Tag Archives: Architecture

Architecture

McClean Design Book Launch on Blue Jay Way

April 14, 2019 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

McClean Design Book Launch Party at 1536 Blue Jay Way, Los Angeles, Ca.

I recently attended the McClean Design book launch party on Blue Jay Way… wow. I don’t know how I got on this mailing list, but I sure hope they invite me back for more events!!

To be honest, I didn’t know who Paul McClean was, or anything about his design firm started in 2000. That’s all changed. Now I’m a huge fan, and I’m convinced I’ve seen his stellar work, even though I may not have known it was his.

I happily purchased his book at the event, and stood in line for an autograph with other supporters of Contemporary Architecture. He was super sweet and very kind. I also met so many other wonderful people at this party, including other architects, interior designers, landscape designers and P.R. people. It’s safe to say that I’ve found my peeps.

To prepare for this blog post I spent the better part of this evening reading through the book and looking at his work. What I love about the book is that he explains his process, including working with clients, city building regulations and restrictions, the evolution of the project, and what the ultimate focal point is. I didn’t realize how restrictive certain areas are in the Hollywood Hills when it comes to building guidelines, but it makes sense because no one wants to lose their multimillion dollar view. Water is used brilliantly through out his projects to reflect the sky, and often block out the home beyond the property. Frequently those bodies of water may fall into lower level water features at basement level, to reflect light into the home. In many areas you’re only allowed to build one level, or 16 feet, and everything else has to be below that, translates to a basement that doesn’t feel like a basement. Lush materials are used through out the projects, with lots of thought given to the warmth or coolness of the materials and how they’ll also reflect the light.

The home featured above is currently listed with Hilton & Hyland for about $24 million: 1536 Blue Jay Lane . It features 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, and over 10,00 square feet of living space. If you decide to purchase it, feel free to invite me back over for cocktails…

And of course I took a silly bathroom selfie, cause those marble bathroom walls are crazy amazing!

McClean Design

Book available on Amazon

Architecture, Interior Design

Spanish meets Modern at 6667 Maryland Blvd in Beverly Grove

October 7, 2018 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Spanish meets Modern at 6667 Maryland Blvd, Beverly Grove, Photo Romi Cortier — Spanish meets Modern at 6667 Maryland Blvd, Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

I love this fresh take on Spanish meeting Modernism at 6667 Maryland Blvd, in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles. To be honest, Spanish architecture has never really been my thing, unless it’s elaborate and ornate with a little Churrigueresque (Spanish Baroque) detail. That said, the paired down simplicity of this newly built home with smooth white stucco, black trim details, and matte gold light fixtures, makes a super strong statement. I happened to be walking by while they were wrapping up construction and it stopped me in my tracks. The garden details include black mulch, a large olive tree, and drought resistant xeriscape, keeping the vibe fresh and clean. I made a note to head back on their first open house, and heres some of what I found…

A central staircase with mod lighting from Restoration Hardware, connecting all three floors. Yes, this home has a basement, which is highly unusual in the this neighborhood. But, since the building code only allows for the structure to take up about 41 percent of the surface area of the lot, extra square footage can be added via the basement, while keeping the home consistent with the other homes in the neighborhood. This translates to no mansionization. Yay! Scale is everything.

A beautiful dining room with more smart mod lighting from Restoration Hardware.

A beautiful sleek high end kitchen with Miele appliances hidden in plain sight behind dark wood veneers.

That very bright basement with an outdoor patio space and a full on media room.

Some of the most amazing bathrooms full of texture and warm materials.

Each bathroom was a little bit different, but still worked as a whole.

And then there’s the sexiest master bathroom ever, with two separate sides…

His and his, hers and hers, his and hers, whatever the case, I’m obsessed and can’t stop thinking about the beautiful simplicity of this room with rich matte gold details.

And of course the massive walk in shower in the master…

I know what you’re thinking, how much will all of this beauty cost? A lot, about 4.3 million. Some of the other features in this home includes: 4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a pool, a large walk in closet in the master bedroom, a linear fireplace, Restoration Hardware lighting throughout, 4,473 square feet of living space on a 6,100 square foot lot.

