Spell It Out

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House of Honey’s magic touch transforms a dour chateau into a magical and inspiring castle where dreams take flight

The foyer showcases an etched Noemi Kozikowska mirror, flanked by ceramic Soshiro Matsubara sconces, which hangs above a console by Jason Koharik. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

While the chateaux that dot Beverly Hills are undeniably beautiful and impressive, their grandeur and gravitas feel incongruous with the laid-back ease of modern Southern California life. Injecting them with joie de vivre seems like a Sisyphean task. Fortunately, the owners of this particular residence stumbled across House of Honey on Instagram. The couple were immediately captivated by the firm’s exuberant love of color, craftsmanship and art and hoped that their magic touch could animate and transform the couple’s somber abode into something livable and inspiring.

Wrapped in Eco Outdoor’s Bokara Freeform stone walls and warmed by Arbon limestone floors and Calacatta Miele from Gem International, the kitchen showcases a carved antiqued limestone hood, which crowns a matte black Grand Palais 180 La Cornue range. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.
In a corner of the kitchen, a custom Gina Berschneider banquette, wrapped in Tiger Mountain by Dedar found at Kneedler Fauchere, is accompanied by Cox London dining chairs and a sculptural RTO pendant. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

While the home’s old-world formality might have intimidated some interior designers, House of Honey welcomed the challenge. “It’s a beautiful French country manor,” remembers Tamara Kaye-Honey, the founder and creative director of the firm’s consortium of female designers. “But it didn’t quite match the way that our clients, a young creative couple, live or what they needed.” While the manicured setting and the strong classical architectural details were exquisite, the atmosphere was oppressive. “They dreamt of a home that felt like a well-traveled house, layered over time, with each room following its own rhythm,” Kaye-Honey explains. “A place that could nourish, maintain and inspire their creative spirit while also prioritizing their need for rest and retreat.”

In the butler’s pantry, arched cabinetry, Waterworks’ Easton Classic Two Hole Bridge Gooseneck kitchen faucet in vintage brass and a gathered sink skirt in Olive Alford Stripe by Rose Tarlow are grounded by honed Ijen Blue quartzite countertops from Gem International and hand-glazed zellige tile in Latte by Tiles of Ezra. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.
In the dining room, a custom oak chandelier by Cox London dangles over a Calacatta wicker table by Giorgio Bonaguro surrounded by bespoke chairs. Trellised walls by Accents of France and a hand-painted fresco by Ilia Anossov elevate the sense of enchantment.
Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.
The living room is anchored by a monumental fireplace and swathed in lime-washed plaster walls by Londubh Studio. The custom cedar velvet sofa, by Una Malan, faces a sculptural marble table in Amarena Field from SolidNature. The chenille club chairs are from Romo Group. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

Given the couple’s large extended family, the firm would also need to figure out how to create spaces that worked as well for two as they did when the home was filled with guests. Fortunately, House of Honey is well-versed in this challenge; their portfolio confirms that they’re adept at designing houses that are both stylish and welcoming, fun and functional, where intimate and expansive spaces happily cohabitate. “We had to consider a range of options and sensibilities, creating spaces that felt intentional but that were also flexible and accommodating,” says Kaye-Honey.

House of Hackney’s Plantasia wallpaper is lit by antique silver sconces from Soane in the powder room and reflected in a vintage Italian mirror from the 1960s, are paired with a custom linen sink skirt in Rogers & Goffigon’s Santolina and aged brass fixtures by Catchpole & Rye. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.
In the entryway, a silk snake stair runner by Christopher Farr, accompanied by a traditional handrail, winds up the curved staircase. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

To guide their work, the team needed to develop a story that integrated the couple’s desires with the constraints of the existing architecture. “At its core, this is the alchemy of what we do,” Kaye-Honey expresses. “And we’re always challenging ourselves to achieve the unexpected.” Here, that meant recasting the formality as something that felt inspirational rather than limiting. From their fresh perspective, they saw in the home’s hewn timber beams, antique fireplaces, cased archways and extensive grounds raw materials for the setting of a fairy tale, full of magic and enchantment. “One of the
first pieces we acquired for the home was a dramatically perched taxidermy albino peacock, which has an otherworldly presence to it,” Kaye-Honey laughs. “It served as our design compass for the tone of the home: rarefied, decadent and impossible to ignore.”

In the office, against walls lacquered a rich red and illuminated by vintage lighting by Bent Karlby and Hans Bergström, an antique elm desk, circa 1780, discovered at Obsolete faces a pair of vintage Otto Schulz lounge chairs upholstered in Dimore Studio fabric. A painting by Stephen Mackey adds a touch of drama. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

With that totem as their guide, they reimagined the unwieldy floor plan as a series of intertwining fables. “The home had high ceilings, hidden corners and a setting that made it feel like a retreat but it didn’t have the functionality the clients wanted,” she recalls. The firm kept the footprint but completely reworked the way it felt inside. “We preserved and honored the home’s original French Country architectural bones while layering in more fanciful elements that bring a sense of story to each space,” Kaye-Honey points out. Note the office which, with its deep red-lacquered walls, large desk and classical painting, seems plucked from a Victorian novel. Or the kitchen—with its stone walls, large black range, copper pots and limestone fireplace, it could be the setting for a Shakespearean tale.

The hallway’s plaster walls, created by Londubh Studio, highlight a vintage travertine Roman table, over which hangs an Art Nouveau bronze mistletoe chandelier from Dragonette and a Nana Funo painting. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

“We created a cohesive sense of flow that infused the layout with more livable, intimate moments,” says Kaye-Honey. The resulting spaces, at once stately and inviting, are imbued with a sense of the unexpected, where discovery and possibility lurk around every corner. Each surface presents an opportunity for expression and for displaying the talents of House of Honey’s extensive Rolodex of artisans, including Londubh Studio and Ilia Anossov. “We finished the walls in softly tinted plaster for a subtle glow and added stone flooring for a delicate play of patterns, grounding the home with texture and movement,” she shares. “From hand-painted frescoes to intricate treillage latticework, every detail was approached with reverence for traditional artistry, but with a playful twist.” Against this rich backdrop, House of Honey brought in an infectious mix of contemporary and vintage, bespoke and discovered, creating an aesthetic that is comfortable and playful, glamorous and soulful, expressive and elevated.

In the parlor, a custom sectional and decorative cushions, upholstered in Una Malan’s Cedar cotton velvet, sidles up to a coffee table designed by House of Honey. The cobalt blue Joan Side table is from Soft Witness. Custom pendants, designed by House of Honey, from Wired Lighting, illuminate the pool table. Photos by Michael Clifford Photography.

“Each room feels like its own chapter in a novel—elegant, transportive and entirely unique—that beautifully captures the homeowner’s personalities,” observes Kaye-Honey. “The goal wasn’t to erase the home’s history but to infuse it with new life, transforming it into a space that feels distinctly theirs and full of emotion and possibility.”