By Sophia Shatokhina
Photography by Karyn Millet
Before becoming a professional designer, Joe Lucas wanted to be an actor and even graduated from acting school, but he chanced upon interior design and realised that this was his calling. After working for three years for the popular American designer Michael Sean Smith, Lucas opened his own studio, Lucas Studio, and a little later, his showroom Harbinger in New York. He was invited to work on this project by architect Eric Evens of Evens Architects/KAA Design Group. The clients—a young family with children—grew up in Los Angeles and wanted to recreate the nostalgia of their childhood in the house. The design of the dwelling is inspired by the traditional buildings of the East Coast: spacious but cozy rooms, a lot of wood and, of course, large windows that offer views of the nearby hills.
The almost 7,534-square-feet of area accommodates everything you need and even a little more: a living room with a fireplace, a dining area, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, an office, a library and a gym. As in his other projects, the designer began work by first determining the colour scheme, which largely influences the entire mood of the interior. This house is dominated by shades of blue and green, deliberately accentuated by textiles with a floral print—thanks to these elements, a feeling of a family nest was created.
New furniture and items from the Harbinger by Hand collection coexist with vintage and antique finds that the designer brought from shops in France and England—not a single project of Lucas can do without these. These elements combine so harmoniously that it is impossible to say which item is vintage and which one is completely new. The result is a bright, calm interior, but not without hints of eclecticism. “It's the perfect fusion of traditional East Coast design and contemporary Californian style,” the designer describes.