Listing Agent: Adi Livyatan 818 919-4060

Team Contact: Mina Garrett at 818 355-3635

Listing

Architecture, Fun

A Hancock Park Halloween

October 29, 2017 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Hancock Park Halloween, 2017, Photo Romi Cortier — Halloween in Hancock Park, 2017, Photo Romi Cortier

Halloween in Hancock Park, 2017, Photo Romi Cortier

A Hancock Park Halloween, 2017, Photo Romi Cortier — Halloween in Hancock Park, 2017, Photo Romi Cortier

Halloween in Hancock Park is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. If you’re not familiar with Hancock Park, and neighboring Windsor Square, it’s because it’s one of LA’s best kept secrets.

The affluent neighborhood was founded in the early 1920’s by developer – philanthropist George Allan Hancock, and includes roughly 1200 homes. The homes tend to be architecturally significant, sitting on palatial lots, frequently with guest homes and pools tucked behind them. And when it comes to Halloween, these magnificent homes are frequently decorated to the nines. Why? Because trick or treaters come flocking to these homes by the thousands… and I’m not exaggerating. I’ve seen it first hand year after year.

The magic starts at sundown, with the youngest goblins strolling in. As the moon rises in the night sky, the streets get more and more crowded. The lines outside each home can be 50 to 100 deep, with zombie cheerleaders, biker babies and little mermaids filling their bags with some of the best candy south of Melrose avenue. One of my clients who lives in the neighborhood told me he spends on average of $500 a year, or more, on candy. With numbers like that, maybe I should be donning a mask and making the rounds too… kidding. Seriously tho, It’s so much fun to see so many happy faces making the rounds, awed by the Disney-esk mansions. Maybe someday when they’re older, they’ll come to truly appreciate theses grand Mediterranean and Spanish Revival homes for their architecture… but for now, it’s all about the Candy.

Happy Halloween!!

Interior Design

Artful Living with Romi Cortier is here!

September 21, 2017 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

I’m thrilled to announce the debut of my new TV pilot Artful Living with Romi Cortier! The concept has been years in the making, inspired by my multiple DIY mural making videos on Youtube, of which I have over 1,500,000 views. Yes, that’s 1 1/2 million views!!

Artful Living with Romi Cortier is a celebration of Art, Architecture and Interior Design. As an artist and a purveyor of good taste, I want to focus on what’s right and beautiful in this world. There is so much to be explored, and that’s our concept for this show. Interviews with designers, artists, architects, scholars, all threaded together by the history of the built environment. Art Deco, Hollywood Regency, Post Modernism… they’re all words we’ve heard, but what do they really mean? I’ll help you understand that in my show, and I’ll also show you some fun DIY tricks for things that you can do around your own home.

Romi Cortier and Coco, aka Malibu Pom on the set of Artful Living, Photo Recio Carrington Young

And did I happen to mention that my co-host is the cutest white Pomeranian you’ve ever seen? Her name is Coco, aka Malibu Pom, which is the name of her Instagram page. (Hey, this is Hollywood and all the cool pups here have their own Instagram accounts). But what’s even more fun is that she actually LOVES riding around in the car with the top down, cruising Rodeo Drive and brunching at Villa Blanca. If there’s a camera around you can bet Coco has a smile on her face… and with that cute mug she makes friends everywhere she goes.

Coco, aka Malibu Pom, Rodeo Drive, Photo Jacob Kelso

In this pilot episode you’ll learn a little bit about the history of Palm Springs and some of the hallmarks of mid-century modernism. You’ll also see a beautiful mid-century inspired table setting that I created, which was done in front of a mural that I’d painted earlier that day. The Mural was inspired by the drawings of Saul Lewitt whose work I’d seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I like to think of Op Art (optical illusion art) as an art movement that dovetails nicely with mid-century modernism, because it has it roots in the early 1960’s.

Romi Cortier on the set of Artful Living, Palm Springs, Ca., Photo Recio Carrington Young.

