Living together

TWO FAMOUS SISTERS WITH A DREAM OF AN ENDLESS SUMMER: THE HOME OF POPPY AND CARA DELEVINGNE IN LOS ANGELES.

The scenario seems ripe for a bawdy rom-com: two gorgeous sisters from London, both high-profile model-actresses, decide to set up house together in sunny Los Angeles. They trick out their alluring hideaway with a Playboy pinball machine, a nautical bar straight out ly, Delevingne’s themselves high of Gilligan’s jinks offers intoxicating ensue. Island an This, object and in California lesson a short, stripper in is home, personal the pole. story Margaritas which style of Poppy like leavened the flow and sisters free- Cara with sauciness «Los Angeles and can humor. be a lonely place. You have to make an effort to reach out to people. Since one of us was always coming here for one reason or another, being with family just made sense», Cara says. «This was the chance to build our dream sister house. Miraculously, we’re still talking», Poppy adds. «The fact that they share a house at this point in their lives is incredibly telling – they really are best buds», observes the architect Nicolò Bini of LA-based Line Architecture, who worked closely with the Delevingnes on the project. The setting is a gracious but unpretentious 1950s dwelling, centrally located yet discreetly tucked away on a quiet street, and conveniently outfitted with a pair of master suites on different floors, and with two separate entrances. «I wanted to create a true LA moment for them, with nods to California mid-century modern, Laurel Canyon bohemia, Beverly Hills swank, surfing culture and a little Mexico», Bini continues. The emerald-lacquered dining room features a rattan monkey chandelier. The pink and green velvet upholstery in the living room goes with a proliferation of banana-leaf and palm-frond fabrics and wallcoverings. «Poppy has more of an eye than I do. She has impeccable taste, so I let her take the lead», says Cara. Poppy sees it differently: «Basically I’m a control freak. We each made our imprint on the design, but I was the one obsessing over the color of the curtain rings». Bini credits both: «They were great editors, game for anything», he comments. An example? The massive bunk bed in the guestroom, a metal-framed structure clad in bamboo, supporting two stacked queen high relief mattresses. in the design The sisters’ of their divergent individual personal bedroom tastes suites. come into The centerpiece of Poppy’s dreamy aerie is a wall covered in handpainted de Gournay paper featuring monkeys and toucans on a Tiffany blue field: «I have a similar paper in the bathroom of my house in London. For my bedroom here I wanted to create a calming atmosphere, pale pinks and blues, Moroccan rigs, supersoft fabrics». In contrast, Cara’s room on the lower level is a much moodier affair, reminiscent of a proper gentlemen’s club, albeit one with serious sex appeal. Its eccentricities include a sprawling bed, 11 feet wide, on a mirrored platform – perfect for pajama parties. «The room feels like the Playboy Mansion with a touch of Art Deco and a David Hicks pattern thrown in for good measure», Cara says. «I wanted to reclaim the concept of the bachelor pad». A soundproof party bunker opens off Cara’s bedroom, replete with louche details like carpeted walls, a mirrored ceiling, a stripper pole, disco lighting and an assortment of black velvet paintings of bare-breasted women. Cara justifies the provocative private lair with a quote from hip-hop artist Nelly: «It’s important to have a friend with a pole in the basement».