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Katie Hodges Interiors with Soul
The projects of Los Angeles-based interior designer Katie Hodges reflect a timeless aesthetic that combines refined and casual, bohemian and glamour, and classic and modern style
Katie Hodges became an interior designer by chance.
“While I was in college pursuing a career in the medical field (to appease my parents), I worked as a personal assistant to an incredible woman building her dream home,” she recalls.
“This was my first encounter with construction and interior design, and it enamored me! After working together for a few months, the owner noticed I had a good design eye, and before I knew it, I was her personal shopper and home organizer. She encouraged me to continue developing my skills and consider a career in design.”
This experience convinced Hodges to quit her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and follow her passion for design, starting out as intern for a small firm.
During that time, she spent her nights learning all the techniques from AutoCAD drafting to Photoshop to InDesign until she was hired as a full-time assistant one year later.
A fast learner and creative thinker, Hodges launched her eponymous interior design firm in Los Angeles four years ago, offering a personalized approach to every project including residential design, construction (new build and remodels), custom furnishings and architectural consulting.
“My favorite part of the job is that it’s both creative and technical,” she says. “The drafting and construction process keeps the left side of my brain occupied, while selecting furnishings, tiles and colors fulfills my creative right brain.”
Earth tones and natural textures characterize Hodges’s warm aesthetic. Sage green, gray, beige and black evoke a sense of timelessness and help her create spaces that feel comfortable and cozy. “Right now, I am really into playing with a deep eggplant color and camel leather,” she adds.
Nestled in an Art Deco building from the 1930s, one of the Los Angeles apartments Hodges designed combines references to the Spanish architecture and laid-back California influences. In the living room adorned with arches, ceiling beams, a plaster fireplace and a Tiffany-glass window, Hodges focused on a neutral color palette while selecting textural elements and eclectic vintage pieces of furniture such as the black leather safari chairs (sourced online from Denmark), a wooden folk chair and a kilim rug, among others touches.
“My main source of inspiration comes from the city of Los Angeles. There is so much architectural diversity that’s globally influenced—Spanish, English, Moroccan, French… It’s all here,” says Hodges, who observes everything around her and likes to surround herself with design books.
She always keeps an eye on online resources including Pinterest and Instagram and, when asked about her dream project, gives a straightforward answer: “A beachside original Colonial or Spanish with large steel windows.”
Fascinated by the charm of historic properties, Hodges infuses warmth and personality into the spaces that she reinvents for today. katiehodgesdesign.com
Photographs: courtesy of Amy Bartlam
Heavenly Havens
A global firm known for reimagining paradise creates lush island idylls
VITA Planning and Landscape Architecture has been envisioning and creating luxury resorts and residential communities for almost 17 years. Among the number of high-end projects in Hawaii in the global firm’s portfolio include a duo of private beach and golf club communities on the Big Island, as well as a redo of a longtime Maui resort—all boasting classic and traditional cultural elements combined with a modern aesthetic. Think natural and site-appropriate environments dotted with touches of artistic expression.
“We’re extremely sensitive to the social, cultural and environmental scenario of every project,” says Nick Vita, who works alongside his father and founder, Don Vita, as chief operating officer of the San Francisco-based firm, which also completes projects throughout the Continental U.S. and Caribbean islands.
“What we shoot for, and feel is important, is that the landscape and the community doesn’t feel like it’s been designed, but it feels like it’s always been there. We have a passion for place and community and a reverence for the environment.”
The 450-acre private resort of Kohanaiki features a private Beach Club nestled among natural anchialine ponds and historic beach-front sites
Case in point: a pair of Big Island developments, where the firm is creating new environments to blend with the existing natural lava fields and shoreline, all while remaining sensitive to the fabric of the community. Hallmarks of the 700-acre Kukio Beach and Golf Club on the North Kona Coast include preserved shoreline ponds, archaeological sites and parks, and a pedestrian/golf cart trail network that allows homeowners to walk barefoot from their backyards to the beach area.
Meanwhile, at the 450-acre private resort of Kohanaiki, VITA has been working to deliver the Rees Jones golf course, public park along the 1.5-mile shoreline and private Beach Club nestled among natural anchialine ponds and historic beach-front sites. The firm also recently completed work on downtown Honolulu’s Park Lane Ala Moana—a 7.3-acre community featuring eight residential buildings enveloped by lush, tropical landscaping and courtyards—and currently is helping revamp the popular Makena resort in Maui, complete with a 72,000-square-foot Beach Club organized around a central courtyard water garden.
