Channeling Kelly Wearstler in Eagle Rock
Morgan Lawley tricked out her Craftsman house in Eagle Rock with a giddy vision of Hollywood glamour. Here she walks across the black floor of her living room, which originally had mint green and coral-colored walls. A fan of Kelly Wearstlers chinoiserie-tinged Regency designs, Lawley thought a similar look could work with the existing Asian elements of the house and sate her taste for the theatrical. Against the advice of a friend whos an interior designer, Lawley painted the ceiling gold. The house can wear it, she says. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Who says Regency is over? Morgan Lawley lays out her vision of Hollywood glamor in the most unlikely place: a Craftsman-esque fixer in northeast L.A.
The view from the entry into the living room. With the help of her friend, interior designer Tamara Honey, Lawley the matched the gold tone of her ceiling to the wallpaper. I bought the entry light in Chinatown one of the old stores, a place that sells a lot of miniatures, she says. It was just hanging in there for $150, and I was like, Dude, give me that lamp!. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Lawley had the Baker chairs reupholstered and the console at the end of the room lacquered black. Most of her pieces were purchased at flea markets or on eEBay. Ive either had them redone or just lived with the way they are, she says. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
This table is amazing, Lawley says in her dining room. My friend Tamara found it for me at Funnel in Pasadena. She said, I hate it, but I think youre going to love it.. In a couple of years, Lawley says, she very well may wonder, What was I thinking with all the gold? But she loves the glammy effect and is pleased that the look echoes decorating trends. Thats whats happening in the design world, versus the whole midcentury look, which didnt gel jell with my dramatic sense of everything. More is more is my philosophy. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Lawley found her dining room chandelier on eEBay for $200. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
This is my nod to the Viceroy, Lawley says of her daughters play room, which is modeled after a design scheme in the Kelly Wearstler-designed hotels. The chairs are vintage patio pieces whose seats lift up, revealing storage space underneath. I just love the shape of them, Lawley says. Except for the storage part, they are totally impractical. What kids are going to sit on that? I figured the $39 bean bags would make her happy. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
All the floors in the house were plain oak when Lawley moved in. Downstairs, she went all black. And upstairs? White just seemed like the right thing to do, she says. But I have to deal with how to clean it. When she told her painter that she wanted stripes on the ceiling, he just rolled his eyes. Now he says, It looks good! (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
The stairwell leading to the second floor sports a the lantern scored in Chinatown and the David Hicks-inspired wallpaper. I thought, OK, I could rock this house out and make it really glam, Lawley says. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Like a giant Christmas ornament suspended in the entry. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Lawleys 6-year-old daughter wanted a pink bedroom, but Mom simply said, I cant do pink. Instead, she convinced little Ruby that red was a logical choice. The wallpaper is a Nina Campbell design called Fleur de Lys Court. The coronet came from eEBay. Its really hard to find a good kids bed frame, Lawley says. I found this one from Brocade Home. The headboard is vinyl. The lamps are from a shopping run in Arizona, with chinoiserie shades from Brown and Gold Lighting. Rubys bathroom is lined with Bisazza tile, making the small space sparkle like a jewel box. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Lawley went all the way with the red and white in Rubys room, including the lacquered closet doors. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
The master bedroom is lined in blue-tinged silk wallpaper from Walnut. Chandeliers flanking the bed were bought off eEBay, one at a time. I got really lucky, Lawley says. The chair is one of two formerly verminy wingbacks she purchased for a sitting area by an outdoor fireplace, but then she had a brainstorm: white vinyl. I think theyre gorgeous, she says, adding that she cant get bring herself to move them outdoors. Theres no way. Lawley purchased the side tables about 10 years ago at a flea market when they n were black and chipped. She recently had them refinished in a crackled blue that goes with the walls. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
A doorstop with a little bling. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Looking through the door window from the main entry at Morgan Lawley’s Eagle Rock house. Lawley is a TV commercial director who loves design, and she has transformed her house into a boldly colored, Regency-influenced house of glamour. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
A Chinese family once owned Lawleys property and added pagoda-style rooflines that lend the house its quirky character. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The view from the main entry of Lawleys Eagle Rock home. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
