Matty Pipes had a goal when he moved into his new home in Hollywood: Create a bachelor pad with a well travelled look that did not look “decorator done.”
“It was an opportunity for me to change my narrative and feel great about it,” says the 34-year-old digital media strategist.
And he wasn’t letting the fact that he was renting hold him back.
He chose a two-bedroom apartment at Eastown, the large-scale complex that opened on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014. He liked the apartment’s contemporary interior design details by Commune Design, amenities and a location that put him near restaurants, shops and the Hollywood/Vine subway station.
And then there was the killer view of the Capitol Records building.
“I love that I can walk to the ArcLight and Trader Joe’s,” Pipes says. “Some weekends I won’t leave my apartment because I have everything I need here.”
Pipes enlisted friends Andrew Stevens and Kim Swift of We Came in Peace, a design firm that typically stages parties and events.
“We call ourselves an experiential design firm,” explains Stevens. “We specialise in creating connected spaces where people come together to have a moment and learn about something or have a good time.”
How does that translate at home?
The designers started by painting the walls in warm colours — dark olive in the living room and kitchen area, chocolate brown in the master bedroom and teal blue in the guest room. (Building management was fine with it all.)
Stevens says their choices were a reflection of Pipes’ personal style.
“Matty’s bold and not afraid to take risks when it comes to fashion,” he says. “He also has the personality to pull off anything.”
Working with the unit’s cork flooring and birch plywood cabinetry choices, the designers mixed old and new furnishings: The guest room feels like a blue cocoon for overnight guests as saturated layers of indigo create an elegantly moody cave. In the living room, a pull-down screen allows Pipes to transform the area into a movie theatre. And the terrace, complete with fountain, potted plants and the Capitol Records building in the background, is the perfect venue to host parties.
Stevens describes the interiors as “a little Mad Men, a little Hollywood midcentury,” thanks to a selection of vintage lighting and furnishings from the Rose Bowl Flea Market, new custom furnishings and artworks by many of Pipes’ friends.
In the living room and open kitchen area, the designers added a narrow couch from Empiric along with a vintage rosewood credenza from the Hunt in Highland Park. Vintage lamps add an industrial feel, and a large hexagonal mirror from Nick Metropolis establishes an interesting geometry as you enter the living room. Instead of purchasing a costly wall unit, Stevens used a pair of steel library shelves. “We carried them across the street to the auto body shop and they painted them just like a car,” Stevens says.
A tour of the apartment confirms Pipes’ unconventional tastes: A striking pegwork artwork by Bradley Duncan hangs in the hallway, a vintage typewriter rests on a desk in the guest room, and funky ceramic pieces by Ben Medansky are showcased throughout the apartment.
All of the objects are unique and out of the ordinary. “Everything needs to be touchable, tangible,” Pipes says. “I wanted everything real.”
As new development brings more residents to Hollywood, the neighbourhood feels overwhelmed with new buildings and traffic. But We Came in Peace managed to create a sophisticated, cosy escape for Pipes that feels cut off from the bustling neighbourhood.
“The social aspect of Hollywood is so great,” says Stevens, who has hosted several events at Eastown including a gothic flower show last Valentine’s Day. “It was fun for us to get to flex our muscles in a residential way.”
Pipes adds: “I am having a lot of fun living there.”
Here are some DIY tips from the placemakers at We Came in Peace:
1. Put it on a dimmer: We don’t listen to music at one volume, so why should we accept one level of light? Adding dimmers to your light switches allows you to set the mood for dinner or crank it up when you need to be productive.
2. Go Green: Plants as living art: Live elements are essential. They add texture, dimension and organic energy to any space. Just make sure you follow the care instructions. To thrive, most plants need at least six hours of indirect light a day.
3. Do some self-reflection: Instantly double your ambient light by placing a mirror opposite your window. Oversized reflective surfaces open up small rooms.
4. Take it to another level: Poufs, ottomans and upholstered benches are great ways to fill in awkward areas and gather a large group in one place.
5. Create spaces within spaces: Unshackle your sofa and let it float in the middle of the room — creating new walkways and letting your furniture define a new “room within a room.”
6. Find a new angle: Try putting the largest piece of furniture at a new angle and rebuilding the room around it — this can transform a space without spending a dollar.
7. When in doubt, repaint: The power of colour is awesome. Choose a tone from your outdoor environment and bring it inside or select your favourite item from your wardrobe and paint a bathroom or foyer in the same hue. It will become an instant statement with a story behind it.