“We’re well-known for bringing the most to any given project based on the natural limits we have to work with,” says Vita. “In addition to that, we have a very sound and holistic understanding of the real estate business and a passion for art. When you marry these four aspects together—culture, art, environment and business—we’ve found a community endures. In doing this, we’ve strived to help the luxury market experience the soul of Hawaii in an authentic way.”
Written by Wendy Bowman
Photographs: courtesy of VITA Planning and Landscape Architecture
Kelly Hoppen and a New Collection for Restoration Hardware
Designer Kelly Hoppen MBE brings au courant appeal to a new textile collection for Restoration Hardware
In designing a new collection of textiles for Restoration Hardware, London-based Kelly Hoppen MBE has brought her sense of easy elegance to one of the most beloved homewares brands on the planet. Graceful and smart, the line of pillows are given to the organic beauty and informal refinement that characterizes Hoppen’s work and the contemporary aesthetic.
At the height of design, Hoppen has designed homes, jets and yachts for private clients worldwide, but this is her first launch for RH. Which is a bit hard to believe. A look at the line and one immediately senses collaborators with complementary styles; Hoppen with her use of mixed materials, texture and graphic attraction, and RH with its harmonious sophistication and holistically appointed environments
For Kelly Hoppen, “Design is full circle, so fashion, product and interior design, and architecture are all one in the same for me… it’s a creative process,” says the self-taught designer. “My range of soft furnishings for RH is an embodiment of my East meets West design philosophy and I absolutely loved creating this new range with a brand that I absolutely adore.”
So if the line of pillows appears worldly, that’s entirely by design. “Everywhere I visit, I’m inspired by the people, the culture, the food, the sounds and smells, the landscape, the buildings, the beaches, and this translates through into my designs,” continues Hoppen. “These furnishings create soft and sumptuous places to curl up and relax and are perfect for every home.”
Newly launched and neutrally hued, the line is plenty plush. Pillows are fashioned from quality materials (pure linen, soft suede, supple leather) and meticulously detailed with monochromatic appliqués, satin stitching, precise pleats, pintucking, and banding. Offered in an array of sizes and with any-space suitability, the collection defines new modern with a season-less essence that resonates so well in Los Angeles.
Luckily, the collection is available here too, at Restoration Hardware stores throughout L.A., including RH West Hollywood, the Gallery on Melrose Avenue (8564 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA, 90069). restorationhardware.com, kellyhoppeninteriors.com
Schuyler Samperton puts her stamp on the design world
Touted tastemaker Schuyler Samperton puts her stamp on the design world—and an exuberant textile line
L.A.-based interior designer Schuyler Samperton never had a master plan, but always followed her instincts.
“When I was little,” says Schuyler Samperton, the lilt in her voice as lovely as the story she tells, “I would play decorator with samples that my father, an architect, brought home from his office.” Design has always been part of my life.”
Cut from the same cloth as her father, Samperton studied art history with thoughts of a career at Christie’s or Sotheby’s before segueing into the music business and working as a publicist for Fox. Then she met designer Michael S. Smith and he offered her a job.
Two weeks later, she inherited design projects; four years after that, Schuyler Samperton (by then a design manager at the firm) left to start her own company with a co-worker. In 2007, she went solo, and her work has been splashed in the pages of Vogue Living, Elle Décor, Architectural Digest and more.
Celebrated for the elegant, easy aesthetic she employs to transform high-end residential and commercial spaces from coast to coast, Samperton’s comfort zone exists somewhere between these geographies.
Originally from Washington DC, she maintains a house on an island in Maine, a tiny apartment in Miami, and heads her firm in Los Angeles; she designs in all vernaculars and brings a heightened sense of multidimensionality to her work, allowing a project’s specific environment to dictate its character.
Samperton has never fully shed her East Coast side; in fact she rather flaunts it, a Sister Parish for the modern day, with the grand dame’s sensibility for curated flourish.
“I love wallpaper. I love worn rugs. I love pattern on pattern and creating a mood with beautiful lighting—that’s what really feeds my soul,” says Schuyler Samperton.
