It’s kind of the ultimate collab isn’t it? A creative director and a chef living in an L.A. treehouse? It’s the stuff of home design dreams and a space we couldn’t wait to see for ourselves. When Brady Tolbert and Jason Haro moved into their home in Los Angeles, they knew they’d need to create a space that spoke to both of their passions. For Brady, as Creative Director for Bobby Berk Design, that meant space to play, rearrange, and make the home uniquely theirs. For his partner and private chef of the Paleo Collective, Jason Haro, that meant plenty of room to host friends and serve up great meals. Together the home they’ve created is collected, personal, and layered, the kind of place you know you’ll be cared for in. We stopped by for a look at all of the L&G pieces Brady’s styled into the space and of course we couldn’t leave without some of Jason’s home cooking.
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First Part of the Interview Questions answered by Brady Tolbert
We’ve been following the journey of your Treehouse home since you lived in an apartment in West Hollywood—are you starting to feel settled in, or does it still feel like a work in progress?
It is definitely starting to feel more and more like home but there is still so much that I want to do to the space. We’ve got some big renovations planned for the back half of the house (new kitchen, new dining, new bedroom) as well as some renovations upstairs in our room and bathroom so while I am starting feel more at home, we aren’t quite done yet and that is the fun of it for me. I love that your home can be an ever evolving space. I hate when people feel like their home has to be this picture perfect capsule and that once it’s done it’s done. Your home, just like you, over time is allowed to evolve and change and morph. That also gives me the freedom to not ever feel too precious about what is happening in my home as I can try something out without the fear that it has to stay that way forever.
By day, you’re a creative director with Bobby Berk, but you also seem to be a constant curator at home. How do you apply your professional eye to creating your own space?
My entire professional career has been working alongside someone else in the design world. At first it was as an assistant grabbing coffee and absorbing every word of every meeting and now it’s working as the Creative Director for Bobby Berk (where occasionally I do still make the coffee runs lol but also work on much larger scale projects and campaigns). But for me, the creative world is such a collaborative one and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the push and pull of ideas from many different people. Working in collaboration with people day in and day out allows you to see many different viewpoints and in turn create a more distinct and unique one for yourself. I hear a lot of people say that my home feels “collected” or “curated” and that is exactly what I love to do most. I love to pull from all different viewpoints, design styles, and themes to create something that feels personal and unique to me.
You have a knack for small, thoughtful touches. What are some tips for balancing a home design that wows guests but still feels livable and intimate?
Working as a prop-stylist for so many years I think that I have trained my eye to look at a space as a series of vignettes more so than a single room. So when I am bringing in pieces together I am always trying to create small moments that could stand alone as their own vignette. Oftentimes we get so overwhelmed looking at the big picture that it’s good to zoom in and just focus on one small aspect of a room. So when trying to create a home that feels inspiring but still intimate, focus on creating smaller vignettes within a larger space.
Curating a built-in or larger shelf can be overwhelming, can you walk us through styling out your hallway?
Bookshelves are one of the hardest pieces to style (and that is coming from someone that has styled a lot of bookcases in my day). I still struggle with them but one thing that I always try to do is stick within a color palette. For me and my home, that is neutrals and that allows me to play around as much as I want without the scene getting to visually overwhelming to look at. I also always include books in my bookshelf. It may sound obvious but I see so many bookshelves out there that are void of actual books and while it may work for some the books actually help to create a foundation for you to style on and can help to create levels and balance across the shelves.
What key principles do you follow when arranging items to maintain balance and visual appeal?
Think of your items as a cast of characters. They can’t all be main characters and they can’t all be supporting roles. You have to have a good combo of both to create a dynamic and interesting setup. So when you’re arranging items I usually always follow the rule of three as well as create a hierarchy of heights within my styling. And you’ll often find that there are groups of three within a larger group of three which can create visual balance for your eye.
Your designs often feature a seamless blend of vintage and modern. How do you approach combining elements to create a timeless look and feel?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Stick within a cohesive color palette and you can truly find so much room to play around with different design styles, textures, and objects. I also love the juxtaposition of hard and soft, new and old, shiny and matte, etc. Contrast inherently will bring interest to your space (even if the contrast feels very subtle) and bringing that push and pull between different objects can create something that feels unique.
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