How does a couple who hails from Tbilisi, Georgia and Athens, Greece end up making a home in the shadow of LA’s famed Hollywood Sign? The story involves the area’s signature industry: film. Award-winning cinematographer Phedon Papamichael owned this California home before his wife, designer Eka Papamichael, relocated here in 2005. “When I moved in, it was more like a bachelor’s pad,” Eka recalls. She wanted to keep Phedon’s spirit in the home, which was filled with his collection of film memorabilia, while also giving it “a little guidance” to accommodate their growing family’s lifestyle.
Eka began by enlarging the primary bedroom and second-floor balcony surrounds. Below, guests can pass from the fabulous pool area through a space that was once a child’s playroom. Today, it hosts some of the home’s mélange of treasured art and furnishings, which includes chairs by noted designer Gregg Fleishman, who famously designs them sans nails or glue.
Above a desk, there’s also a larger-than-life image of a barrel-chested Georgian man hefting a huge vase; he is Eka’s father. The piece was a birthday gift to her from Phedon – one of the house’s many treasures that originally hailed from a film set. Her initial reaction was, “What am I going to do with a giant photo of my father?” But she came to love it, and his passing lent it even greater importance.
The wall surrounding the home’s hearth is appealingly dense with art by Eka, Phedon, family and friends. It’s a trend that continues in the kitchen, which features visuals ranging from an illustration of the Greek alphabet to a painting by noted American painter and family friend F. Scott Hess of the red rock behind the family’s home in Greece. Hess also painted a beautiful portrait of Phedon that sits on an easel nearby. It’s an appropriately inviting collection for the guests that Eka likes gathering to tipple and nibble while she spices and sautés.
The house also has offices for Eka and Phedon and bedrooms for the kids – a lot for them to pack into a home. The family has discussed seeking something larger, but each time they do, their love of this place, from its oft-used pool table area to its walls full of memories, convinces them to reconsider. “There’s a wonderful vibe as you walk into this house – you instantly become happy,” Eka explains. “So we want to keep it forever.”
That sounds like it’s a wrap.
Photography by Francesco Dolfo.
Production by Roberta Sarchi.
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