MODERN LUXURY INTERIORS - See How This Beverly Hills Post Office Home Makes a Come Back

With a keen eye and an innate sartorial sense, Amanda Leigh and Taylor Hahn of House of Rolison help a hodgepodge Beverly Hills Post Office home find its way.

Amanda Leigh and Taylor Hahn of House of Rolison transformed a hodgepodge Beverly Hills Post Office home into a cozy transitional beauty. Although they updated the layout and many foundational elements, several of the home’s original features were kept in place and restored, including the fireplaces and the wood beams, which were stripped and restained. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

A mix of vintage and new pieces from CB2 and Lulu and Georgia fill the living room. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

THE PROJECT

With a nonsensical floorplan and a mish-mash of styles, it’s no wonder a 1950s home in the Beverly Hills Post Office neighborhood wasn’t appealing to buyers. “This home had been sitting on the market for a really long time,” says Amanda Leigh, managing partner at House of Rolison, the L.A.-based design, development and construction team she runs with life partner Taylor Hahn. But the duo saw potential: They decided to purchase the home—a main house and large ADU—bring it back to life with a cohesive look, feel and layout, and eventually put it back on the market.

The family room houses the Zuri coffee table by Madegoods from Clayton Gray Home, the Jessie midcentury sofa from Kathy Kuo Home, vintage and CB2 accent chairs, and Crate & Barrel’s Honore oak wood media console. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

THE PROCESS

Inside, Leigh and Hahn took down walls in some places and added them in others. “The kitchen was originally a galley kitchen, so we removed that wall and did a peninsula,” says Hahn, who notes that the primary bedroom didn’t have a wall. “It was basically a large loft which is very weird,” she says. The team added a wall in that space, but ended up using an archway between the main floor’s two living rooms, which initially had a wall separating them. “We hate removing too much wall because it can feel like a ‘developer special,’” Leigh says.

Taylor Hahn and Amanda Leigh of House of Rolison. PHOTOGRAPHED BY GAVIN CATER

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After determining the layout, the team laid nine-inch white oak flooring throughout and painted the walls in Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee shade. They also took time to restore the ceiling beams, coated in thick white paint. “We hired a whole team to sandblast many layers of paint off,” says Leigh, who notes the difficulty of removing the paint without destroying the wood. The team also added skylights, preserved the original stained glass and redid the wood paneling inside.

The design team transformed the former galley kitchen into a stunning open space complete with Crema Marfil and Viola marble, custom oak cabinetry, sculptural counter stools and a striking Trueing chandelier. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

THE DETAILS

The large main floor contains a more formal living room and a more casual family room or den—both are filled with a mix of new and vintage pieces sourced by Pride of Place. The dining room’s unusual shape called for a custom dining table by House of Rolison, which the team surrounded with Katarina dining chairs from Gingerwood.

House of Rolison created a custom dining table for the unusually shaped room, surrounded by Katarina dining chairs from Gingerwood Home and crowned with CB2’s Corvina chandelier, designed by Balutto Associati. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

The raised tub is the centerpiece of the primary bathroom, where House of Rolison integrated Viola Mocha marble throughout. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

One of the home’s more unusual features is a hidden door beside the staircase—a result of redoing the wood wall paneling in that area. “We didn’t want to stop the paneling,” Says Hahn. “I wanted to wrap the whole area, and who doesn’t love a secret door?” The door leads down to a bonus room, which can be anything from a theater to a bedroom to an extra space for entertaining.

A secret door at the bottom of the staircase leads to a bonus room. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

Located off the foyer, the jewel-box powder room is painted in Benjaman Moore’s earthy Nicolson Red shade. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

The jewel box kitchen is filled with chic touches: Creme Marfil and Viola marbles, hardware from San Diego Hardware and Plank Hardware, appliances from ILVE Nostalgie and Fisher & Paykel and unique counter stools from Pride of Place.

Speaking of marble, the showstopping primary bathroom is a vision in Viola Mocha marble. “We wanted the stone to travel around the bathroom,” says Leigh, who highlights the raised tub and reworked RH vanity. “We took the top off, raised the bottom, wrapped it all in stone and put it back together,” she says.

The primary bedroom was originally a carpeted lofted area without defined walls. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

Located on a quiet, tree-lined street, the property has views of the city and the ocean. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

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THE OUTCOME

Leigh and Hahn were in love with the final project, which took about six months to complete and sold quickly for $700,000 over the asking price. “We’re pretty grateful,” says Leigh. “People know how much we put into these homes, how we take them apart, reconstruct them and make sure everything in the walls is just as solid and well thought out as what’s outside the walls.”

The design team tried several exterior paint colors before settling on a deep gray shade that complimented the home’s original red brick. PHOTOGRAPHED BY NILS TIMM

DESIGN DETAILS

TYPE
Single-Family Home

LOCATION
Beverly Hills Post Office

INTERIOR DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, CARPENTRY & PLUMBING
House of Rolison
houseofrolison.com

FURNITURE, DECOR AND ARTWORK CURATION
Pride of Place
prideofplacedesign.com

RESOURCES

BENJAMIN MOORE
Paint throughout
benjaminmoore.com

CB2
Dining room chandelier; family room accent chair
cb2.com

CLAYTON GRAY HOME
Family room Zuri coffee table by Made Goods
claytongrayhome.com

GINGERWOOD
Dining room Katarina chairs
gingerwoodhome.com

KATHY KUO HOME
Family room Jessie sofa
kathykuohome.com

OLIVE ATELIERS
Decor throughout
oliveateliers.com

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