Who among us hasn't looked at a fan deck of hundreds of paint colors and become completely overwhelmed? That's when an expert eye can come in very handy. For a Los Angeles couple who purchased a home in the trendy neighborhood of Los Feliz, that expert was Leah Ring — founder of the multidisciplinary design studio Another Human. "The wife, in particular, had great taste and thought she could do it herself and then was overwhelmed by it," says Ring. "She wanted help specifically with working with color, which a lot of people struggle with."
Other than a few items the couple had already purchased, Ring was starting with a blank slate. She began by getting on the same page with her clients about their style and found that they were fans of Reath Design's aesthetic, where Ring had previously worked. She also took the home's architecture into consideration. "We have to listen to the house in a big way," says the designer. "It's a Spanish Colonial, so we wanted a good amount of vintage, and even the pieces that we had custom fabricated are vintage reproductions or inspired by vintage pieces."
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
According to Ring, the architecture of the dining room was particularly influential in the design. "The dining room has these beautiful arch shapes," she notes. "So we thought about that as we designed the table with the curved edges, and then the beautiful Josef Hoffmann pendant is sort of the reverse of that shape." Another Human also took inspiration from Charlotte Perriand for the table, which was made by Arbor Exchange and paired with vintage Henning Kjaernulf Razorblade chairs from 1stDibs.
The space is perhaps the designer's favorite in the home. "I've wanted to use that Josef Hoffman pendant for years," she says. "It's a classic."
One of Ring's main focuses within the project was curating the perfect color palette. The wife showed the designer the book Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum by author Kathy Willis and illustrator Katie Scott, and the collection of botanicals became the basis of the subdued color scheme. Ring tested shade after shade to find hues that would look good through the day as the light changed. "In the dining room, we tested like 20 paint colors to find the perfect violet-mauve color," she says.
In the living room, Ring knew that the wall color would also continue onto the ceiling because of the curved corners. "[The room] gets good light in the morning, but in the afternoon, it can be a little darker," she explains. "So we tested a bunch of different greens. We wanted it to feel calming in there, and I think we were very successful." The winning hue ended up being Benjamin Moore's Kilarney, which is a dreamy shade of light green.
The designer outfitted the room with an RH sofa that was reupholstered in an S. Harris linen and covered the couple's existing RH chair in a fun Klaus Haapaniemi print. A vintage rug and tables offer a warm contrast to the couple's sleek Lawson-Fenning armchairs.
Initially, the design called for two guest rooms, but when the client found out she was pregnant, Ring quickly switched gears. The designer had already picked out green custom window treatments for the space and decided that they still worked. "We just pivoted a little bit," she says. "We picked this dusty light lavender for the walls and cute brass lights from Etsy." A Lisa Corti blanket accents the bassinet, and a durable jute rug from West Elm is topped with a whimsical throw rug.
For the remaining guest room, which is located on the first floor, Ring took inspiration from the client's existing woven rattan headboard. "We played with that texture," explains the designer. "We got the woven leather lumbar pillow and selected a ZAK+FOX fabric for the curtains, which plays with the same gridded, checked texture. It's a very cozy room."
The primary bedroom went through the most iterations. "Some rooms just sort of click right away — you're on board, the clients on board, everything feels very natural — but in some rooms, you have to try a bunch of different concepts," says Ring.
The space on the second level gets wonderful natural light, which the designer highlighted with peachy paint and window treatments. "[The clients] wanted to make sure it would feel timeless and that they'd be happy with it for years to come," she says. "So we simplified it and made it calming and classic."
Ring complemented the sunset-inspired palette with a custom teal velvet bed frame and a vintage dresser, rug, nightstand, and lamp.
The downstairs office was outfitted with a vintage leather club chair from 1stDibs, and the bookcases were wallpapered with a House of Hackney print.
After dozens of paint swatches and a surprise nursery, the home is now a colorful yet tranquil retreat for the whole family — all thanks to Ring's expert eye.