The Hollywood Hills were alive with the sound of romance when Giovanni Ribisi asked his girlfriend of one month,designer Emily Ward, to help him create the house of his dreams.
The actor, 44, best known forhis roles inSneaky Pete,Avatarand asPhoebe’s brotherFrank onFriends, was a year and a half into a dead-end bachelor pad construction project when Ward and her design partner, Louisa Pierce, took him and his 1939 Monterey Revival under their wing.
It wasn’t long beforeRibisi had not onlya beautiful home, but a life partner in Ward, who moved into the house upon completion. The pair also welcomed twins Enzo and Maude in December 2018.
Ward describes their home as “romantic and moody” in a new feature inArchitectural Digest. Because it is situated on a flat parcel in the Hollywood Hills, a shadow is often cast across parts of the home, which Ward says makes you feel a little bit like you’re in England, especially because she painted the walls in soft grays and greens that enhance the effect.
Trevor Tondro
A variety of elegant yet dark items are present throughout the home, adding to the romantic feel. Worn vintage armchairs are paired with leather-topped stools and dark wooden side tables in the living room, while a collage of moody artwork fills the walls in all the rooms. “Someone came over the other night and said, ‘If Jane Austen lived in Hollywood, she would live in this house,’” Ward recalls.
Ward admits that, despite its original incarnation as a bachelor pad for Ribisi, she was “always envisioning this as a family home.” For that reason, precious items like a Picasso painting share space with more practical items from affordable stores like T.J. Maxx.
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That said, when the couple found out they were expecting twins, they did make a few changes. The Pierce & Ward design firm’s office, for example, became the nursery, and the formal dining room became a den where the children could play. “With kids, you’re not going to be using a huge, grand dining table,” Ward says. “The kitchen is where we are all the time.”
“I come from a big family of Sicilian farmers, so I appreciate that sense of community,” Ribisi says. “And this is part and parcel of Emily and Louisa’s philosophy, too. Their homes aren’t just paranoid comfort that becomes vacuous…There’s actual, legitimate communion. It feels like home. I feel like I belong here.”
To read the full feature and see more photos, visitarchitecturaldigest.com.
source: people.com
