L.A. Digs: Printed Palace
Turns out a flair for interior design runs in Corey Lynn Calter’s blood. “My mother was an interior decorator,” said the Los Angeles-based designer over coffee on a recent brisk Sunday morning. “So I grew up around so many patterns and fabrics and textures.”
It goes without saying that the environs in Calter’s current pad — which features theatrical groupings of classical pieces mixed with an extensive modern art collection that includes works by Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons and Doug Aiken — would definitely make Mom proud. Though it must be noted that Calter’s take runs slightly helter-skelter to her mother’s traditional taste: “There’s a really traditional side of me,” said Calter, “mixed with my inner punk-rock child.”
Calter — whose eponymous 10-year-old clothing line has always mixed flirty, vintage prints with punky hallmarks — shares her split-level Spanish-style home (nestled on a tree-lined street in the East Hollywood Hills) with her husband, artist Glenn Kaino, and their two daughters Sadie, 5 and Stella, 2.
Of course, having kiddos also affects the home’s aesthetic. “Well, we wanted a library with a ladder and shelves up to the ceiling to house all of my husbands beautiful art books," she noted. "Instead it’s a playroom for the kids — we just can’t live in a precious, pristine home.”
So what happens when there’s Sharpie marks on the sofa? Calter remains easy-breezy. “Well, the cushions can be flipped," she said, laughing. "Everything can be recovered. And in my mind, I get to have my all-white house made of glass.”
GIRL POWER: Corey Lynn and Sadie sit picture-perfect, while Stella shows off her best monster face.
GOLD RUSH: A painted credenza found at a yard sale anchors the rear of the dining room. It's topped with a tableau of found objects and a metallic Jeff Koons plate — a multiple edition.
SUBVERSIVE ELEGANCE: Calter achieves the perfect balance of drama and whimsy by blending feminine furniture, carefully hung selections from the couple’s contemporary art collection and a bevy of off-kilter chairs. “My husband says it looks like a chair store in here," she said. "I have this thing where I obsess over all these weird chairs on eBay. I think, I’ll never win them, and then of course, I do.”
PRETTY IN PINK: Five-year-old Sadie’s bedroom features a kitschy kitchenette play area, a window seat filled with stuffed animals and a mini-mesh canopy created by Sadie herself.
RENAISSANCE MAN: Two of Kaino’s guitars sit beside a mounted piece from from a model series he created.
OLD SCHOOL: French doors with stained glass windows flood the living room with light. The golden rams' head coffee table resting on a sheepskin rug? A perfect example of Calter’s unorthodox aesthetic approach.
Before throwing down on big-ticket items, Calter recommends investing in a floor plan. “I think the amount of money and hassle that you save in getting a floor plan — so that you get the essential pieces like the right-sized sofa or the right-sized chest of drawers — is well worth it," she said. "Especially in California, where they have this thing for big furniture. You go into these stores and everything is the same scale. You won’t really know how big the piece is until you get it out of there.”