Styles Collide Into Organized Chaos In This Rock Star's Eagle Rock Home
Who: Terryn Westbrook & Jon Button
Where: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA
Style: Midcentury Modern Post and Beam
When the real estate gods deliver a turn-key midcentury post and beam, your job is to imbue it with whatever means the most to you and your family. Such was the case for actress Terryn Westbrook, her husband Jon Button, bass player for The Who, and their now almost 5-year-old son, Kezlowe.
Back in 2010, the tight real estate market in the Echo Park and Silver Lake neighborhoods of Los Angeles drove Westbrook and Button north and east, to Eagle Rock. There, they found a like-minded community of creatives, who favored midcentury aesthetics, mountain views, and starting families.
"Eagle Rock feels like a mellow, sleepy town and it's filled with an incredible community of artists and families," says Westbrook.
If the neighborhood was a fit, so was the house itself — a two-story, four-bedroom, three-bath, post and beam, with very little need for renovation or remodel.
"When we walked in it just felt like our place," says Westbrook. "The view through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room makes it feel like you're in a tree house, which I loved. It was also a real selling point for Jon, who is from Alaska, since it makes you feel connected to nature."
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The renovations they did pursue were about preserving the view.
"We wanted the railing on the deck to be safe and not climbable but we also were mindful that the deck is an extension of our living room, and always visible, so we wanted our view to be as unobstructed as possible." They chose custom iron railings made with the thinnest balusters they could find.
Inside, true to the midcentury modern style, the contiguous living space is the heart of the home, says Westbrook. "Everything happens here."
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Beyond that, the process was about combining disparate styles in a cohesive way.
"It's sort of 'organized chaos' when our styles collide," explains Westbrook. "My love of collecting stuff adds warmth to his minimalism and his minimalism reigns me in."
The Ligne Roset Togo couch sits at the center of the home's open floor plan.
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"We often light the fireplace and sit in the 'reading chair' and read with Kezlowe," says Westbrook.
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A favorite vintage element is the Danish teak Poul Cadovius "Cado" wall units from the 60s. Westbrook paired them with a custom-made dining room table made of reclaimed wood. "It looks like a rustic farm table," she says.
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The table is large and sturdy. "It's a good thing because we spend all of our time there," says Westbrook. "Not only do we use it for meals and social gatherings, but that is where Kezlowe does most of his drawing and crafting, despite the fact that he has an art table in his room."
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"I've always enjoyed the simple, clean lines of midcentury modern design but I also love playful tchotchkes and collecting little knickknacks when I travel," says Westbrook. "I've found some incredible things in flea markets, vintage stores, and thrift stores all around the world."
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Button's minimalist tendencies are on display. He's known for his work with The Who, Sheryl Crow, Shakira, and others.
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Westbrook and Button decided to keep the original cantilever design of the deck, in order to honor the original architecture, but upgraded the material with Mangaris wood.
"Keeping clean lines on the deck was important, again because our deck is sort of a part of our living room," says Westbrook.
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"There's a playfulness in the space that seems congruent with my light-hearted comedic style," says Westbrook. Just take these two spacemen atop one of her favorite pieces, a vintage Baldwin Acrosonic piano from the 60s.
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"Adding a kid to the mix certainly changes things aesthetically," says Westbrook. His art and playthings are the third element to their combined design aesthetic.