A little nerdy, inside and out
Fantasy reaches beyond Harry Potter items — to a view of Hogwarts Castle.
In actor Sam Richardson’s cozy Hollywood Hills den, fandom plays off a lush, panoramic view.
Three walls boast floor-length windows and sliding glass doors; the fourth displays an impressive array of fantasy collectibles and “nerd books.”
They include the Harry Potter collection and a replica of the series’ Elder wand, which hold a serendipitous connection to the view.
“If you look straight out the window, you see Hogwarts Castle” at Universal Studios Hollywood, said Richardson, 34, waving his wand with incantations toward the theme park. “Lumos!”
Richardson, known for his roles in HBO’s “Veep” and Comedy Central’s “Detroiters,” makes space for other memorabilia including Ninja Turtle figures — “detailed so well, it’s uncanny” — and the “Transformers: Art of Prime” collectors book encased in an autobot shield with audio effects.
Why is this your favorite room?
When I was looking at this house, I came up the stairs, and the very first thing I saw was this beautiful view from this room, and I was, like, “This is my nest.”
It makes me feel like I’m in a treehouse, and in fact there’s a raven that’s been giving me the dickens and wants this place too, or he’s been delivering me a message — I can’t tell.
Did you make any changes?
I added the fireplace and shelves and made a perfect, cozy space for myself.
The shelves are beautiful; are they custom-made?
They were made by my friend Greg at Eclectic Custom Woodwork. I just told him exactly what I wanted because I knew this wall was going to be a focal point. I don’t think anything else could
have taken this space. It had to be big and envelop this whole wall.
You’ve devoted a few shelves to music.
I’m an audiophile and have been collecting records for as long as I can remember.
A record is kind of a piece of art itself, and it’s such a tangible experience playing an LP end to end.
The speakers’ design is so beautiful and are by Shinola, like the record player.
What inspired your design choices?
This room itself is an odd shape, so it was very difficult to figure out how to fit furniture in here and make it look nice. I really wanted to incorporate modern furniture and pieces to offset that shape. So the couch has a lot of angles to it, and the rug has a lot of squares and patterns.
You’ve lived in Detroit and Ghana. Have either of these locations and their respective cultures inspired your home decor?
From Detroit, there are the speakers and Motown records as well as the etched metal map of the city.
As for Ghana, my grandfather was a chief there, so I have his ceremonial stool on the shelf which he would sit on, and underneath is his ceremonial sword.
What’s your favorite memory in this room?
My girlfriend and I spent a long time working on this Hogwarts puzzle. It doesn’t have a rectangular edge — the whole thing is grayish black with gold — so it’s a near-impossible puzzle. Getting it done is my favorite memory in this room so far.
Where do you like to shop?
This couch is from Wayfair — I go there for a specific thing in mind — and the rug is from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, which I love and have a bunch of their stuff downstairs.