Nestled in the park-like grounds of the Santa Anita Oaks neighborhood of Arcadia, California is an historic 1937 Federal-style home—Locke House— designed by architect, Gerard Rae Colcord, known as “Hollywood society’s architect.” The home is modeled after an East Coast country estate.
In 2020, Locke House was chosen to be the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Now in its 56th year, the venerable showcase is one of the longest-running house and garden tours in the country. The 6,700 square-foot home was reinterpreted by 17 interior designers and four exterior designers and was an opportunity to completely reimagine what the home could be, more than 80 years after it was built.
In our recently released aspire design and home Showhouse Issue, we sat down with Barbie Palomino to learn more about her creative process in designing the Live-Work Studio for this project.
aspire design and home: How much time did you have to complete this room, start to finish?
Barbie Palomino: About four months start to finish, two of which were after the March COVID shutdown!
aspire: What was your biggest challenge? Did you have a Eureka moment during the process?
Barbie: Time. And the C word. It was a tight timeline (as I hear is customary) from the start and with a full calendar of client projects, I quickly realized I’d bitten off more than I could chew. I’m eternally grateful for the best design assistant ever, Flavia.
aspire: What did you and your team accomplish that you thought would not happen in time?
Barbie: Our wet bar worried me for longer than I’d like to admit. It was completely custom and due to some plumbing issues in the house, we couldn’t have it set and installed as planned. It took a lot of begging to have our stone fabricator turn around the countertop and waterfall side in time!
aspire: What was your inspiration for this room?
Barbie: I was inspired by the 2019 Milan Furniture Show as well as my daughter. The color scheme came from Italy, and my vision for the space’s multiple uses came from imagining how she would use the space if she were out of high school and having/choosing to live at home with us.
aspire: Did you step out of your comfort zone for this project, and if so, why?
Barbie: This was the first showcase house I’ve participated in, so that fact alone had me out of my comfort zone. Our design projects include many custom designs for millwork and furnishings, so it was different yet exciting to be designing for the idea of an end-user vs a real, live client.
aspire: Despite the fact that there were so many designers involved, there is an inherent cohesiveness to the home. Did you all converse/collaborate? Or was this a completely individual process?
Barbie: The cohesiveness was kismet.
This or That?
aspire: Paint or wallpaper?
Barbie: WALLPAPER
aspire: Hardwood or rug?
Barbie: RUG
aspire: Beach or Mountains?
Barbie: BEACH
aspire: Saturated Color or Black and White?
Barbie: COLOR!!
aspire: Brunch or Dinner?
Barbie: DINNER
aspire: Midcentury or 18th Century?
Barbie: MIDCENTURY
aspire: Draperies, shades, or nothing?
Barbie: DRAPERY
aspire: 2001: A Space Odyssey or The English Patient?
Barbie: 2001!
aspire: Week at the spa or Week of Broadway shows?
Barbie: SPA, PLEASE
Click Here to view more interviews for the designers of Pasadena Showcase House of Design.
Photography by Peter Valli.
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