As someone who loves to get sentimentally drunk, it is hard for me to see this house belong to someone else. This is our house. Mine and Ian’s. Bought in 2010. This was the house for the pilot episode of Secrets from A Stylist. And this is a story that I never told you.
In 2004 Brian and Ian Brennan met as actors in an off-off broadway play in New York and became overnight life-long great friends. It’s what you call a “Showmance”. We hung out frequently, enjoying the hell out of our 20s as broke artists in New York until Ian mysteriously moved to LA. We moved to LA in 2008 and within weeks ran into him at a party. We had no real friends there and it was an instant reunion. We moved to Los Feliz and created a friend group that was inseparable all through our 30s. Ian and I would have dinner without Brian if he were out of town, the three of us were very close and still are. Meanwhile, Ian wrote a screenplay for a dark movie, set in a high school called Glee. He gave it to someone, who gave it to someone, who gave it to Ryan Murphy in a steam room of Equinox in Weho (some of this might be urban legend at this point but I’m not going to fact-check it because I like this version). Ryan turned the screenplay into the series Glee, and Ian’s career took off immediately (after years and years and years of working hard, writing so many failed scripts). It’s a true Hollywood story and he remains still one of, if not the, hardest working people in Hollywood.
Around that same time, I won DesignStar and the producers of my show, Secrets From a Stylist, asked me if I knew of a house we could makeover for the pilot – but it had to be a secret (it would be months until it was announced I won). Back in the day, whoever won DesignStar would have already produced their pilot that would run immediately after the final episode aired. Then based on how well it did was how many episodes they would order. Ian was looking to buy a house, so I told him if he bought one fast enough we’d furnish it completely for the pilot. So yes, it was HIS house, but we went house hunting together knowing that it couldn’t be a massive renovation and he found the sweetest bungalow in Beachwood Canyon. It happened so fast and I always feared that I forced him into buying his first house, but he’s doing just fine now so even if I did I think he’s over it 🙂
It remained a time capsule of the show makeover for years. A few years later he met his now wife, Trilby, who became a dear friend of mine and brought her own style into the house, as one does. It was always a joke amongst our friends that when she redecorated or moved things around that I would passive-aggressively move it back, or comment in an “oh, well isn’t that different”. I did have a very strong sentimental attachment to the house and still loved how we did it for Secrets, but obviously knew that things would change, because they always do. But it was still funny. 🙂
Ian and Trilby and their two kids are still very close with us, and now they’ve upgraded to a STUNNING house I can’t wait to show you someday, but meanwhile, I thought it would be fun for those who have been following since 2010 to say goodbye to this house and call out what I still loved about the original decor, almost 13 years later.
FDR Chic – 12 Years Ago
Y’all. I still really really like that room! I think it was because it’s just eclectic and full of vintage so it’s hard for it to feel dated (those bookshelves and all the windows don’t hurt). Ian and I actually secretly shopped together for some of the pieces to make sure that he would love them. I thought it would be fun “shop” the room and circle all the things that I would want right now.
That’s a lot I know. I actually still love the Moroccan pendants, but since I know we could get those again (they were black and we spray painted them) they are less of a steal for me.
How It Was Staged To Sell
It’s always fun to see how they stage things for real estate. I think they were likely trying to make it feel bigger and like there was more space, so they reduced the “stuff”. I can’t believe that sofa made it 12 years – it was super faded after 2 years from the sun.
My Design
I still love that chair, rug, and that painting. Fun fact about the painting – it was a movie prop that I bought at Tini (a vintage store during my heyday of shopping in LA) and it’s of William Henry Harrison – a president that got a cold the night he was inaugurated and died from it 32 days later. It’s not funny of course, but its also pretty funny to have this super serious portrait of likely the most ineffective president ever. I hope SO BADLY that they kept it (I’m too scared to ask because if they didn’t I’ll be bummed and I don’t really have the right to be bummed).
Staged To Sell
My Design
I love a good toile, and I still love those chairs. They were little and rickety then and I’m sure not any better now, but still cute.
Staged To Sell
We always meant to redo their kitchen, but it’s not so simple to just “redo” a kitchen so we didn’t. He was a bachelor and it was certainly good enough.
My Design – The Family Room
I really like how back in the day, when I had no idea what I was doing, I found these two gooseneck desk lamps and decided to wire them to be sconces. They never really lined up perfectly, but I still like the idea.
Also, I think this is the first and last time I did grasscloth and I really need to do it again. I’m trying to convince Brian to let me do this linen wallcovering from Ashley Stark that is so incredibly stunning somewhere in the farm.
Staged To Sell
Staged To Sell – The Kid’s Room I Helped With But Never Shot
When I helped with this room it was a nursery, 6 years ago and I never shot it (but meant to).
My Design…Kinda Of – The Guest Room Turned Daughter’s Room
This room was only barely designed, I think we just took leftover vintage furniture that we shopped for and decorated it in here. It was cute, for sure, but wasn’t totally dialed in.
Staged To Sell
A few years ago they had their daughter and Trilby put up this adorable wallpaper, which I love. They staged it as a guest room of course.
My Design – The Primary Bedroom
I made that headboard, btw. Not my best work but it lasted 12 years. And there we go again with the desk lamp as sconce move. I have no idea if that is legal, by the way.
That’s a lot of stuff on a dresser 🙂 Trilby bought this desk a few years later when we actually shot some of these rooms and I really loved it. I miss that wall clock – so cute.
Staged To Sell
Not a lot changed! Even that lady portrait made it in there.
For a while, they considered keeping it as a rental property which gave me some hope that I’d be able to properly say goodbye (this all happened during lockdown after we moved to Arrowhead and then Portland). Someday I want to shoot their current house, which I didn’t design because I wouldn’t have been able to do the job since they needed a full-time, full-service team, but trust me it’s really beautiful and special. And if you have been here since that first episode – thank you, thank you, thank you. xx
* “My Design” Photos by Bethany Nauert
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
