COMMUNE DESIGN BRINGS WESTERN CHARM TO A SPANISH COLONIAL REVIVAL HOUSE IN BEVERLY HILLS
On a street with a star-studded past, Steven Johanknecht imbues a 1920s home with Hollywood glamour and Wild West motifs.
As a cofounder of Commune Design, the Los Angeles firm known for its savvy mixing of vintage chic with high-end handicraft, Steven Johanknecht might be expected to know his Neutras from his Navajo rugs.
But ask him about this renovation of a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival house in Beverly Hills, and Johanknecht — a former store designer for Barneys New York and design director for Studio Sofield — starts enthusing about his latest obsession: Thomas C. Molesworth. “You’ve got to check him out,” he says. “He did all these interiors and furnishings in the cowboy style in the 1930s and ’40s. He designed lodges in Montana and Wyoming. His furniture was just incredible.”
The family room’s sofa in an Edelman leather and armchairs in a Kravet stripe are by Ralph Lauren Home. The other armchairs are by A. Rudin, the custom walnut cocktail table is by Commune Design, the sconces are by Paul Ferrante, the custom rug is by Amadi Carpets, and the Roman shades on the original leaded windows are in a Colefax and Fowlerfabric. The Thomas C. Molesworth–inspired motifs on the ceiling beams and custom cabinetry were painted by artist Nic Valle, the ceiling is sheathed in a Ralph Lauren Homegrass cloth, and the cowboy ink drawings are by Edward Borein.
What pushed Johanknecht down the rabbit hole of classic Western design were his cowboy style–aficionado clients, a couple for whom he has designed several homes, most recently one near the ocean in the Pacific Palisades section of L.A. “I have always been enchanted by the West,” the wife says. “I buy cowboy art and plein air landscapes, old Western blankets, and furniture in that style. And my husband and I adore old Molesworth.”
In the living room, the sofas, in a Rogers & Goffigon fabric, and armchair, in a Donghiacotton-linen, are all by George Smith; the custom cocktail table is by Commune Design. Thered lacquer–framed mirror is custom, the 1920s Spanish torchiere is from Revival Antiques in Pasadena, the curtains are of a Brunschwig & Fils velvet, and the rug is by Christopher Farr. The walls are in Navajo White and the ceiling is in Bridgewater Tan, both by Benjamin Moore; the F. Grayson Sayre landscape over the mantel is in a frame by Arts and Crafts ceramics.
A longtime friend of Johanknecht’s, she became one of his first clients after he founded Commune Design in 2004 with Roman Alonso and Pamela and Ramin Shamshiri (the siblings have since left to found their own firm, Studio Shamshiri). She had been looking for a home that felt more “old Los Angeles” when she discovered this one for sale on Roxbury Drive, a legendarily star-studded street whose former residents include Lucille Ball, who used to hand out Halloween candy from her front door here, and Jimmy Stewart, who grew sweet corn in his backyard.
The custom dining table is by Shop Now, the Dessin Fournir chairs are in a Myung Jinmohair, and the 19th-century chandelier is original. The walls are in Benjamin Moore’sDinner Party.
The exterior — carved-plaster facade, wood-spindle entry door, clay roof tiles, and leaded-glass windows — was charmingly intact. “Right away, we asked Steven to come in and bring the house back to its Spanish roots,” she says. “He is so good at mixing. He brings his fashion background and uses color in such an unusual way.”
Inside, too, the house retained many of its original features, from hand-carved ceiling beams to wrought-iron chandeliers and arched doors. But previous renovations had altered the flow of the home, with some rooms chopped in two, and the 1920s tile flooring had been replaced with a patchwork of mismatched materials. “We wanted to make it feel more holistic while still honoring its heritage,” the designer says.
The foyer’s antique Spanish-style chest is the client’s own, the David Cressey lamp and ceramic horse are from JF Chen, the antler chandelier is from CBS Showroom, and the rug is by Christopher Farr.
A typical Commune project involves a deep dive into history. For this house, Johanknecht did extensive research into the Spanish Colonial Revival tradition in L.A., working with a tile company in Malibu to create authentic-looking octagonal terra-cotta pavers with decorative insets painted in custom motifs of white and blue. The new tilework begins in the entrance courtyard and continues through the kitchen and dining room and out to the patio in the back of the house.
“One of the great things about California homes is that indoor/outdoor experience,” he says. “It was really important to me that everything feel connected.” The home’s palette, which ranges from vibrant hues of pink and green to more dramatic shades, such as the dining room’s earthy red, was a balancing act. The wife is “a very happy person who loves color,” Johanknecht says.
