When model Brynn Jones and her husband, Ness Saban, first set foot inside the Hollywood Hills house, they felt like they were stepping into another era. The three-bedroom, Robert Lee–designed split-level still boasted many of its original mid-century features—right down to the shag carpet in the sunken living room. “We found it all to be pretty vibe-y, so we just wanted to keep the good vibes flowing.” To help create a modern oasis without killing the groove, the couple tapped designer Frances Merrill. Here, a look inside the gorgeous redo.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet1/17“Our next-door neighbors tell us stories about how they used to swim in the pool in the ’60s and ’70s. Apparently, a woman-about-town lived here back then and they became really close friends and threw some epic parties.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet2/17“The living room is sunken with shag carpet floors; we just wanted to keep the good vibes flowing.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet3/17“We both really fell in love with the wood-paneled walls; we wanted to preserve and accentuate as much of the original aesthetic as possible and to highlight the browns and reds in the walls and floor.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet4/17The living room features the home’s original brick and wood paneling. The sofa is custom; the daybed is by Garza Marfa. “We went back and forth on the thought of hanging something on the fireplace, but we decided to keep it bare,” says Jones.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet5/17“Frances designed these floor cushions for us, which are made out of vintage rugs. I remember it was hard for us to decide on the color of the trim,” says Jones. “Brynn’s awesome collectsion of vintage clothes was a jumping-off point for many of the textiles we sourced for this project,” notes Merrill.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet6/17“When it comes to colors and textures, jewel tones and velvet are my favorite. Luckily, they actually go with the house really well.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet7/17“The kitchen was a complete remodel and was really fun to design with Frances. I really love chartreuse and was really happy that Ness was open to making it the tile color for our backsplash,” says Jones. The tiles are from Heath Ceramics; the cabinets are custom-made with walnut trim.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet8/17“Ness’s mom is an amazing glassblower, so a lot of the drinking glasses in our kitchen are made by her. A lot of them are from different antique or thrift shops, too. We’ve got a cute set that have pinup girls on them and when you fill the glass with water, their clothes disappear.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet9/17“The chandelier is one of my favorite features that came with the house. It has a dimmer, so it’s nice to be able to switch it up and set the tone for different occasions,” says Jones. The copper dining chairs are from Blu Dot with custom seat pads in Ralph Lauren fabric.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet10/17“The office also had quite the makeover. Frances designed the shelving unit perfectly to our needs and the carpenter did a really beautiful job building it. It’s been a wonderful way to utilize the space.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet11/17“We’ve decorated with a lot of our family photos and heirlooms, along with antiques and souvenirs collectsed from our travels throughout the years.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet12/17“Once I saw this wallpaper, there was no going back for me. It took a bit of convincing Ness, but he trusted me and once it was up on the walls, he was into it,” says Jones. The wallpaper is Hermès, the rug is vintage Moroccan, and the settee is vintage.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet13/17“Sometimes people don’t realize we have a hot tub until they walk into the office and see it through the back door. Many a time, our parties end up back there. We’ve already made some really great memories in that zone.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet14/17“When Frances was designing our bed, we looked at many swatches of teal velvets, which I think is a nice contrast to the carpet and walls. Outside of our window is the pool, surrounded by all kinds of plants, so between the view and the comfort of the bed, this has become my Zen space,” says Jones. The curtains are Muriel Brandolini fabric. The custom shams feature a Kari Fisher eye print.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet15/17“If there’s anything that we’ve tried to convey, it is for the house to feel warm, fun, and welcoming.”
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet16/17A collectsion of potted cacti.
Photo: Courtesy Laure Joliet17/17The backyard.