Here’s a close up look at a few of the details on the table. The plates with the platinum dots are from my personal collection of Bernardaud (fine china from France), and the crystal glass is by Reed and Barton available at Bloomingdales.

Table setting for Artful Living with Bernardaud plates and glasses by Reed and Barton. Photos Jacob Kelso

Here are our two cameramen making the magic happen while on set in Palm Springs: Willy Lazlo and Jacob Kelso… it takes a village, especially when it’s over 100 degrees!

Cameramen Willy Lazlo and Jacob Kelso, Romi Cortier, and Coco, Palm Springs, Ca., Photo Recio Carrington Young — Cameramen Willy Lazlo and Jacob Kelso, Romi Cortier, and Coco aka Malibu Pom, Palm Springs, Ca., Photo Recio Carrington Young

And lastly, here’s a great photo from our wrap party with our editors Antone Hammers and Amanda Bliss Taylor. They were hands down an extraordinary duo. Antone was our story editor and created the rough cut, and Amanda created the finished product complete with a final polish. And most importantly, meet our producer Recio Carrington Young of Red Carpet Recio Productions. He pulled together this amazing team, spent countless hours with our editors choosing music, directing cuts, and creating the overall tone of the show.

Antone Hammers, Romi Cortier, Coco aka Malibu Pom, Recio Carrington Young, and Amanda Bliss Taylor. Artful Living wrap party, Beverly Hills, Ca.

We’d really love your support and hope you’ll check out the pilot while it’s available on Go Indie TV. Please follow the link below to watch the entire 22 minute pilot for free.

Artful Living with Romi Cortier

Architecture

Seeing Red in LA…

July 3, 2017 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

Formosa Cafe, Los Angeles, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier

WAX, Los Angeles, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier

PDC, West Hollywood, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

Peterson Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier

Tommy’s Express Carwash, Los Angeles, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

OWN, Los Angeles, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

Domain Lobby, Los Angeles, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

There’s an exciting new design trend happening in Los Angeles… RED!

This color isn’t for the faint of heart. From a psychological point of view, red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination, passion, desire and love. Physiologically, it enhances human metabolism, increases the respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It also attracts attention more than any other color and often times signifies danger. So why use red for the exterior of a building?

The use of the color red for interiors and exteriors can be traced back to the roaring 1920’s. The Formosa Cafe, founded in 1925, started out in a red trolley car. Today, while currently closed, the historically protected building still sports a red exterior. And Bullocks Wilshire, one of the cities most important art deco buildings, features this amazing geometric red paneled ceilings in one of its upstairs offices.

Bullocks Wilshire interior office, Los Angeles, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier

During the last forty to fifty years, red was reserved for things like signage and neon as a way to grab your attention while driving by. The colors red, orange and yellow were also frequently used in fast food, or quick service establishments, as a way to move their patrons through quickly. Remember the days of seeing a red stripe at eye level around a beige or tan room? It was known to quicken your heart rate, and keep you from feeling to comfortable. So you’d eat your burgers and fries quickly, and keep it pushing.

Red is considered a primary color, along with yellow and blue. And if you think about it, you rarely see any building exteriors in a primary color. That said, times are changing. Maybe it’s a desire to stand out in a world that feels a bit to monochromatic. Or maybe it has something to do with the development of new materials that can withstand fading from the increasing warm sunny days in Southern California. Whatever the case, I think it’s trend worth taking notice of. That said, I sure would love to hear from people who work across the street from one of these buildings. Are they more productive than sister locations that don’t look at red buildings? Are tensions higher in these types of offices? Do the employees have better love lives?

When it comes to red, the one thing that never gets old in LA, is a red carpet! They conjure up a sense of excitement and anticipation. The Beverly Hills Hotel in recent years installed a permanent massive red carpet to welcome its guests. From a branding point of view, it’s quite brilliant. Whenever I take friends and family there, they’re always wowed and can’t wait to have their photo taken on it… myself included. We live in a world of social media, where photo ops are worth their weight in gold.

Where Art Inspires Beauty