CALIFORNIA DREAMS
TEARING DOWN MOST OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDING ALLOWED MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A STYLISH HAVEN IN MALIBU’S IDYLLIC POINT DUME
When Martyn Lawrence Bullard was approached by the Sperber family to take on the remodel of their new home, he was only too willing. Having worked on their previous house, he was already familiar with their style. Although the family had grown in size, their needs remained much the same. But the property itself presented a fresh set of challenges. “The house was a bad South Western-style home built in the late 1980s,” recalls Bullard. “So we immediately set about tearing most of it down.” Windows were ripped out, floors replaced and gardens upended as the old structure was transformed into a modern family home. Architect Doug Burge then added a gym, spa, entertaining room and additional guest bedrooms to the property to bring it up to date with contemporary standards of comfort.
FREE FLOW
While many might be daunted by the prospect of a full renovation, Bullard was not. The award-winning designer is regularly voted among the world’s leading interiors professionals and he counts a number of Hollywood A-listers among his clientele including Cher, as well as the KardashianJenner clan. Tearing down the Sperber residence therefore was all in a day’s work; adopting such a dramatic approach allowed Bullard and his team greater control over the new house as well as a unique opportunity to satisfy all of the family’s requirements. With barely a shell left to work with, the first thing they did was to readdress the flow of the house, which had previously been lacking. Rooms were reassigned and reimagined so that there was a more logical sequence to the home’s layout and a greater emphasis was also placed on the interplay between the indoors and the outdoors. “In California, and especially in Malibu, the indoor-outdoor lifestyle is key to the way people live,” Bullard explains. “That way of existing became vital to the design experience in this home.”
Knowing the Sperbers’ love of entertaining, Bullard suggested they create a series of patios and gardens to surround the new house, that could be used for dining, seating or relaxing; an idea that resonated particularly with Mr Sperber, who is the president of one of the world’s largest landscaping companies. Inside, Bullard again ensured that hosting felt effortless by creating a variety of seating areas, both formal and informal, that are all easily accessed from the kitchen and yet which each retain their own identity—the plush family lounge is the perfect spot for a low-key afternoon, while the dining room works equally well for family dinners as it does more lavish occasions.
EASY LIVING
Having completed the structural work, Bullard began crafting a new scheme for the house. Drawing inspiration from its location, he proposed a Mediterranean ambience that would make for easy, breezy beach living in a colour palette of blues and natural tones. Texture, however, proved to be key, and allows the house to feel both relaxed yet guest-worthy. The dining room for example, may be in a simple mixture of nauticals and neutrals; it’s paired with a wallpaper in a bold batik print from Bullard’s own collection, raising its game significantly. Layers of natural fabrics from linen to cotton to jute to seagrass, from the floor to the furnishings, are also responsible for a finish that is both extremely livable and yet sophisticated, hard-wearing yet soft on the senses. Among this soothing sea of blue hues, the kitchen retains its own unique identity—a zesty yellow and bright white centerpiece that deliberately deviates from the rest of the house. “I always believe a kitchen should be the heart of a home,” Bullard explains. “As such, I like to make sure there is a strong design statement there. For this home I wanted the kitchen to feel fresh and inviting to reflect the family who use it.”
MODERN FAMILY
Throughout the house, Bullard has created arresting talking points, from the 18th century fireplace in the living room to the massangis limestone flooring underfoot in the hallway. Further lending the home character, he has also mixed flea market finds with priceless objects that he has collected from London, Paris, New York and Indonesia. Bullard personally picked the art pieces on display, from the Picasso hanging in the living room to a striking Cuban photograph in the dining room. “The art was selected to capture the clients’ personal tastes and interests, and give character to the spaces. In some cases, the art was chosen for colour and form, in other spaces for dramatic effect, and in others for a feeling that represented the clients’ own emotions.” The result is a home that is both reflective of its owners and its surroundings, while elegantly capturing that enviable Southern California way of life.
“I WANTED THE KITCHEN TO FEEL FRESH AND INVITING TO REFLECT THE FAMILY WHO USE IT”