Designer Barclay Butera Taps Classic Hollywood for Home, Buys Desi Arnaz, Jr.'s 30-Year Beverly Hills House
Renowned designer Barclay Butera has bought the Beverly Hills home of entertainer and showman Desi Arnaz, Jr. Enamored of the Hollywood Hills area, with its expansive views, unique architecture and its direct connection to an era he admires and enjoys, the designer was excited to also inherit through the deal a pair of bronze hanging lamps given Arnaz by his mother, comedian Lucille Ball. The 1955 mid-century modern house sits atop a ridge overlooking the city and Butera plans to restore the interiors in his elegantly casual signature style and showcase the architecture that attracts so many to these classic homes. Furnishings will include his Barclay Butera Home line, and the style will be Hollywood Regency.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 25, 2005 -- Renowned designer Barclay Butera
has bought the Beverly Hills home of entertainer and showman Desi Arnaz, Jr.,
son of comedian Lucille Ball and bandleader/actor/ producer Desi Arnaz. Enamored
of the Hollywood Hills area, with its expansive views, unique architecture and
its direct connection to an era he admires and enjoys, the designer was excited
to also inherit through the deal a pair of bronze hanging lamps given Arnaz by
his mother. The 1955 mid-century modern house sits atop a ridge overlooking the
city and Butera plans to restore the interiors in his elegantly casual signature
style and showcase the architecture that attracts so many to these classic
homes. The house has additional Hollywood legacy in its original owner, Joseph
Sinay, former GM of Fanchon & Marco, management company of historic theaters
such as the Paramount in Los Angeles.
Ball found the house 30 years ago
and suggested Arnaz, Jr. purchase it. Its views of Beverly Hills to the ocean
are undeniably stunning, and Butera, who wrote a personal letter to the owner
expressing his strong feelings for the house, plans to build upon what already
exists. He is doing what he does best: maintain the heritage of a project and
then add a twist to update the feel to today. Outside, the house will simply be
repainted white, but the front entrance will feature elegant bronze lions and a
pair of 16-panel drop panel door. A long Zen jacuzzi (ala an infinity pool),
shaped topiaries and an expanded two-level patio off the master bedroom and
living room will accentuate not only the beauty of the exterior, but the
indoor/outdoor flow of living as well. The piece d’ resistance will be a draped
patio cabana by the jacuzzi – very Hollywood Regency.
Indoors, Butera is
keeping many details of the original house, such as the intercom system and the
bronze lamps. He is letting the house’s era direct him and is using white
quartzite rock wallpaper, chocolate shag carpets and white granite floors and
countertops. The home will be furnished primarily with his own Barclay Butera
Home line, which fits perfectly with its classic tailored lines, nickel head and
tufted detailing, and will be specialized with leather, chenille, corduroy and
similarly luxurious fabrics. To top it off, a high-lacquer, white baby grand
will be the living room’s centerpiece.
He envisions this home as a
constant gathering place for dinners and discussion. Already several intimate
events – both charity-oriented and personal – are planned and he hopes to have
many more. Says Butera, “There are many things in this world that we don’t have
control over. But through design, I’m able to pay tribute to a time that I think
had a very positive approach to living, including its pace, and the way people
interacted. I appreciate what has been left for us and enjoy adding what I think
is good and beautiful about 2005 to that.”
The house
was originally built by Sinay – who not only has the movie theatre history but
also founded RB Furniture with his brother and acquired W.J. Sloane to create a
100-store chain. He discovered the lot as the back part of land he bought on the
street below, where he planned to build. But seeing the view from above, he
changed his mind. Architects Richard Lim and then Edwin Tell worked on the house
which features the horizontal lines and great windows of the classic mid-century
architecture.
Saundra Renard of Desert Connection Realtors represented
Barclay Butera in the purchase.
Barclay Butera, Inc. (BBI), Butera’s
12-year old corporation, is based in Newport Beach, CA, and entails the Barclay
Butera retail/to-the-trade collection showrooms in Newport Beach and Los
Angeles, CA, and Park City, UT. Barclay Butera Home, Inc. (BBH) is home to both
the Barclay Butera Home line, distributed with over 300 retailers nationwide,
and to Barclay Butera Home retail and designer showrooms. Butera designs and
manufactures his products in Los Angeles, CA.
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Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb212202.htm