“I love spaces like that,” particularly if the space is a cozy library. “Oh, that’s sort of my favorite little spot,” she adds, drawing a picture in words. “Wallpaper, a nice fireplace, a pretty rug, tons of art on the walls, a bunch of pillows—that to me is like heaven.”
A version of heaven is exactly what Samperton creates for her sophisticated clientele. “I went through a point where I had a lot of single men as clients,” she laughs. “It was quite an adventurous bunch for a while, which was really fun because they sort of let me do whatever I wanted. I remember saying to one, ‘I’m just feeling a total Big Sur moment, and he said, ‘I love it, just do it.’”
In 2017, the designer launched Schuyler Samperton Textiles with eight patterns in rapturous colorways. Her mother’s scarves inspired some motifs; one is named for the street of her childhood home. Not one to be in a holding pattern, Samperton is currently at work on a 1920’s remodel in Los Feliz, a place for a prominent TV show actress, an apartment for the screenwriters of American Graffiti and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and a jewelry store showroom. It’s a lot, she concedes, but like the spaces she designs, “always something different.” samperton.com
The Penthouse Collection at Metropolis
Penthouse Collection: A new collection of eight marquee penthouses rise up in the heart of DTLA
The continuing resurgence of Downtown L.A. as a hot investment market has led the way for some of the city’s tallest, most luxurious projects. Chief among them is Metropolis Los Angeles, Greenland USA’s mixed-use development consisting of four towers replete with more than 70,000 square feet of retail space, top-of-the-line residences and unparalleled amenities.
The crown jewel of the property? The Penthouse Collection at Metropolis atop the 38-story Tower 1, with eight newly completed two-story homes presenting breathtaking jetliner views from Griffith Park and the San Gabriel Mountains to the coastline and beyond.
“In recent years, Downtown has emerged as one of the most vibrant communities in L.A., with a host of great dining, entertainment and cultural destinations including L.A. Live, Staples Center and The Financial District,” says Mike Leipart, managing partner of The Agency Development Group, who is leading the sales and marketing efforts at Metropolis and is working in partnership with James Harris and David Parnes to co-list the penthouses. “With the addition of great neighborhood amenities—including Whole Foods, big-box retailers and boutique fitness studios—professionals who previously worked in Downtown and commuted can now comfortably call DTLA home.”
The Jean-Gabriel Neukomm-designed Penthouse Collection includes four two-bedroom and four three-bedroom residences ranging from 1,735 square feet to 3,534 square feet, with prices from $2.194 million to $6.388 million. Interiors for the contemporary, two-story homes have been crafted by Harley Ellis Devereaux and Hirsch Bedner Associates, with first-class touches including floor-to-ceiling windows, automated shades, Caesarstone countertops, Miele and Bosch appliances, wine fridges, solid oak flooring, Toto and Waterworks bath features, and Nest Learning Thermostats.
Expect expansive floor plans that separate gathering and entertaining spaces from sleeping areas, with stand-out features including great rooms with towering window walls and open, gourmet kitchens, and opulent master suites with sweeping vistas, spa-style baths and walk-in closets.
Among the amenities and services: a 24-hour lobby attendant and dedicated concierge, and a clubhouse with indoor lounge and chef’s kitchen, resort pool with Jacuzzi, cabanas and lounge. A sky park boasts fire pits, a barbecue area, fitness and yoga studio, game and screening rooms, a meditation garden and a dog park with bathing station.
“The Penthouse Collection at Metropolis presents a unique opportunity for those seeking the finest in luxury living high above all Downtown L.A. has to offer,” says Leipart. “These penthouses will raise the bar of luxury living in Downtown L.A., and we are honored to bring them to market.”
Penthouse Collection at Metropolis
889 Francisco St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
855.657.8300 | metropolislosangles.com
Photographs: Courtesy of Metropolis
Norton Simon Museum Stages an Exhibit of Ellsworth Kelly’s Lithographs
Uncommon Bond
Norton Simon Museum stages an exhibit of artist Ellsworth Kelly’s lithographs
In the 1960s, artist Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015) started creating lithographic prints. At the time the American artist was midway through a successful art career and had confined himself to sketches and sculpture and painting. His first two collections of lithographs, started at roughly the same time, are a study in contrasts, and how things that appear very different on the surface can have more in common than one might initially think.
