STYLE: INTERIORS : Magic’s Kingdom
When you stand 6 feet, 9 inches tall and weigh 235 pounds, conventional furniture just doesn’t measure up. Even the Kreiss Collection, already larger than most furniture, wasn’t big enough for Earvin (Magic) Johnson’s kingdom, a modern Mediterranean-style manse in secluded Beverly Park (now on the market for $6.32 million while Johnson looks for a bigger place to raise his sons, Andre and Earvin III). So Michael Kreiss, president and chief executive officer of the company, arranged to have all of Johnson’s furniture and most of his accessories adjusted to the superstar’s dimensions. “We wanted to do everything slightly bigger,” Kreiss says, “so that nothing would be out of proportion, including him.”
For the living room sofas, Johnson was measured as if he was buying a pair of trousers, from the inseam down to the floor. Kreiss came up with 34-inch-deep cushions and nine-foot-long sofas that allow his client to stretch out comfortably. For regular-size folk, says Magic’s wife, Earletha (Cookie) Johnson, there are plenty of pillows for sitting “all scrunched up.” The seating is complemented by larger-than-normal coffee and end tables. Even the stems on the wrought-iron floor lamps were doubled in size.
In the dining room, the ivory travertine table measures 5 by 12 feet and stands 34 inches tall (standard height is about 30 inches). At more than 2,000 pounds, it had to be assembled on site, the top cemented to the base. For each alder chair, four inches were added to the seat height and seat back. When the Johnsons have basketball friends over for dinner, the furniture is just right. “We bring in cushions” for shorter guests, Cookie says.
The rest of the richly textured, monochromatic interior was pumped up as well. The custom-woven Berber carpet features knots 25% larger than normal, and the plantation shutters are 5 1/2 inches wide instead of the more typical 3 to 4 1/2 inches. Magic says the overall result was a residence perfectly tailored to its occupant: “I have a house that truly fits me.”