Life Enhancing

Interior designer Peter Dunham animates a Hollywood Hills home

“I lived right around the corner when I first moved to L.A.,” says Peter Dunham, referring to a classic Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow his team recently redesigned that is perched in the foothills of Hollywood. “I was fascinated by this beautiful house and its beautiful landscaping.” After establishing himself two decades later as a textile, furniture and interior designer—as well as the proprietor of Hollywood at Home—the homeowners reached out to him. Would he be available to help them? “I darted right over,” he recalls.

It turned out that the home’s inside was just as captivating as its exterior. “The bones are absolutely spectacular,” he says. The layout was meticulous. It showcased impeccable terra-cotta floors, intricate wrought iron banisters and wood ceilings. There was a crescent-shaped pool and a garden room. “So most of what we had to do was just change out the upholstery and move things around a bit,” Dunham says.

That offhand characterization of the English-born, European-bred designer’s work downplays the encyclopedic knowledge and prodigious skill set inherent in the work of an interior designer at Dunham’s level. Certainly, it takes an expert to recognize that the living room’s focal point is not the fireplace but the view of a garden through French doors that interrupts one long wall, and that the narrow room would be vastly improved by the addition of windows on either side of the hearth.

Not everyone would recognize that the small den, which connects the kitchen and the pool, is best served by placing four comfortable armchairs around a coffee table, enabling the easy flow of traffic around them. It’s a practiced eye that understands that enhancing the glass-ceilinged garden room calls for pieces that celebrate its drama and foliage illuminated by up-lights. Experience demands a bench in the entryway for taking off shoes and setting down packages, that bedrooms need ample-size nightstands and a “throw your jeans on” chair, and how to properly illuminate a room using a variety of light sources without resorting to ceiling cans.

The exuberance of Dunham’s layered interiors, which showcase his love for mixing color, pattern, stylistic eras and textiles, can be deceptive, masking the fact that they are extremely functional. “I’m not a fan of minimalism. In fact, I generally think people don’t have enough books, collections, objects and art needed to infuse a room with personality,” he observes. “I’m always thinking, How can I make this room less wasteful, more comfortable, more useful?” They’re also highly personalized. “By showcasing their things, you give people the confidence to celebrate their uniqueness,” he shares. “A house needs to have that soul and feel welcoming. You should feel a sense of joy and well-being.”

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