Currently on display at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Line & Color: The Nature of Ellsworth Kelly exhibits these two collections side by side: Suite of Twenty-Seven Color Lithographs is a collection of brightly colored abstract works; Suite of Plant Lithographs is a classicist’s study, figurative and sparse, of plants, flowers and fruit.
Photographs (from left) Blue and Orange and Green (Bleu et Orange et Vert), 1964-65 Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-2015), Lithograph on Rives BFK paper, 35-3/8 x 23-7/8 in. (89.9 x 60.3 cm), Norton Simon Museum, Gift of the Artist, P.1969.019, © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Maeght Éditeur; Camellia II, 1964–65 Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-2015), Transfer lithograph on Rives BFK paper 35-3/8 x 24-1/4 in. (89.9 x 61.6 cm), Norton Simon Museum, Gift of the Artist, 1969, P.1969.044, © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Maeght Éditeur
Though visually different, the artist meant for the two collections to mingle. Their connection? The soft geometric shapes of Suite of Twenty-Seven Color Lithographs were informed by the clear-cut lines and silhouettes of the plant lithographs—and vice versa. “Shape and color are my two strong things,” said Kelly in 2012. “And by doing this, drawing plants has always led me into my paintings and my sculptures.”
The different aesthetics of the two collections makes sense given Kelly’s biography, which includes postwar years spent in Paris studying classic art forms—and drawing plants—followed by a return to America in the 1950s that coincided with a burgeoning Abstract Expressionist movement in New York City. It was there that Kelly set up shop in Lower Manhattan alongside Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and others, and his bold, abstract works found a home.
Accompanying the exhibit are two of Kelly’s paintings. At nearly 30 feet long, “White Over Blue” consists of two oversized panels that hand alongside each other, commissioned for Montreal’s Expo 67. The other is “Red Orange White Green Blue,” a collage of five panels joined together to create an unbroken spectrum across the wall. Should one find oneself seeing double, the exhibit runs through Oct. 29.
For More Information: nortonsimon.org
Written by: Constance Dunn
Consort: A Consortium of Design Launches Furniture Collection
Already an A-list favorite, Los Angeles-based interior design studio Consort launches its first furniture collection
Mat Sanders and Brandon Quattrone launched Consort just six years ago. Since then, the studio has become a reference for design connoisseurs. Jessica Alba, Jimmy Kimmel, Ben McKenzie, Nina Dobrev, Shay Mitchell and Sophia Bush are some of the celebrities who have called on Consort, which also works with the trade and all types of customers who are drawn to its casual approach and aesthetic combining California cool and French chic.
Facing growing demand, Sanders and Quattrone took the plunge and opened their first shop in Los Angeles at the end of 2015. The studio is a 2,000-square-foot space on Melrose Avenue with a curated selection of furniture, small decorative items and artworks.
“The internet has been pivotal in growing our design business, and after receiving so many requests for work we weren’t able to take on, we knew we had to open a space to bring our casual-cool look to the homes and spaces of anyone wanting a fashion-forward home without sacrificing comfort and livability,” says Sanders. One success leading to another, the duo launched its second showroom one year later in New York City.
Brandon Quattrone (left) and Mat Sanders (right), founders of Consort
With a consistent approach to design, it rapidly became clear to Sanders and Quattrone that the next step would be to create a furniture collection. In search of inspiration for their new project, the twosome immediately knew that they had to travel to their favorite place in the world: the Paris flea market. There they discovered a leather-bound journal that was their starting point.
“Inspired by this aughts-era tome, we created a furniture collection marrying its modern-day Parisian romp and our undying obsession with French modernism,” says Sanders. Previewed at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) on May 20-23, and available through Consort’s online shop and in its Los Angeles and New York retail spaces starting this summer, the line’s 44 handcrafted pieces, ranging from $550 to $7,500, offer a high level of customization. With 24 finishes (such as wood, lacquer, metal, plaster, glass and leather) and 50 different hues of linens and velvets, literally hundreds of combinations are possible.
Petite Un Accent Table, Lolli chair, Petite Deux Accent Table, Petite Trois Accent Table (from left to right)
“The three big differentiators in our collection are style, customization and price point,” says Sanders. “To celebrate the maker movement, we’ve engaged the country’s premier fabricators to manufacture the pieces all within the U.S. This also offers us the flexibility to fully customize the pieces to the client’s request.”
