sweet potato vines, surround the house. Rhys used Dunn-Edwards’ paint here: Whisper White for the exterior skirting, Cool December for the cladding and Shallow End for the operable shutters and eaves.
Pavers: Belgard
A former gallerist, Rhys gave the home plenty of space for displaying his art collection and used skylights to flood the interior with daylight. The front door opens to a spacious living room, where custom windows were sized to replicate those in the original house. The floors are French white oak with a wire-brushed wax finish, from DuChateau Floors.
Armchairs: Camerich
Armchairs: Camerich
The living room accommodates Rhys’s vintage Wurlitzer baby grand piano. The large painting behind the piano is by Mariana Lopez. The stairs lead to the master suite and library. The hallway leads past guest bedrooms and bathrooms to the kitchen, the dining room and the great rooms.
A vintage Moroccan rug and seating by Minotti shapes a conversation area in the living room. The ceramics on the coffee table and next to the fireplace are works by Rhys.
Painting on left wall: Mark Chariker; lithograph above console: Cecily Brown
Painting on left wall: Mark Chariker; lithograph above console: Cecily Brown
The great room, part of the kitchen and dining space, overlooks the back garden and pool decking area, as well as the small guesthouse. Fleetwood glass walls slide open into pockets to allow unobstructed access to the outdoors. Rhys created the blown-glass objects on the coffee table.
Sectional: Minotti; coffee table: Camerich; white stools: CB2
See flexible ideas for open-plan living
Sectional: Minotti; coffee table: Camerich; white stools: CB2
See flexible ideas for open-plan living
The kitchen’s custom cabinetry is made of a flat lacquer finished with wax for a subtle sheen that fits with the white marble worktops.
Appliances: Miele; tap: KWC
Appliances: Miele; tap: KWC
In the dining area, curvaceous Anglo-Indian antique metal chairs surround a Saarinen dining table.
Art: Shaun Leonardo
Art: Shaun Leonardo
A small seating area at the top of the stairs is part of the library. The 1940s chandelier came from a sale in Palm Springs.
Armchairs: Restoration Hardware; art: Mark Chariker
Armchairs: Restoration Hardware; art: Mark Chariker
The first floor master suite opens on to a balcony that overlooks the back garden. Recessed, motorised shades provide privacy.
Bed: Minotti
Bed: Minotti
A custom fireplace in honed limestone is a focal point for the master suite’s sitting area, which includes Philippe Starck armchairs. One of Rhys’ ceramic pots graces the Camerich coffee table. The photograph above the fireplace is by Vee Speers.
The master bathroom includes a walk-through shower that connects to the balcony. A frosted-glass sliding door provides privacy, as will bamboo plants that will reach the second storey upon maturity. Honed limestone was used for the flooring, worktop and integral basin, and the cabinets are custom-made.
Faucets, showerhead: Dornbracht
Faucets, showerhead: Dornbracht
Rhys designed the house to have three guest bedrooms, as well as a guest studio, to accommodate frequent visits from friends around the world. ‘I like to entertain and to have house guests, but I wanted to give everyone their space,’ he says.
Double doors from the guest bedroom seen here lead to the deck. The bedside lamp is a French art deco piece. The artwork above the bed is by Gilberto and Gabriel Colaco. The photograph is by Bert Rodriguez.
Double doors from the guest bedroom seen here lead to the deck. The bedside lamp is a French art deco piece. The artwork above the bed is by Gilberto and Gabriel Colaco. The photograph is by Bert Rodriguez.
One guest bathroom has an Asian feel and includes a steam shower.
Tile: Stone Source; taps: Aquabrass
Tile: Stone Source; taps: Aquabrass
Another guest bathroom includes a long, deep soaking tub.
Bath tub: Americh; sink tap: Hans Grohe; tile: Stone Source; art: Brian Burkhardt
Bath tub: Americh; sink tap: Hans Grohe; tile: Stone Source; art: Brian Burkhardt
AFTER The new home includes a wraparound deck and balcony that link both floors to the outdoors, and a landscape that includes a new, smaller pool and a raised spa. The guesthouse, which doubles as Rhys’s ceramics studio, was built on the plot of the original single-car garage.
Behind the guesthouse, Rhys nurtured the property’s old redwood tree back to life, watering it and trimming dead branches.
White outdoor furniture: Philippe Starck for Kartell; woven outdoor furniture: Restoration Hardware
See more swimming pools to make you swoon
Behind the guesthouse, Rhys nurtured the property’s old redwood tree back to life, watering it and trimming dead branches.
White outdoor furniture: Philippe Starck for Kartell; woven outdoor furniture: Restoration Hardware
See more swimming pools to make you swoon
The new pool includes a submerged bench. The avocado tree behind the spa is original to the property, a remnant from when the Hollywood Hills area was dotted with avocado groves and other fruit orchards. The cement wall, topped with a redwood fence, provides privacy.
BEFORE
The property’s original cottage was built in 1912 as part of a collection of hunting cabins for people from America’s East Coast. ‘Everything was rotted out inside,’ says Rhys, recalling his decision to tear down and build new. ‘Even the foundation was crumbling.’
What did you like about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
The property’s original cottage was built in 1912 as part of a collection of hunting cabins for people from America’s East Coast. ‘Everything was rotted out inside,’ says Rhys, recalling his decision to tear down and build new. ‘Even the foundation was crumbling.’
What did you like about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
Cuban royal palms flank the new garden wall and gate, which are illuminated at night by antique gas lamps.