West Hollywood condo with a ribbon on top
Aya Sumika at the Crate & Barrel dining table, also used for work. An inspiration board may seem like an unlikely choice for a dining area, but if you’re spending much time there, it makes sense. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
The two-bedroom West Hollywood condo of Aya Sumika, one of the stars of “Numb3rs,” and her husband, Trevor John, an illustrator, has taken on touches from their recently purchased venture Midori Ribbon, the luxury gift wrap firm that Sumika’s mother founded.
In Sumika and John’s unusually wide entrance hall, a large Crate & Barrel mirror framed in reclaimed wood fills a niche with metal crowns from Pom Pom Interiors. Reflected in the mirror: A wall of family photos and wedding portraits in a mix of frames, some snagged at Ross. “I wanted to do shades of brown and metals and mix Old World with new,” she says. “To create something sexy and romantic and earthy.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
The chandelier in the entry hallway is Italian glass. “I had a hard time finding lighting I really liked,” Sumika says. “I did a lot of late-night trawling on EBay and 1stdibs and really splurged.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
To create a powder room that had a sexy evening vibe, Sumika and decorator Elizabeth Knapp landed on a hand-painted wall covering from de Gournay and painted the ceiling black. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
By contrast, Sumika and John’s master bath with bone inlay bench has a more Mediterranean feeling. “It was empty, a little cavelike, generic and condo-ish,” Sumika says. “We had to disguise and distract from that so we replaced the faucets and added crystal knobs on the cabinets and a chandelier over the tub, which looks random and cool.” “Storage was a problem,” Sumika says, so they added shelves around the tub. “This gives us plenty of space for towels.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
“I’m a neat freak. My husband is a clean freak,” Sumika says. Even so, Indigo is allowed on the bed in the master. The bedside table on the left is from Anthropologie; on the right, a more traditional style found at JCPenney. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
“We wanted to have a dash of French rose garden,” says Sumika of the wallpaper, a magnolia print from the Patina collection by Cole and Son. Her philosophy behind the bold choice? “Take a risk and do what feels good to you,” she says. “Wallpaper is like a tattoo, it can be wild, but you better love it.” The headboard was a steal from the now-defunct Brocade Home catalog; it was repainted.
Above the headboard, the small paper ornament is a gift from a Japanese temple given to Sumika from her mother. “It’s wishing good luck and an easy birth,” she says. “I had Misa at home.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
A dress form next to a mirrored dresser from Z Gallerie serves as a jewelry display for Sumika in the master bedroom. “I love the wall color” her husband says of the Dunn Edwards shade, Glimpse of Pink. “I like sleeping more in a feminine room. It feels more relaxing and cleaner.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Sumika holds daughter Misa on a custom scallop-backed couch reminiscent of 1940s styles. Through the doorway, a bar and cabinets for entertaining and, beyond that, the second bedroom, which was decorated to her husband’s tastes. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
“I just wanted that one room with the stuff I love,” John says. “The resin hands on the wall are all me. I’m a big Surrealist fan.” Next to it, another tweak: John replaced sliding mirror closet doors with linen-covered cork boards to create a wall for favorite snapshots. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
At around 175 square feet, the second bedroom serves many purposes, including a place where the couple can practice meditation. The custom sofa is deep enough for guests to sleep on, and slim custom bookshelves provide for storage. “We were tight on space in some areas so we designed pieces to fit,” designer Knapp says.
The room also has a changing table for Misa. “We bought it from Target, when we didn’t know if she would be a boy or girl, so everything we bought was black,” Sumika says. The walls are painted in Dunn-Edwards’ Soft Charcoal. The large painting is by John. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
The home-work station is an old Italian craftsman’s table, with a built-in vise on one end. The shelves holding inspiration binders and Midori samples were made from reclaimed wood to match the desk, and the bulletin board was made to fit the space. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Sumika and John keep markers and scissors in recycled aluminum cups with enameled designs from Viva Terra. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
In the living room, a 1960s vintage mirror console from Pegaso Gallery International (about $3,700) is paired with a reproduction of an antique shield-back chair that designer Knapp had made by a furniture fabricator for $1,500, a price that was significantly less than the original. The paneled media console in the background was a bargain by comparison – about $600 at Oasis Imports in Malibu. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
The velvet sofa and pillows were made from fabrics found at the Pacific Design Center. “The living room is really supposed to be about one thing,” Sumika says. “Comfort.” Indigo clearly agrees. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
An enclosed patio was a big draw for Sumika and John, enjoying breakfast at a vintage metal dinette. Sumika planted an all-white floral garden -- “slightly overgrown and wild” -- with gardenias, jasmine, hydrangea and plumeria. The frilly market umbrella was custom made, but L.A. at Home has featured a similar design from Santa Barbara Umbrella.
More tours: Southern California homes in pictures (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)