Focusing on quality and craftsmanship, each piece is made by hand in six to eight weeks across the country. The eye-catching, heart-shaped-back Amour Settee; the timeless, inviting Marcel sofa and the sculptural Petite accent tables—among many other pieces—bring an elevated sense of style to any space. Carefully conceptualized and designed, this collection reflects the importance of every detail.
“After months of sketching and sweating over each piece in our line, we’ve tightened our focus down to the littlest things with the biggest impacts,” Sanders says.
“Since the inception of our interior design firm, we’ve been designing products for our clients and showrooms. This collection reflects a refined vision and cohesive approach to a complete furniture ensemble.”
Website: consorthome.com
Photographs: Courtesy of Consort
Real Estate Market Influencer: Scott Moore | DIGS
Scott Moore
Buying, building and selling on the Westside — and feeling you’re in the right place
“In my belief, I think my path is pre-determined—and you know when you’re off your path.” Words of wisdom from a man who has reached fresh heights in a career that’s been years in the making, and powered by journeys in law, construction and real estate, along with exploring the globe—56 countries and counting—and playing professional soccer in Europe for Team USA at the tender age of 17.
It’s Scott Moore, founder and CEO of BBS Real Estate and a broker at Douglas Elliman, and these days he gets to be the visionary—pondering new development deals and enacting strategy from a wide-angle perspective—without being too entangled in the everyday minutiae of his firm, which finds promising investment properties, builds them out in high style and sells them to the highest bidder.
Anyone who has tasted hard-won success knows that such a position doesn’t come without having spent hours in often unglamorous trenches.
On the development side, Moore’s roles have included everything from general contractor and project manager to site supervisor and accounting controller. He even has his general contractors license, handy since BBS has an in-house construction arm. In real estate, it’s buying and selling.
“I’ve been able to see all aspects of the industry from different perspectives,” says the native Angeleno, who grew up in Brentwood and attended Pacific Palisades High School before heading to UC Santa Barbara and McGeorge School of Law.
Afterwards, he worked at an entertainment law firm in Beverly Hills, then transitioned to COO of the family’s business and wealth management firm, Financial Specialists, where he simultaneously ran the real estate division.
Developing properties from a 360-perspective gives Moore and his team an edge on producing cutting-edge homes primarily in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Brentwood—an epicenter of low supply and endless demand that Moore calls “recession resistant dirt” for its ability to fare economic storms that flatten other markets.
After years of development, I started BBS because I can offer everything under one roof to buy, build, and sell in recession-resistant neighborhoods of Los Angeles.”
Among their current projects is 1325 Chautauqua in the Palisades, what Moore describes as “probably the most unique yet complicated build,” but also the most special due in part to its views, which stretch from Downtown L.A. to the mountains and shores of Malibu.
There’s a family friendly California home at 247 20th Street in Santa Monica—North of Montana in Gillette’s Regent Square, coveted for its large lots and wide, tree-lined streets—plus a sleek white Modernist abode they’re putting finishing touches on at 1634 Casal, in the exclusive Upper Riviera section of Pacific Palisades.
- For over 15 years Moore has bought, created and sold new construction residences across his native Westside
- From 2003 to 2009, he ran the real estate division of Financial Specialists, a full-service business and wealth management firm that he, his father and brother founded
- Moore is founder and CEO of BBS Real Estate—short for “Buy, Build, Sell”—as well as a broker at Douglas Elliman and co-founder of Moore+Jaret Group
“It’s going to be a good ride,” says Moore, who recently joined forces with agent Ally Jaret to form Moore+Jaret Group, a specialty Westside real estate and development firm under the Douglas Elliman umbrella. It’s a lot of business to handle, and Moore welcomes it: “I act best under pressure,” he says, crediting his legal training with his “resolutionist” mindset and the ability to balance total immersion in projects and clients alongside a rational distance, “to make sure you’re providing the best advice.”
That and a strong team, including BBS managing partner Tony Ramsey—who oversees the construction arm of the business while Moore takes care of the buying and selling aspect—are making his effortful ride along new heights an enjoyable one. “I feel the most comfortable being in the space that I’m in now,” says Moore.
