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Name: Emily Wassall
Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California
Size: 2100 square feet
Years lived in: 8 years, owned
Emily Wassall is a consulting creative director for fashion, lifestyle, and interiors, and moved to Los Angeles from London 12 years ago, one month after marrying her husband, Fran. “I’ve been working in fashion most of my career, directing shoots, and building brands,” explains Emily. “More recently I’ve had a lot of fun bringing my style and fashion influences to interior design projects, working with residential and commercial clients as well as furniture brands.”
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Those style influences are on strong display in the vibrant home she and her husband share with their kids, Aura (8), Zephyr (6), and Jade (2) (plus dog, Merlin, and two house bunnies). “As soon as we viewed the house, we immediately fell in love with its location up on a hillside in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Three days later we signed contracts the night our first daughter, Aura, was born,” tells Emily. “The neighborhood, the views, the way the light floods through the house — it’s like living in a treehouse, watching the hummingbirds in the morning from the bathroom window and sunsets glow pink over the Griffith Observatory.”
“The house was built in 1938 and when we moved in it was livable but needed some love,” Emily continues. “We ended up changing the entire footprint in a comprehensive remodel, moving the bedrooms upstairs so that the kitchen and living room could flow out onto the deck and garden. We took it back to the frame and designed the house with our vision (one that we had always talked about and dreamt of), with the goal of creating a colorful family home with daily vacay vibes.”
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Tropical peach/pink-soaked sunsets meets electric neon nights.
Inspiration: My style is heavily influenced by my love of travel and warm, tropical climes. Trips to Ibiza (eclectic global style), Miami (palm trees, pastels, architectural details), Bali (lush tropical terrains), Sydney (laid back lifestyle), and more locally Palm Springs (mid-century design, simple graphic lines). This with a dose of 1980s aesthetic, Memphis design, lots of playful color, and a touch of nighttime glamour.
Favorite Element: As you walk down the open stairway, the views of leafy Silver Lake framed by the oversized circle window, and our bright light peach kitchen make it a very happy place to start the day.
Biggest Challenge: Completing the build was delayed and delayed. We moved back in a week before I had my third baby. The floors were not down, we had no appliances, and the dust was crazy. Not quite what I had imagined moving back in would be like! Two weeks later the pandemic hit, and there were still so many things that needed finishing and everything shut down!
What Friends Say: Everyone seems to radiate towards the kitchen, it’s quite unusual to go as bold as we did with color and texture, but friends seem to like it. Unless they are just being kind!
Biggest Embarrassment: The pantry. I cannot keep on top of organizing that space.
Proudest DIY: I designed and painted all the graphic murals in the house. The kids’ bedrooms and the sitting room. It’s actually where I am happiest and feel the most creative. With a paintbrush, music playing, alone in my thoughts, is total bliss.
Biggest Indulgence: I can’t stop buying new plant friends. Although I should probably rein it in, these guys are high maintenance and a lot to keep happy along with the family and fur kids!
Best Advice: Don’t be afraid of going all out with colors and mixing patterns and styles. Color brings so much joy and happiness! To me, more is always merrier!
Dream Sources: Prelude and Dawn, Odd Eye NYC, Candid Home , Woonwinkel, BiRite Studio
