Inside the Exuberant, Elegant Home of Designer Lulu DK
via:onekingslane
When designer Lulu deKwiatkowski moved to L.A., six months pregnant with twins, she envisioned a home where her yet-to-be-born children could run around barefoot and swim, she could paint, and friends could hang out happily.
Her own childhood had been nothing short of magical—Lulu split her childhood between the Hamptons and the Bahamas’ Lyford Cay, which she describes as “a very Babe Paley and Slim Aarons mentality.
The sitting room is an airer take on New England style. Lulu topped a pair of stylized ram’s heads with glass to make the coffee table, while a piece by British artist Julian Opie hangs over the mantel.
My parents were really that type.” She wanted her children to have that same casual relationship with both elegant living and the great outdoors.
“When my husband showed me this house, I knew right away it would be our first home together.”
The kitchen nook is made extra comfy with Lulu’s own pillows.
She now has three sons, and the four-bedroom ranch-style house is every inch the dream home she wanted. She converted one of the bedrooms into a studio space where she dreams up her vivid textile designs and paintings and runs her wildly successful lifestyle line, Lulu DK. “We’ve kept having children, so the house is getting a little squishy,” she says, “but it’s too charming to ever leave.”
Call her the pioneer of the color-coordinated bookshelf. Years ago, Vogue published a photo of Lulu’s bookshelves that sparked the beginning of the decorating mini-trend.
The paintings in the dining room are by Andrew Gellatly, the mirror is an Italian family heirloom, and the sideboard comes from One Kings Lane.
Lulu wanted the master bedroom to be a Zen-like retreat. It’s held in symmetry by two subtly gilded dressers, “the most expensive things I’ve ever bought!”
When she’s needing a pick-me-up or hitting a wall at work, Lulu goes outside for a walk or lies down for a little catnap. Lulu loves a daybed for just this purpose: “You can take a breather without actually going to a bed and committing to a nap.”
Antique textiles are an endless source of inspiration.
Lulu’s work has nostalgic references, such as the Hamptons in the 1970s and David Hicks designs. She uses Pantone chips to translate her vibrant color creations to make sure the looks stay spot-on.
Lulu’s studio, formerly a bedroom off the kitchen, features a large desk for creative work and a smaller one for computer work.
The designer hangs her new work, alongside work that’s inspiring her, over the daybed in the studio. One picture is an overlay she did atop a photo of one of her sons wearing sunglasses.
“I prefer the white neutral as a foundation. It’s like an artist’s canvas; you can add color to it.”
— Lulu DK
via:onekingslane