“After years of development, I started BBS because I can offer everything under one roof to buy, build, and sell in recession-resistant neighborhoods of Los Angeles. I’m where I’m supposed to be—and now I look forward to the next 20 years of business.”
Scott Moore BBS Real Estate
Moore+Jaret Group | Douglas Elliman
11990 San Vicente Blvd #100, Los Angeles, CA 90049
310.678.7855 | bbsre.com | moorejaretgroup.com
Photograph Courtesy of Scott Moore
Design à Deux: Tichenor & Thorp
Los Angeles architects Tichenor & Thorp — partners in life and in business — are united in design
[cs_dropcap column_size=”1/1″ dropcap_style=”box” dropcap_size=”0″ dropcap_color=”#fff” dropcap_bg_color=”#d7df21″]Architects M. Brian Tichenor and Raun Thorp are the quintessential team—reciprocal thinkers, simpatico in intelligences and appreciations, and nothing if not prolific, having completed more than 350 residential and commercial projects nationwide since launching their eponymous L.A. practice Tichenor & Thorp in 1990.[/cs_dropcap]
“We have a kind of way of working together; we collaborate on everything,” says Tichenor. Which explains the simultaneity, the seamlessness, the suggestion of exchange and interchangeability in their work. Each has a primary sphere of influence—Tichenor, exteriors; Thorp, interiors—but neither is shy about “playing professor,” a kind of big-picture shakedown between principals, a “what’s the story?” moment.
Story, they say, is everything—the ne plus ultra of good design and a principal tenet of their practice. Views are an absolute too, harmony and cohesiveness, light and palette, the cultivation of a whole, dimensional environment with interacting elements and a well-ordered elegance specific to the architect’s lens.
“It’s all really the architecture,” explains Thorp. “Because everything has a concept; everything has to perform a function, everything has to hopefully be pretty, and everything has to be detailed in a way that’s possible to actually create it. Design is a set of instructions for how to create something, but it comes together in the architecture.”
With work published in shelter magazines from Architectural Digest to World of Interiors, Tichenor and Thorp are deft in all architectural styles and have carved a particular niche in historic restoration, contributing to what they call the “big, beautiful narrative continuum” in Los Angeles, where they completed a series of projects at Capitol Records (executive office space; a commissary; lobby; new rear entrance, and more) and spent two decades restoring Cecil B. DeMille’s house with a clarified, simple version of what was appropriate to make it feel fresh and of this era. Clearly they were successful—Angelina Jolie is the current owner.
Tichenor and Thorp work coast to coast but have flourished in their native California, which they appreciate for its cultural legacy and accumulation of styles, from early Spanish to Mid-century Modernism. It’s the land of architects and dreamers; and in a sense, they’re both.
“The degree of richness and nuance and inclusivity and freedom to try things here is really quite different than anywhere else,” says Tichenor. “There’s a kind of willingness to go into something with more thoroughness here, there is more support for odder ideas.”
Adds Thorp: “Everyone was coming out here to find a dream or to try an experiment. People weren’t constrained by the kind of conservative trappings and expectations of older cities. There are a lot of factors that make L.A. special.”
Their recently released monograph Outside In: The Garden and Houses of Tichenor & Thorp (Vendome) showcases some of the duo’s finest designs, each an elaboration of their ideas, illustrating the depths of their architectural fluency. There are examples of rich, historic buildings; more modern structures; and gardens so lush they are hardly to be believed.
It’s a testament to Tichenor and Thorp that when asked about some of their current projects, they take a long, nearly paralytic pause, as if catching their breath. The abridged version would be an entire career for a lot of folks: eight beach houses from Laguna Beach to Pebble Beach, master landscape planning for three hospitals (one in Downtown Los Angeles) and, in a solid measurement of their métier, design architects of the new Los Angeles Times building. Expect headlines. tichenorandthorp.com
Written by Jenn Thornton
Exterior Photography Courtesy of Roger Davies for Outside
Exterior PhotographyCourtesy of The Gardens / Houses of Tichenor & Thorp / Vendome Press
Luxe Living: Jonathan Genton
[cs_dropcap column_size=”1/1″ dropcap_style=”box” dropcap_size=”0″ dropcap_color=”#fff” dropcap_bg_color=”#d7df21″]Real estate developer Jonathan Genton has worked on large-scale master communities throughout California and Hawaii. Most recently, he’s joined with a management team from the Four Seasons Private Residences, global architecture firm Callison RTKL and Webcor Builders on the rise of the Four Seasons Private Residences Los Angeles, a 12-story luxury condo development set to begin welcoming residents in mid-2019. DIGS talked with the founder and CEO of L.A.-based Genton Property Group (gentonproperty.com) to discover more about this high-profile project, what prompted his real estate direction, and other developments.[/cs_dropcap]
How did you decide on a career in real estate development?
