Although many owners become faithful to the creative vision of their designer, Brandon Creed is a particularly special case. That’s because the co-founder of Full Stop Management — which manages a prolific list of musical stars like Troye Sivan, Mark Ronson and Lizzo— can rely on the aesthetic meld of minds she enjoys with her mother, decorator Shari Creed of Studio Creed.
“He’s the best customer,” says Shari. “We have similar tastes and we can finish each other’s sentences, and he’s open-minded and receptive,” she adds.
Brandon has a long history of involving his parents in their design decisions, dating back to renting their apartment in college. What’s more, he frequently turns to his father, Tommy Creed, for advice during inspections and renovations, causing many of his former homes are a wholly family affair.
In 2018, Brandon started this chain of events again by calling his parents to see a mid-century house outside the market in Los Angeles’s bucolic Laurel Canyon. “I enjoy the process of finding a property and putting some love into it,” says Brandon, whose original intention with a simple post-and-beam house from Buff & Hensman was to restore it and then sell it for a profit. Although Shari described the house as “an absolute pigsty,” she says she “could see past it.” Brandon enlisted the support of his parents, hired Design Universal Architects, and set out to restore the abode.: “So, early in the restoration process, it became clear that it was going to be my home,” reflects Brandon.
For this highly personal project, mother and son worked collaboratively, “but with a lot of trust and faith,” says Brandon. He travels frequently for work and sends Shari photos of designs that resonate with him, which she deciphers and translates. “Philosophically, I think a house must tell a story about the people who inhabit itsays Shari, who, having designed several homes for Brandon, is well versed in his comfort zones and priorities. That includes creating a residence that reflects his sense of home, as well as his love of entertaining.
However, it is a process that requires great care, as Brandon believes that many newly renovated houses “have no soul and look the same”but it’s the exact opposite of where she now lives with her partner, Thomas, and their two-year-old son, Luca, thanks to Shari’s thoughtful and creative planning.
For example, an unfinished guest house from the 1990s, nicknamed the “chalet“, became the serene suite main and the cover covered with Venetian plaster of Brandon. On the other hand, the pool area received major upgrades including the addition of a vibrant outdoor bar and pizza oven. An elegant kitchen fit for an avid cook, fire pits and a vegetable garden add to the property’s appeal.
Creed’s team also built, from scratch, a spacious steel and stucco verandah on what was vacant land between the original house and Brandon’s bedroom. Their eye-catching art collection, which has been over a decade in the making, speaks to Brandon’s aesthetic tastes. He credits his brother, who is an art consultant, with introducing him to the work of developing artistic talent, whose pieces make up much of his current holdings. Throughout the house and its surroundings you can see works by Bernard Piffaretti, Klara Liden, Mark Hagen and Zach Bruder, as well as sculptures that provide even more visual interest. In particular, a totem inspired by Luis Barragán, located next to the koi pond, is one of Shari’s favorite pieces. He commissioned Lukas Geronimas —who created some interior doors shou sugi ban— to make a water feature that would compensate for the hard surfaces of the house.
However, the main entrance of the house, inspired by a ryokanIt is Shari’s proudest moment. He conceived it from the ground up in a design-build process that included rocks, curved stairs, a spiral teak inlay floor, and even a turtle pond. From there, the designer focused on creating a strong flow that encompassed the living room and kitchen wrap around the pool. The house has “inherent feng shui”he says, heeding Brandon’s desire to keep things very Zen. Shari adds, “The house itself was bound to have discoveries, these elements of, ‘Oh wow, look at that!’ to evoke emotional responses.
As for the furniture, Shari worked with a practically blank whiteboard. Custom designs mixed with a handful of modern finds vintage, like a Les Arcs stool by Charlotte Perriand, now fill the void. Other pieces are steeped in family history: “I grew up with that table, so it’s amazing to have,” says Brandon of the fourth-generation European kitchen’s antiquity found among the playful works of art by Yuji Agematsu and Andy Warhol.
But for Shari, the greatest compliment came from a friend, whose taste she admires: “She came to me and said, ‘I mean this as a compliment and with the utmost respect: It looks like you haven’t been in this house,'” says the interior designer. “Mission accomplished”.
Article originally published in AD US.
Translation and adaptation of Fernanda Toral.