A Good Story

Author:

With the intervention of Lidan Sfadia and Edward Grigoryan, a house in Tarzana gets a fairytale ending

A custom made travertine table, woven dining chairs and accessories from Berber Imports in the breakfast nook. Photo by Nils Timm

“Building a big, one-story home had always been a dream,” says Lidan Sfadia of this Craftsman home he reimagined in cooperation with Edward Grigoryan. While the duo had originally purchased the home as a rental property for Grigoryan’s parents, they ultimately decided to develop the house with an eye towards selling it.

In the pimary bedroom, a Jenni Kayne linen slipcover bed, dressed in Parachute bedding, is flanked by RH white oak nightstands. It sits on an Amazon jute rug. Two Slope arm slipcover dining chairs from RH, coverd in Belgian linen, cluster around a Zara Home side table. The Travertine Floor Lamp is from RH Home. Photo by Nils Timm.

“It was in desperate need of a remodel,” Grigoryan remembers. “Our overall goal was to create a space that had a great energy to it, where the design felt effortless but striking and everything felt easy on the eyes.” From the outset, their vision revolved around two key points: A long, formal corridor that would act as a separation between the public and the private spaces, and a large central atrium, visible from every room, that would ground the house, blurring the line between indoors and out. A sense of timelessness informed every aspect of the design decisions. “We wanted to create a calming and relaxing environment, informed by a neutral palette, natural and tactile materials and classical architecture, that drew inspiration from our experiences in Europe,” Grigoryan notes. Instead of color, they relied on texture and scale to create ‘wow’ moments. “Although the ceiling are twelve feet high, the house feels very human-scaled and livable. That was always a big part of the goal.”

In the primary bathroom, lighting from CB2 illuminates a runner from Amazon Amber Interiors x Loloi collection. The outdoor lounge chair is from RH;s Oslo collection. The tree and pot were discovered at Highland Pots. The tiled stool is from Zara home. Photo by Nils Timm

The 6,200-square-foot house, with its u-shaped floor plan, showcases six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. A 35-foot bridge leads to large French iron doors which open onto the formal entry. One wing gathers the common areas—including the family room, kitchen, dining room, and the theater—while the other is dedicated to the bedrooms. An additional 1,000-square-foot, one bedroom ADU serves as an office and game room. 

In the formal living room: a custom made brown suded rounded sofa from Vintage on Point, Jakob Pierre Jennerette inspired accent chairs, a Crate and Barrel shelling lounge chair and coffee table and a Zara Home side table sit on a Lulu and Georgia Wool Rug. The brass chandelier is from RH. Photo by Nils Timm

Natural materials, chosen for the way that they would wear and patina over time, help conjure up a sense of history while still feeling completely modern. Witness the entryway’s tumbled limestone flooring, the kitchen’s thickly-veined Bonsai marble (its name nods to the presence of imported bonsai tree found in the atrium just off the kitchen, creating what Lidan and Edward describe as a “full circle moment”), the limestone and travertine used in the secondary bathrooms and the primary shower, clad in hand-glazed Moroccan clay tile. Iron doors and windows, brass shower doors, mature olive trees imported from the Napa Valley, and rosemary planted around the home’s perimeter, bring to mind the idyllic, captivating villas of France and Italy. That idea is underlined by the home’s restrained palette. “We relied soothing tones that are easy on the eye with occasional pop of color such as the green leathered soapstone,” Sfadia says. The walls are plastered in a warm greige, creating a soft, continuous backdrop that wraps the interior in a pleasing harmonious whole.

The pool’s loungers are from RH’s Oslo collection. Photo by Nils Timm

The home’s most striking feature, apart from its quality finishes, is a thirty foot slider that opens the formal entry to the backyard. “It’s the very definition of the indoor-outdoor connection that lies at the heart of the best homes in Southern California,” Sfadia points out. 

The outdoor dining are is anchored by a reclaimed vintage oak dining table sourced from the Round Top Texas antique show. The dining chairs are from RH. Photo by Nils Timm

The project, which took two years to complete, is the fulfillment of a dream for Sfadia and Grigoryan. “Two years ago, we sketched out our ideas,” Grigoryian remembers. “A year ago, we started with just dirt, and today, I’m in complete disbelief over what we accomplished. It’s been the most rewarding and positive experience from start to finish.” Adds Sfadia, “Everything, from the design to the build, just flowed. I feel so blessed to get to do what I love for a living, and this home is a perfect reminder of that.” 

The front entry is grounded by French Iron doors. Photo by Nils Timm

And added bonus was the reaction from Grigoryan’s parents. “We built the home for them to sell,” Grigoryan shares. “They had no idea what to expect but their first reaction was open-mouthed awe. In fact, they loved it so much, they hesitated to sell!”