JG: Growing up in L.A., I was always fascinated by architecture and planning. At the time, I didn’t understand what a developer was, so I was naturally drawn to the architecture, urban-planning and finance aspects of real estate. I pursued these disciplines while at UCLA and saw them all come together in development. I haven’t looked back since.
What does it take to bring a property such as the Four Seasons Private Residences to market for the first time?
JG: This is a world-class property surrounded by the low-profile neighborhoods of Beverly Hills and the fashionable North Robertson District, where the views are nothing short of spectacular. Bringing a property of this caliber to market for the first time takes an enormous amount of patience and dedication. To have a vision with a team and partners for this type of development is of utmost importance, and it takes intent, focus and passion to pull off this sort of project. Every day is a surreal moment for our team—seeing our vision come to life.
What’s significant about the development?
JG: The coveted, 12-story tower comprises 59 custom for-sale homes crafted by the world’s most iconic hospitality brand. Offering dramatic views of Beverly Hills and Hollywood Hills, exclusive amenities include a sensual pool, spa and chic lounge, a sprawling indoor-outdoor fitness center, a spacious IMAX private theater and screening room, and dining experiences by Four Seasons. A penthouse sits at the very top, taking up the entire top floor and top roof terrace. This property is extremely private and rare for a location like this in L.A.
You talk about setting a new standard for luxury living in Southern California. What does that look like to you?
JG: Providing a service-rich environment in a dedicated residential tower. The Four Seasons Private Residences brings the best-in-class brand to curate the daily art of living by creating a private enclave where services are catered to the individual without sharing services or amenities with a public-facing commercial property.
What makes for the perfect residential condo space?
JG: A private and service-rich environment that takes advantage of light, air and space in the simplest of forms.
Describe your dream residential project.
JG: The Four Seasons Private Residences is my ship in a bottle. This development takes everything—from my earliest memories of seeing beautiful architecture, to what I’ve learned throughout my career—and puts them together, ultimately creating this masterpiece.
What was your first residential development and what made it successful?
JG: Years ago in Westlake Village, I was the development manager on Lake Sherwood and was exposed to a variety of buyers who, in the end, sought an experience and a special place. Throughout my career I have tried my best to accomplish the same sought-out-feeling, only now I do it from an urban context.
Tell us about current and future events and trends in L.A.’s luxury marketplace?
JG: I think L.A.’s luxury marketplace will see a greater adoption of condominiums in general. Living in vertical buildings is not what L.A. is known for, but we will see a trend and then a wave of vertical living experiences across all levels. I think the expectation for taller, more elegant and distinctive buildings is coming too.
If you weren’t working as a developer, what would you like to be doing?
JG: I am a builder at heart and have always been fascinated by functional and mechanical design. So, something in industrial design would probably be my next industry of choice.
What is forthcoming for you and GPG?
JG: fter the Four Seasons Private Residences Los Angeles project, my team and I will be exploring the opportunity to create housing for everyone. We’ll be taking the experiences of the luxury product and applying its essence to all projects across the demand spectrum.
As Told to Wendy Bowman | Photography / Renderings courtesy of Callison RTKL. Portrait Courtesy of Genton Property Group.
Hermosa Beach – Highest Priced Home Sales of 2017
The local real estate market has been booming the past couple of years, and 2017 was no exception. With 107 closed sales in Hermosa Beach and an average closed price of $2,742,197, there was a total of 11 single family homes with closed sales over $5 million or more.
A paved path, known as The Strand, runs along Hermosa’s Beach from Torrance Beach in the south approximately 20 miles north to Santa Monica and the Hermosa Beach pier is at the end of Pier Avenue, which is one of the beach community’s main shopping, eating and nightclub areas.
