Interior designer Kevin Klein creates an entertaining space like no other in West Hollywood.
PHOTO BY STEFAN MERRIWEATHER
“The client was looking for a place to showcase his piano, entertain guests and lounge while watching a movie,” says Kevin Klein, the principal of Kevin Klein Design (kevinkleindesign.com). “And, above all, the client wanted the space to be unique to his character.” To provide a dynamic entertaining space that is truly multifaceted, Klein focused on creating a room that would function as a venue for high-quality musical experiences, an indoor-outdoor entertaining space, a movie theater and also, somehow, a bar.
The room was previously a standard-size two-car garage with 8-foot ceilings, so the spatial limitations were a struggle at first. “One of the funniest moments of the design process came when we were trying to figure out how to make the room feel larger and grand,” explains Klein. “We had already determined that we could raise the ceiling and expose the pitched roof, but we figured we needed to do something more. We were standing in the space and I looked at the client and said to him, ‘I think I have an idea, but how crazy are you willing to get?’ And I looked at the concrete floor we were standing on and kind of stomped on it a bit, and he immediately knew where my head was going and his eyes lit up and he yelled, ‘Subterranean! Yes!’.
PHOTO BY STEFAN MERRIWEATHER
When designing the subterranean sofa, which was sunk into the ground almost 4 feet, the inspiration came from some 1960s and 1970s recessed conversation pits. “These spaces were hypersocial and distinctly sexy,” says Klein. “We thought it would be really fun to pay homage to those spaces and bring them back to life with a unique use case.”
“As for the ceiling, once we lifted up the ceiling and created this interesting volume of space, we decided to accentuate the moment with stained-glass windows and an oversize chandelier centered over the sofa,” he notes. The chandelier is custom made by Jonathan Entler (entler.co) and proves to be a perfect feature in the room hanging from its pitched roof adorned by stained glass from Judson Studios (judsonstudios.com) and above the custom sofa by Emiliano & Associates (emilianoandassociates.com) that is made entirely of authentic Mongolian sheepskin from Mimi London (mimilondon.com).
“I would describe the overall aesthetic of the project as California eclectic. The space is very fun and quirky, but it’s also elevated,” he says. “We wanted to keep the room somewhat neutral as a base layer, so everything is fairly white/cream, but then we sprinkled in some color with the terrazzo bar and the wallpaper behind the piano.”
“The end result was a truly dynamic space that is capable of being playful, serious, intimate and inviting all at once,” says Klein. “We were really thrilled with the room’s ability to check all the boxes while not feeling forced or contrived.”
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