RESIDENT DOG 2

Who let the dogs in? Daylesford and Freeway are happy to share this vibrant LA abode with their human, Richard Christiansen of Chandelier Creative.

In this extract from her new book, photographer Nicole England visits the magical grounds of Flamingo Estate – the Spanish Colonial-style abode and biodynamic garden brought to life by Richard Christiansen and Studio KO – and meets the two haute hounds who call it home.

There are no pink-plumaged birds to encounter at Flamingo Estate, but you will find a kaleidoscopic home with an equally colourful history and two very happy dogs. Cocker spaniels Daylesford and Freeway live in a 1940s Spanish Colonial Revival originally conceived as the headquarters for an erotic film company. Painstakingly restored for a new kind of creative vision, the house is now a playground for its permanent residents as well as a rotating cast of radical thinkers. Like the humans that flock to its hedonistic beauty, Freeway and Daylesford also find inspiration in their surroundings. They scratch their bottoms on Caribbean Tea Time (1985-87) – a lithograph folding screen by British artist David Hockney – in the living room, chase birds and sniff among 150 species of flowers and shrubs in the seven-acre (three hectare) garden overlooking Los Angeles, as well as working the social circuit by winning over the affections

(and food) of partygoers at one of Flamingo Estate’s frequent affairs. They’re always ready to strike a pose in front of the variously textured backgrounds and, as the Flamingo Estate’s Instagram shows, the camera loves them right back.

All of that excitement means the brotherly duo also appreciates their creature comforts, and the home caters to their canine proportions. Furniture was specially designed for their low-slung needs, uniquely hued terrazzo floors keep them cool, and a bathing cathedral lets them, or their human, retreat from it all. Cast in concrete, the peaceful sanctuary is comprised of a deep-soaking tub, wood-burning fireplace and a stained-glass wall for the California sunlight to dapple across the room in tranquil shades of Majorelle blue. It’s a work-hard, play-hard lifestyle for everyone at Flamingo Estate.

flamingoestate.la; chandeliercreative.com; studioko.fr

This page Owner Richard Christiansen of Chandelier Creative furnished the living room of Flamingo Estate with a rich profusion of art and objects, including David Hockney’s folding screen, Caribbean Tea Time, and a Gabriella Crespi table from 1972. Opposite page Cocker spaniels Daylesford and Freeway roam the property, which translates the romance of a Moroccan garden to its sprawling perch high above Los Angeles.

This page, clockwise from top right A glimpse of prickly pear is echoed by rosy toned marble and terrazzo. A brass lamp by Tommaso Barbi from 1975 beside a chair from a Paris flea market. A pair of ‘Alchemy’ chairs flank a cast-brass vase, all by Rick Owens. Opposite page Daylesford and Freeway scamper up concrete stairs in the space that was once a cinema and editing room during the building’s racy heyday. C1963 chair by Diego Giacometti.

This page, clockwise from top left Stairs in cast concrete exhibit the elegant minimalism of architects Studio KO, enlivened by washes of blue light. The architects conceived the concrete bathing room in a spirit of hammam-like luxe rusticity, bathed in the blue light of a handmade stained-glass window. One of the property’s resident dogs offers a friendly welcome. Opposite page Madison Cox pots were made in Morocco.

This is an extract from Resident Dog Volume 2 by Nicole England (Hardie Grant).