Casa Tropicale by Jamie Bush + Co

The glamour of old Hollywood filters through the redesign of a mid-century home in Los Angeles’ prestigious Holmby Hills enclave.

To illustrate her vision for the home, owner Mary Kitchen invented a history and former occupant: a Beverly Hills ‘grand dame’ who lived through the 1960s heyday of LA, leaving behind the original furnishings and architecture, so Kitchen could add her own flavour. This imagined backstory provided the foundation for Jamie Bush + Co’s character-rich design.

To breathe new life into the space, Jamie Bush + Co drew inspiration from homes of a similar era and vernacular.

When the clients acquired the property, the 1960s house had been gutted. Architecture firm Studio William Hefner maintained its original bones while repositioning some rooms, adding a basement and an outbuilding.

To breathe new life into the space, Jamie Bush + Co drew inspiration from homes of a similar era and vernacular. A key reference was the nearby Brody House, an important example of modern architecture by A Quincy Jones, known for its playful design.

The design team incorporated materials and techniques from the 1950s and ‘60s to evoke a retro ambience.

A through line between the past and present is drawn through the reclaimed antique bricks that now clad the home. Custom terrazzo was poured both inside and out, connecting the interior with the exterior. This fusion of spaces is further emphasised by dramatic skylights that pierce the roof and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a garden, complete with palm trees and tropical ferns.

The design team incorporated materials and techniques from the 1950s and ‘60s to evoke a retro ambience. Bleached mahogany panelling lines the walls of the den and living room, while vinyl wall coverings nod to the past. Formica countertops and lucite hardware also pull the design back in time.

Colour and pattern are used liberally throughout the home, with old and new furnishings reflecting the broader blend of period and contemporary elements.

Colour and pattern are used liberally throughout the home, with old and new furnishings reflecting the broader blend of period and contemporary elements. Each room is colour blocked to impose order on the kaleidoscope of palettes. Kitchen’s extensive collection of artworks by the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Frank Stella and Alex Katz influenced the colour selections.

The colour-blocking approach is most striking in the living room, where a dramatic Waterford crystal chandelier – an original feature of the home – anchors the space. The room’s pink furnishings, including vintage 1950s armchairs upholstered in Forbidden Pink jacquard fabric from Dimore Studio, custom pink resin side tables by Facture Studio and light pink Coup Studio sofas, echo the pink in Stella’s Flin Flon XII, which hangs in the room.

Manmade materials dominate the home, yet an organic, tropical mood is introduced with tall palms planted throughout.

The soft blue of Anne Truitt’s 1971 Untitled, mounted in the main bedroom, is echoed by the sinuous custom bed upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric; it sprawls across a Marc Phillips Rugs alpaca shearling rug, evoking a sense of louche mid-century glamour.

Manmade materials dominate the home, yet an organic, tropical mood is introduced with tall palms planted throughout. This theme continues outside, where palms and ferns surround the lawn and the swimming pool, which is framed by candy cane-striped loungers and tasselled parasols.

By cleverly colour blocking and dividing the home into unique zones, Jamie Bush + Co has distilled the glamour and magic of LA’s heyday into a timeless, modern home.

Bringing together decades of design vernacular, prints and furnishings could spell visual chaos. However, by cleverly colour blocking and dividing the home into unique zones, Jamie Bush + Co has distilled the glamour and magic of LA’s heyday into a timeless, modern home.

Architecture by Studio William Hefner. Interior design by Jamie Bush + Co. Build by MG Partners. Landscape design by Raymond Jungles.