The family room features a sculptural staircase by Belzberg Architects. Elizabeth Carababas
A dive into the summer atmosphere in this house designed by the designer Sena Leffers, full of works of art and with a terrace with a breathtaking view.
A house with a summer atmosphere in the Hollywood hills
Patterns, shapes, colors or an unexpected detail; since he was a child, designer Sean Leffers has had a marked sensitivity for beauty. “I remember stumbling upon a stack of home decor magazines while on vacation at my grandparents' house and immediately forgetting all the parties the family had planned for those days,” says Sean, who after several years managed to make his dream, to become a designer and give life to his interior studio. «Our team brings a knowledge of the art to each projectand materials, an obsession with detail and a love of the unexpected. We believe interiors should be truly personal and differently inspired. We integrate expressive collections into each project, drawing on a deep understanding of architecture and the decorative arts, from antiquity to modernity . Our work embraces layers, textures and materials to create spaces with warmth, vibrancy and sophistication."
Designer Sean Leffers sitting at the kitchen island. Elizabeth Carababas
And it is precisely following this aesthetic and these values that one of Sean Leffers' latest projects has developed, the home of Tom Buttgenbach, CEO of Avantus, one of the largest alternative energy companies in the world. The house is located in "Bird Streets" - so called because all the streets are named after birds - a part of the Hollywood Hills adjacent to West Hollywood and Beverly Hills which is home to many celebrities including Leonardo di Caprio, Keanu Reeves among others.
«Tom wanted to enter through the front door and feel like he was on vacation , so I looked for soft and light natural materials to evoke summer atmospheres and the feeling of always being at the seaside. The house has also been doubled in size to create an additional master suite, an office, a double-height entertainment room on the same level as the pool, a guest house and a yoga pavilion,” says the designer, whose work it took more than three years. "The site is located on the mountainside, so the original foundation was removed and replaced with dozens of elements to support the house's expansion and make it earthquake-safe, which added an extra year to the construction process."
Elizabeth Carababas
The house's art collection is predominantly focused on the works of LGBTQ and Latino artists and includes pieces by Gloria Sebastián Fierro, Radamés "Juni" Figueroa, Manuel Mendoza Sánchez, Carolina Caycedo, Adán Vallecillo, Ivan Argote, Cosmo Whyte, Jonsi, Christopher Udemezue and Jonathas de Andrade, just to name a few. The central staircase of the house winds over four levels: a black steel ribbon supports floating steps in Calacatta Oro. All the stone was imported from the Italian firm Salvatori, who machine milled the Travertino Latino and Grid du Marais. The furnishings are a mix of artist-designer pieces, custom pieces designed by our studio, and contemporary Italian designers.
“Tom loves the double-height entertainment room adjacent to the pool , which allows all the windows to be recessed into the walls to make the space completely open to the outdoors, perfect for pool parties. Instead my favorite part of the house is the kitchen. We used Calacatta Oro marble to create a geometric island and made the furniture in black walnut. From the kitchen sink you have a panoramic view of the whole city», continues the designer who concludes, «the house has become a luxurious but unpretentious refuge, which allows the owners to experience the summer atmosphere as soon as they cross the threshold. It's perfect for casual moments and pool parties, allowing you to enjoy unobstructed views of Los Angeles while being tucked away in a discreet location."
