Kristin Kilmer of Kristin Kilmer Design, Inc. has been the interior designer of some of the most architecturally significant homes in Los Angeles, including John Lautner’s Wolff House and Stevens House, R.M. Schindler’s How House, and Ray Kappe’s Canna Road House. Kilmer combines the theories and practices of the mid-century masters with the current materials of today to create her “Eco Modern Luxury” approach to design. Her company uses the fundamental green values, demonstrating that design can be both sustainable and luxurious. Kilmer took a few moments out of her busy schedule to talk to Take Sunset about how she started working with mid-century masterpieces, how she gets into the mind of Schindler and Lautner, and what she’s doing in Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez’s bathroom in Echo Park…

Take Sunset: How did you start working with architecturally significant homes in Los Angeles?

Kristin Kilmer: It was a bit of a fluke actually. I’d just returned from studying interior architecture at the Instituto Europea di Design in Madrid and was working at Design Within Reach, where I generated private clients while still being one of the top sales people. Michael LaFetra walked in on a Sunday afternoon and we immediately hit it off. He asked me to help him with his Ray Kappe house for the upcoming architectural tour. We had such a synergy that within a week, he asked me to design the Schindler How House as well. My last day of work, in walked Richard Baker, who owned a mid-century in Los Feliz, and he hired me as well. Talk about beginner’s luck!

Take Sunset: What are the biggest challenges when working on these homes?

Kilmer: Each one is really like a “Master Thesis” in the sense that it is important to really get inside the heads of the architects–to study and know their methodologies, history, ideology, and what made them innovative during their time period. Each one broke boundaries in architecture during their time and executed what their peers deemed impossible. Schindler built on concrete and invented a new way of framing, Launter defied gravity in ways never before thought possible… Moreover, it’s fundamental to respect the architectural integrity of the home and not just stick a Barcelona chair in the space and call it a day.

For the Schindler house, I kept everything on his 16” module while keeping his table low–just like he insisted upon during those days. I recreated a lot of his lines and architectural features as well. For example, he used a specific drip strip molding in between the windowpanes, which inspired the edge of the dining room tabletop. For the lighting downstairs, I maintained his lines as well, but asked myself, “what would he do if he were alive today?” From there, I created a more contemporary look with the lighting pieces.

For the Lautner Wolff House, I incorporated vintage, natural pieces that juxtaposed with the exterior, but also with all of the interior stone. I followed the curves and angles by adding mid-century curvilinear furniture, but I also updated the home with some contemporary sustainable pieces that integrated perfectly, such as swivel chairs incorporated with cork fabric. The sofa followed the exact same lines and the spiral staircase and a cantilevered bookshelf emphasized the steps that jetted out from the stone in the same fashion–a genius way of engineering. I really put a lot of thought into my designs. The planning and conceptual phase is fundamental. I always say, Good design takes time!

Take Sunset: What is the most memorable project that you’ve worked on? Read more…