Here are 10 of Hermosa Beach’s Highest Priced Closed Sales of 2017
1540 The Strand, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $14,000,000 | Close Price: $14,150,000
5 br | 8 ba | 4,633 Sqft
Beachfront masterpiece presented by G9 development group and built by Mike Davis Custom Homes. Featuring four levels, including a basement level with custom wine room, media room, lounge area with wet bar, two guest bedrooms, and two full guest baths. With a top level that opens to a Hermosa Beach pier-to-ocean view, and two panoramic doors that open, bringing in an ocean breeze, this expansive corner lot offers outdoor living space and state of the art technology.
2302 The Strand, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $14,850,00 | Close Price: $13,000,000
5 br | 4 ba | 2,817 Sqft
One of the most unique corner lots on the famed Strand section of Hermosa Beach. This Spanish Classic Mission home is a historic architectural masterpiece that encompasses nearly 3,000 square feet of living space.
2654 The Strand, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $9,200,000 | Close Price
3 br | 5 ba | 3,180 Sqft
802 The Strand, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $9,299,000 | Close Price: $8,900,000
5 br | 6 ba | 3,540 Sqft
This corner Strand home boasts beauty, luxury, and style. This home has 1,700 + square feet of outdoor living. With a Strand side deck and huge rooftop deck including a fireplace, bbq, and mini kitchen.
1942 The Strand, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $8,900,000 | Close Price: $8,350,000
Corner lot on the North Hermosa Strand. 52’ of oceanfront land!!!
3224 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $7,995,000 | Close Price: $7,750,000
2 br | 2 ba | 2,450 Sqft
A trophy property located in a bulls-eye location on Hermosa Ave. Sitting on an elevated 4247 lot with 50 feet of prime Hermosa Ave footage offering the best ocean views in town and square footage offering the best ocean views in town.
1807 Valley Park, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $7,995,000 | Close Price: $7,700,000
6 br | 6 ba | 6,528 Sqft
A fantasy resort situated in the Hermosa Beach Sand Section. A stunning sprawling home that offers an open floor plan that expands into a backyard wonderland.
2824 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $7,399,000 | Close Price: $7,050,000
5 br | 6 ba | 4,600 Sqft
A stunning Coastal Farmhouse with a modern twist. Built by RJ Smith with interior designs by Kate Lester, this 4,600 sqft custom ocean view home has raised the development standard.
2545 Myrtle Av, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $5,299,000 | Close Price: $5,275,000
5 br | 6 ba | 4,188 Sqft
Located in desirable North Hermosa Beach, this collaboration between White Sands Coastal Development and RJ Smith Construction, is a refined, crisp, and inviting atmosphere that embraces an active beach lifestyle.
123 28th St, Hermosa Beach
List Price: $5,199,999 | Close Price: $5,100,000
5 br | 6 ba | 3,861 Sqft
This gorgeous ocean view beach home perfectly blends the elements of coastal living with modern elegance.
Pacific Union International includes three Los Angeles brokerages under branding expansion
Pacific Union International, the eighth-largest real estate broker in the U.S., rebrands three independently owned home sales brokerages in the Los Angeles market, under expansion. The merger, including John Aaroe Group, Gibson International, and Partners Trust, expands with launches in LA with 900+ real estate professionals and executives. Over the past 12 months, Pacific Union has acquired all three luxury real estate brokerages and are now unified under the Pacific Union International brand. The company has announced that Nick Segal, the former CEO and founder of Partners Trust, will lead as President of Pacific Union L.A., overseeing 20 offices across the greater Los Angeles area.
“Pacific Union’s launch in Los Angeles is a truly historic move that unites L.A.’s most esteemed and highest-producing real estate professionals under one name with best-in-class technology, marketing, data, and research,” Segal says. “This dream team of 900 real estate professionals sharing core values and a commitment to teamwork, trust, and innovation will provide the absolute best client experience possible. And we now all proudly share the same company name, Pacific Union International.”
Pacific Union now has more than 1,700 real estate professionals across 51 offices throughout Northern and Southern California, with a projected sales volume of $18 billion for 2018. The brokerage’s Southern California markets include Beverly Hills, Malibu, Downtown, the Westside, Northeast L.A., and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties, Silicon Valley, and the Lake Tahoe region.
Featured Listings & Photos Courtesy of PacificUnionLA.com