Master Class

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Interior designer Coco Greenblum demonstrates her breadth of knowledge with the first project from her newly opened studio

The sculpture garden showcases a rock sediment and resin sculpture by Marcus Bernardes, a bronze and spalted oak stand by James Naish and a plant purchased from Plant Provisions.
Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.

When Coco Greenblum flung open the doors to her studio this spring, she had the confidence of knowing she’d learned from the best. After graduating from the University of Georgia, she worked with Emily Summers, who taught her the art of juxtaposition. She learned the value of color blocking and the power of art from Lauren Geremia. Paul Wiseman trained her how to work with a restrained palette. Ken Fulk demonstrated how small details can make a big impact, while Jeremiah Brent schooled her in finding warmth through texture. “It was strategic,” she explains. “I wanted to be able to handle any design challenge.”

Afra & Tobia Scarpa’s Soriana Sofa for Cassina in amber velvet sits on Nordic Knots’ Pavilion rug. The Gianfranco Frattini Kyoto coffee table, designed for Knoll, was found on 1stDibs. Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.
Custom walnut-trimmed paneling nods to the home’s mid-century origins. The mohair and ceramic tile stools are by Ah Um Design Studio. The Jonathan Todryk painting was purchased through Rhett Baruch Gallery. Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.

She brought these lessons to bear on her work with her first clients. “I’d never worked on anything mid-century but it’s one of my favorite periods, so I was very excited,” she says of a two-bedroom house in Studio City. “They’re in the entertainment industry and are really creative and vibrant people, so I wanted to add a bit of Hollywood glam to reflect that.”

The Jen Risom dining table and chairs, one of the few items that the clients owned, is joined by a Noguchi pendant, vintage shelving from Amsterdam Modern and a tree from Plant Provisions.
Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.
A vintage bottle art painting, discovered at Collins & Green Art in London, mid-century teacups and kettle found at Amsterdam Modern and a vase from Lawson-Fenning highlight the beauty of the home’s original walnut kitchen. Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.

Despite living in the house for over a year, it was nearly empty apart from a neutral sofa and a coffee table. “Those and a lithograph by R.C. Gorman,” Greenblum remembers. While she knew the clients would eventually replace both pieces, she understood that, given they were new to the design process and just discovering what they liked, she’d have to slowly introduce things. “I don’t ever want to push things,” she explains. “It became clear to them, as we started purchasing pieces, that the sofa and the coffee table felt more and more out of place.”

The primary bedroom’s velvet bed, sourced through Design Within Reach, is flanked by nightstands by Andre Bus for Lane. The vintage 1960s sconces are by Stilnovo. The Warren Platner chair is reupholstered in a Pierre Frey fabric.
Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.
The guest bathroom is flooded with natural light. Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.

That’s when she stumbled across the Soriana sofa—an iconic design—upholstered in burnt amber. “I just felt like they’d love it,” she says, along with the Kyoto coffee table. “I wanted something that felt linear, to mimic some of the architecture in the space,” she shares. “And then we found that Colt Seager piece and that really set the tone for the direction of the house.” When Nordic Knots released their Pavilion rug, she knew it would be perfect. “It was contemporary but it still felt cozy and rich,” she notes. “A lot of times I present the rug first because it’s really the basis of the design. But none of them landed and you know, I think it’s more productive to work the way that the clients prefer to work.”

In the guest bedroom a walnut platform bed from CB2 sits on a rug by Lulu and Georgia. The bedding is from Parachute. The painting by Jessica Swaffer was purchased through Rhett Baruch Gallery.
Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.
A custom desk occupies the corner of the primary bedroom. Photos by Tina Finkel, styling by Austin Whittle.

Greenblum wanted the house to feel thoughtful, curated and warm. “So my intention was to create a mix, bringing in new L.A. artisans, local showrooms and vintage dealers that I had worked with for a long time as well as bespoke pieces.” She incorporated ceramic tile stools by Ah Um Design Studio and antique pottery from The Window LA. She designed a Viola marble console for the entry. She found a shelving unit that coordinated with the couple’s Jens Risom table at Amsterdam Modern, using part of it in the dining room, the other in a bedroom. She reupholstered two classic chairs in intriguing Pierre Frey fabrics. “It was a really collaborative process,” she says. “Fun for them and fun for me.”