How a TV Producer-Turned-Designer Built a New Home with an Old Soul
It was all about timeless and traditional details.
Neue Focus
Interior designer Sam Donnelly of Merchant & Mercantile wanted to build a home in Studio City, California, that was different than the McMansions and cookie-cutter contemporary and cold homes that can be found all over Los Angeles.
Neue Focus
“I was really clear in my vision to build a new home with an old soul,” says Sam, who’s also an executive producer of America’s Got Talent. “A house that felt warm and welcoming, had charm and whimsy, and felt connected to the neighborhood. I was so tired of the generic, poorly built boxes or farmhouses that proliferated throughout the valley. And whilst I saw the need for families to have a modern house, I truly believe that there is room for an option that is more in keeping with the character of the neighborhoods.”
Neue Focus
Sam and her collaborator, Ryan Perella of Perella Architecture, set out to build a timeless home that learned into traditional materials, like cedar shingle and stone. And since she’s English, she gave the five-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom home a bit of some British design flair as well.
Neue Focus
“The biggest challenge of the home was the size of the lot—we are obviously limited as to what we can build,” explains Sam. “We spent a long time working through revisions and designs to find a happy place where we felt we had as much as we could reasonably get in terms of rooms and design.”
To Sam, the entryway was one of the most important rooms since it sets a welcoming tone for the rest of the home. She wanted the room to have materials that were high-quality, traditional, and durable. Plus, the oval window adds visual interest and brings in natural light.
Neue Focus
The front of the house features a formal living area with a vaulted ceiling, working fireplace, and large windows that look out to the towering trees outside. “We went traditional in this room—cladding every wall in 12-inch tongue-and-groove paneling, which is a material hardly ever used in new construction but seen a lot in the vernacular of traditional homes in LA,” she adds.
Neue Focus
At the back of the house are the kitchen and family room, the latter of which features beams, French doors that open up to the backyard, and sandstone flooring.
Neue Focus
“One of my favorite spaces is definitely inspired by an English country house—it’s a scullery—or a pantry on steroids,” Sam says. “It has a sink and is fully set up to handle all of the mess of entertaining in an elegant way so that your open kitchen doesn’t feel overwhelmed with clutter when hosting.”
Neue Focus
The lower level also features a laundry room with a bespoke cabinet that holds a large cast iron farmhouse sink.
Neue Focus
Neue Focus
Upstairs, the design team worked their magic to carve out four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, three of which have walk-in closets.
Neue Focus
“I particularly like the junior suite which is not only paneled, but also has a sloping, quirky ceiling and paneling. It feels like a fairy tale retreat and I love it!” Sam adds.
Neue Focus
Neue Focus
And that’s not all: there’s an ADU in the back with a full kitchen, spacious living area, a bedroom and ensuite bathroom, and laundry room/storage space.
Neue Focus
Neue Focus
“One of my favorite aspects of the project was the positivity of the neighbors,” says Sam. “People were so supportive and happy to see a different type of house being constructed in their neighborhood.”
