Shulamit Nazarian brings a modern touch to a 1973 A. Quincy Jones home
Three years ago, Shulamit Nazarian bought a 1973 Holmby Hills home designed by architect A. Quincy Jones, former dean of USC’s School of Architecture and widely regarded as one of Southern California’s midcentury greats. Her goal: to preserve the architecture but make it her own, not some by-the-numbers retro palace. “I didn’t want to make the house a museum to midcentury,” Nazarian says. The front of the home is defined by its asymmetrical roof line and Japanese-inspired garden. (Christina House / For The Times)
Bronze sculptures titled “Journey” by Cecilia Miguez sit in the entry hall. (Christina House / For The Times)
Nazarian’s dog lies atop swirling aggregate discs in the home’s foyer. (Christina House / For The Times)
Instead of the usual midcentury pieces by the likes of Charles and Ray Eames or Herman Miller, Nazarian deployed a mix of modern and antique. In the dining room, Facett chairs by celebrated contemporary designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec keep company with a pair of Jellyfish chandeliers by Swann Bourotte. The table is called Leopold by Antonia Astori; the cowboy artwork over the buffet cabinet is by Catherine Mirando. (Christina House / For The Times)
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Wall sconces in the dining room are vintage Christian Dior. (Christina House / For The Times)
An atrium leading from the dining area to the family room offers an opportunity to bask in a garden while still inside the house. (Christina House / For The Times)
The home has three atriums, this one with a large Buddha fountain. (Christina House / For The Times)
The kitchen is open, with a breakfast bar on one side. (Christina House / For The Times)
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At one end of the sunken living room, a pair of Ligne Roset armless sofas flank Nazarian’s super-sized coffee table. The home’s original owners had wall-to-wall carpeting, but Nazarian has gone with wood floors stained charcoal. She uses the area at the far end as her home office. (Christina House / For The Times)
The coffee table is covered with art books and her collections of tiny teapots and Chinese calligraphy brushes. The silkscreens “Monsieur Duboir, Winner of the 1953 Rod and Reel Tournament” by Catherine Mirando hang above the sofa. (Christina House / For The Times)
The black lacquered Big Bend desk designed Jeff Miller stands atop the dark wood floor. (Christina House / For The Times)
A wider view of the living room, with Jones’ angled room. The boulder-shaped pouf by Naoto Fukasawa seems appropriate in a house that celebrates bringing the outdoors inside. (Christina House / For The Times)
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The reverse view: The other end of the living room contains the built-in bar, a cozy retreat to entertain. Overhead: “Hanging Houdini in Straight Jacket” by Catherine Mirando. (Christina House / For The Times)
A debonair portrait titled “Fin” keeps company with silent film star Alla Nazimova above the living room’s fireplace. Both pieces are by Catherine Mirando. On rare occasions, Nazarian has opened up her home as a gallery, turning it into a venue to view emerging artists. (Christina House / For The Times)
Another look back at A. Quincy Jones’ architecture from a dramatic steel, glass and aggregate stairway that connects the foyer above with the sunken living room below. The ceiling soars to 25 feet high, and floor-to-ceiling windows dissolve the division between indoor and outdoor. (Christina House / For The Times)
Nazarian descends the stairs. (Christina House / For The Times)
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The master bedroom suite has a floor-to-ceiling bookcase and a deck beyond. (Christina House / For The Times)
Nazarian sits on the master bedroom’s deck. The garden below is a layering of verdant plantings. (Christina House / For The Times)
The master bathroom has a sunken tub on the right; on the left, floor-to-ceiling mirrored glass doors hide a walk-in closet. (Christina House / For The Times)
A mirror seemingly floats over the sink in the master bathroom. (Christina House / For The Times)
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The view from Nazarian’s new pond and waterfall shows off the dramatic asymmetrical roof line and the soaring cedar wall that acts as the house’s spine. The living room sits to the right of that wall, the master bedroom suite to the left. (Christina House / For The Times)
Philippe Starck’s oversized, iconic terra cotta pot painted gold adds “Alice in Wonderland” scale and a bit of humor to the backyard’s lower garden. (Christina House / For The Times)
Shulamit Nazarian sits in a glossy, metallic bronze Moor(e) armchair by Philippe Starck. The reflecting pool was designed by A. Quincy Jones. Originally, a mirror at the end of the pool made it look double its size. Today, the mirror has been replaced by a marble water feature. For more information on Nazarian’s Shulamit Gallery, go to www.shulamitgallery.com or call (310) 281-0961.
Click to read Barbara Thornburg’s story on the Nazarian house or the sidebar on A. Quincy Jones. To peek inside more Southern California homes, check out our Homes of The Times gallery, latimes.com/homesofthetimes. (Christina House / For The Times)
