Brentwood II

For the Brentwood project, Brent and the clients first had to imagine a weekend in which parenting was no longer a priority. The couple wanted to enjoy one another’s company and to reconnect with friends and family. Brent adds that the husband is an avid wine collector. In response, the designer made a defining social (and oenophilic) statement at the house’s entry, installing a custom bar in mahogany, bronze, and marble at the foot of the staircase.

“You would never think to put this big architectural moment, a mini kitchen, right where you walk in the door,” Brent says of the opening gambit, which he faced with a furniture vignette to accommodate drinks for two. The pairing of bar and seating also draws a threshold between the entry and a dining area for 10 farther within the house, about which Brent explains, “We were challenged to create a space that unfolds even though it’s [an] open-plan.”

The entertaining-friendly vision is manifested repeatedly thereafter, from the sprawling living room to an equally generously scaled guest room that shows off the golden daylight streaming through the house. “I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the moments in your home that you can tether to a memory,” Brent says of the multiple spaces for fun and togetherness.

Brent specifically expanded his design vocabulary in the dining area thanks to the Apparatus pendant that the smitten husband and wife had purchased. Considering the home more widely, he cites his use of ochres and dusky jewel tones as a big step forward. “My concern with color has always been about making sure it’s timeless,” he says of his characteristic palette of warm neutrals.