Meet Joelle & Jesse – the creative masterminds behind Los Angeles based design studio, Ome Dezin. With an experiential approach to every design related endeavour,  the duo’s work employs a stunning curation of texture, materials, and colour to create a visual kinship with the surrounding natural elements; a breath of fresh air.

We take a look inside Joelle & Jesse’s latest project in Brentwood, where they took an older iconic home and gave it a refreshing, contemporary facelift, fusing modern luxury and the natural world together seamlessly, all whilst still honouring it’s history and original bones.

Subtle mid-century accents and warm wooden tones create a feeling of ease and liveability in the space, and bespoke elements further amplify it’s originality. It truly is a visual masterpiece.

For all the stunning details, and an insight into the creative sphere Joelle & Jesse have created, read on!

 Can you please share with us a bit about your career evolution, and what it is you love most about what you do today?

I (Joelle) am originally from Toronto and moved to Los Angeles to work in Documentary film, after film school and getting my US Citzenship. I quickly had to get a job, and landed at ACNE Studios, and from there many creative studios in different roles. Jesse has been a serial entrepreneur, and within the last 6 years has settled nicely in his passions, working in architecture and design. We love working together, we love flexing our creative muscles, we love learning and evolving. 

What was your vision for the Brentwood space, and what was most important to you throughout the design process?

The home was built in 1960 by pioneering female developer Sarah Jane Lapin and her husband Ellis. Sarah Jane Lapin began taking extension courses in the late 1940’s because she wanted to design her own home. She became a building contractor and developed several homes and apartment buildings. In 1964 there was a rare interview about her developing five homes in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. This was her own home, which she commissioned Quincy A Jones and Frederick Emmons to lead design.

Most A.Quincy Jones homes incorporate a usable atrium, high ceilings and walls of glass, this one is no different. From each room, you are jaw to the floor—gazing at a gift. Each room faces the hillside of plant life and its humble 40 ft waterfall. This was an entire interior and exterior renovation to revive the home which was built in 1960 by one of our favorite architects. While the bones were still incredible, the interior was all in need of some new life— as a lot of the home had been renovated in the early 90s. 

Jones’s architectural language was the inspiration for the project, his love of nature is something we have in common and always is a material and color palette that we pull from. We looked to the many designers and artists that we love and felt fit with this home. There are a couple of Donald Judd inspired furniture pieces in the house, one of which is the bench for the breakfast table, and the other the dining table which was an inspiration for our friend and furniture designer Ben Willett. We decided to add a few Jean Prouvé inspired doors and mirror as well, taking the opportunity to impart some notable design inspired elements where appropriate. With such a large home it is important to us to create intimacy and special vignettes where possible.

Can you describe any favourite elements/accents that you included in the project?

All the metallic details throughout, rounded out our light brutalist design aesthetic. We used these in hardware and lighting like sconces, flush mounts and pendants.  We aimed to use a lot of wood, metal, glass and stone. Not too many rounded corners but angular structured shapes throughout the house, starting with the staircase and moving to bathroom vanities.. 

Can you please describe your creative process when it comes to tackling a project, and what your biggest sources of inspiration are?

The creative process for each project starts during the initial walk-throughs. We will brainstorm as we’re walking through together, what needs to stay and what needs to go, how we create a better flow, add more natural light, create a seamless living experience between the interior and exterior, storage and color palette. These are all things spoken about at the start of a project and iterates from there until we add final touches, a home is never really done, design and architecture is always living which is fun. We get it started and then the home owner will add their personal touches throughout their lives. We’d love to stop in years after letting a home go and see what it has become.

The biggest source of inspiration is the house itself and the architecture, second to that would be the landscape around it and last could be from anywhere, a piece of art, travel, nature etc. 

What’s on your playlist at the moment?

Ohhh podcasts. We spend so many hours in the car we’re so into podcasts. NPR, High Low with Emrata, and Jake Arnold’s The Expert .

For more, visit omedezin.