Leisure

A Hollywood agent reinvents Howard Hughes’s former bedroom

by Dale Hrabi | Photographs by Daniel Hennessy
[ Updated: Jul 14, 2008 - 4:45:08 PM ]

Unlike this Los Angeles home’s former owner—the famously unkempt germophobe Howard Hughes—Hollywood agent Bob Bookman is always meticulously put together.“We wanted to create the feel of an old spa room, not just a bathroom,” says designer Valerie Pasquiou, of the New York firm Spacesmith, who helped Bookman renovate the area, which was originally part of the bedroom where Hughes romanced Katharine Hepburn. The strategy was an unforced mix of antiques and discreet modern twists. “It wasn’t overplanned in that heartless, ‘designed’ way,” says Bookman, who has brokered film deals for A-list authors such as John Irving and Michael Crichton. “It already felt lived in.” Here’s how to borrow the look:

Incorporate Framed Prints
Though seemingly more at home in a library, a collection of antique posters of author Marcel Proust (the subject of Bookman’s senior thesis) found its way into the bathroom to distinguish it further from just a place to shower.

Mix Wood Tones
Combine furniture in various shades, from amber to umber, to give the impression that the décor evolved organically over time, instead of being ordered online. “Some American clients want to match everything,” the French-born Pasquiou says with a sigh, “but that’s too showroomy.”

Buy a Reproduction
Want the classicism of a claw-foot bathtub? Don’t bother with antiques, says Pasquiou. Typically, they’re too narrow or too deep. A good cast-iron reproduction can cost $5,000, but you’ll actually fit into it.

Go Vintage
Pasquiou surrounded the tub with 18th-century majolica ceramic tiles reclaimed from Italy ($50 each at Compas, in Los Angeles) to evoke the home’s original laid-back Mediterranean luxury. Limited quantities led her to mix two patterns.

Try Hardwood Floors
Pasquiou replaced the “harsh, unsexy” black tiles with water-sealed white oak for instant sophistication. For a strong, simple look, she says, subdue the grain with a dark stain and choose wider planks.