CREATING
SPACE
Designer Stefani Stein creates an earthy, laid-back home with nods to tradition and the East Coast for clients Lauren Morelli and Samira Wiley.
By Laura Eckstein Jones
Photography by Sam Frost
Styling by Lisa Rowe
For their second project together, interior designer Stefani Stein brought a bit of the English countryside to her clients’ Los Angeles home. “We began to joke that we were creating a California in the Cotswolds, which ended up sticking with us,” says Stein. “I love for a home to be a retreat, to invoke that feeling of being on holiday but at home.” Her clients, actress Samira Wiley and producer-director Lauren Morelli, craved a cozy and comfortable—yet elevated and artful—space for themselves and their daughter, George.
Edition Magazine
March 2022
Written by: Laura Eckstein Jones
One of Stein’s favorite spaces is the living room, or, as she and the clients call it, the salon. “They wanted this room to be a place for gathering, for discourse and ideas, for games with friends,” says Stein. “The 17th and 18th century French salons came to mind while we were exploring how this room would be used, and the pink walls have a slightly darker iteration on the ceiling. Paired with the rust mohair sofa, the room is bathed in this lovely soft light that is quite magical, especially when the fireplace is lit.” Morelli requested drama for the dining room, and Stein delivered, using a custom grass-cloth wallpaper by August Abode, paired with the clients dining table from their former home. The den is another standout. Bathed head to toe in teal—Wiley’s favorite color—the small space has a jewel-box quality. “I added bookshelves and wallpaper that made the space really cozy, with this Adriatic hue that just envelops you.” Stein explains, noting the vintage midcentury chess table. “It was our very first furnishing purchase. We came across it on a shopping outing and Samira, an avid chess player, instantly loved it.”
While all of the home’s spaces are special, George’s nursery holds a special place in Stein’s heart. The clients were pregnant with George while designing the home, and did not know the baby’s gender. They wanted a rustic—but not too rustic—gender-neutral space. Instead of painting or papering the walls, Stein selected pine in random widths. “The natural knots provided a hint of rustic, or more so an organic, backdrop,” she says, noting that the ceiling is painted in Farrow & Ball’s School House White shade, with the walls covered in a custom dilution.
“I adore George’s nursery,” she says. “It is both studied and whimsical. The clients shared how George loves to lie in her crib and gaze at the little birdies on her ceiling fixture. I love when a design detail becomes a special memory or heartfelt moment that brings joy to my clients’ lives.