How many of us swore to ourselves that when we grew up, we wouldn't furnish our houses the same way our parents did? Call it a declaration of decorating independence-the inalienable right of each new generation to reject chintz, midcentury modern, or whatever furniture Mom and Dad picked out back in the day. Married couple Kevin and Nahal Danesh admit that for them, this is absolutely the case. Both born in Iran, as young children they immigrated with their respective families to Los Angeles, where they grew up in the area's Persian American Jewish community. They were introduced by mutual friends during their senior year of college (he was at UCLA, she was at USC), and, says Nahal, "we've basically been together ever since."
Later, as a married couple feathering their nest together, the two realized yet another important commonality. Nahal and Kevin say they had little interest in retreading the type of furnishings they both grew up with a look they affectionately describe as "very ornate," "very Louis XVI," "very gold-accented," and "very bring-it-from-Iran."
"No disrespect intended," laughs Kevin, an attorney, "but we did not want a home that looked like our parents'!" The houses they admired tended to have clean lines, natural wood, neutral palettes, and plenty of breathing room. "We loved the same kind of serene, modern houses," says Nahal, a dietitian. The more they looked, the more they realized they were drawn to the work of one architect in particular: Los Angeles-based William Hefner. "His homes feel beautiful and timeless," notes Nahal. "So we pursued him."
"We 1,000 percent stalked him," adds Kevin.
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2023 de Architectural Digest US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2023 de Architectural Digest US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Elements of Style - Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry celebrate 10 years of artistic exploration at Hermès
Last March, Hermès brought its home universe to life in eye-popping fashion at a one-night-only extravaganza staged at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The lavish performance featured dozens of dancers showcasing the French luxury house's furniture, tableware, textiles, and decorative objects in elaborately choreographed vignettes that seemed to riff on the unboxing ritual so popular on social media-a supersized spectacle of conjuring magic from ordinary crates. The event also coincided with the 10th anniversary of Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry's tenure as artistic directors of the Hermès home division.
SEA CHANGE
Trading Manhattan for Brooklyn, designer Robert Stilin soaks up new scenery indoors and out
HELLA, YES
Thirty years into her career, Dutch design star Hella Jongerius proves the best ideas-and objects are those that grow and transform along with us
GREEN GODDESS
From her perch in Lloyd Wright's 1927 home and studio in West Hollywood, Vicki von Holzhausen is spreading the gospel-and refining the science—of eco-friendly, plant-based materials
BOTH SIDES NOW
Celebrated for his fantastical, genderfluid fashions, designer Harris Reed brings the same rule-flouting approach to a petite London apartment
shades of eden
In her magical LA garden, artist Mimi Lauter contemplates the cycle of life and the rapturous power of color
CHARM SCHOOL
In the hands of Ashe Leandro, a historic New York City house gets a delightful makeover
mother nature
Taking inspiration from her own childhood memories, Jennifer Garner crafts a cozy California home and garden where she and her family can put down roots
Finnish Lines
Resurfaced by Hem, a postmodern Nordic icon is back on the shelves
Changed for Good
Blending architectural styles, the new movie Wicked ventures off the beaten yellow-brick path