How I Curate My Space: Sophie Buhai’s Sun-Kissed Los Angeles Studio
In our series on interiors, we ask designers and tastemakers to open the doors of their most-loved spaces, sharing their stories, inspirations and favorite pieces within it. Here, designer and curator SOPHIE BUHAI invites us into the Los Angeles house she has transformed into her workspace, as she celebrates the brand’s 10th anniversary with an exclusive archive collection at NET-A-PORTER. By KATIE BERRINGTON
“It looked like a grandma condo when we found it: painted mint green, with oatmeal shag carpet,” recalls Sophie Buhai of the 1986 Los Angeles house she decided was the perfect spot for her design studio a few years ago. “The bones were there. I immediately knew we could make it great.”
“It’s postmodern, in this way that is very LA; very Bret Easton Ellis. Postmodern designers in LA were looking at Bauhaus for inspiration, and I think you feel that in the space,” she says. The geography of the property also inspired the décor, with Buhai influenced by old Californian interiors, such as the creations of designer Frances Adler Elkins.
The mint-green walls were soon repainted warm white, and the rooms carpeted using black jute. “Black and white is my favorite combination, and it works well in this space,” says Buhai. “There are still touches of color in the green couch, the butter-yellow chairs and the rug.” The light of the bright LA sunshine, pouring in through windows and skylights, also gives the space a soothing energy. “It’s wonderful to sit in that light all day.”
“I feel focused because there is something almost clinical about it… It’s calming. It’s quiet. I love the lack of clutter
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Buhai describes the overall style as “clean, spare and calm, [which makes it] a fantastic work space. I feel focused because there is something almost clinical about it, like those beautiful sanatoriums in Vienna from the turn of the century. It’s calming. It’s quiet. I love the lack of clutter.”
As you enter the property, a striking narrow black staircase leads up to a pewter orb vase holding dried wheat. Buhai, whose namesake jewelry and lifestyle brand is renowned for its bold, sculptural silhouettes – and this year celebrates its 10th anniversary – loves this first impression. “There are sharp angles, black tassels, glass skylights – and that light!” she exclaims.
Buhai is an avid collector of eclectic furniture and objects, and has brought in a combination of furnishings that contrast with the building’s architectural era. “It was interesting to take a 1980s house and put pre-war furniture in it. To mix the 1980s with the 1920s, and art nouveau and Art Deco,” she says. “I like the conversation between the pieces. There is an old Persian rug on a table; an olive-green 1940s velvet couch… We also have some designer pieces by Josef Hoffmann, Pierre Chareau, Melchiorre Bega, Gabriela Rosales and Sylvia Stave.
“I’m very minimal, but I like weird touches,” Buhai considers of her design mantras. “Nothing should be too perfect. And nothing should feel like you hired a decorator.”