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PARTY FOR FIVE

Interior designer Emily Ruddo took on this Pasadena project for East Coast transplants, showcasing her modern take on traditional design alongside her fun oral styling.

WORDS BY EMILY RUDDO

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEGHAN BEIERLE-O’BRIEN WORDS BY RAMONA SAVISS

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEGHAN BEIERLE-O’BRIEN

when a young family from Maryland made the move to Pasadena, they enlisted the help of fellow Maryland native Emily Ruddo to make a traditional 8,600-square-foot home less serious and more fun. Ruddo opted for patterns and color to adapt to the young couple and their three children. “When you walk into the home, it feels very Southern—right when I drove up to the house I felt like it could be in Alabama or Georgia,” says Ruddo, who needed to make the ve-bedroom, six-bath home more casual and comfortable. “We didn’t want the house to look too serious on the inside,” she adds. “The client is very casual, so we had to respect the architecture but also adapt to their way of life.”

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“I wanted to take a big risk in the atrium, because it wasn’t a room you were going to be sitting in—I wanted it to be something special where people would stop and take notice,” Ruddo says of the global map wallpaper by Pierre Frey in this room that features plentiful natural light. The goal was to give it a European feel with custom concrete stone floors that were original to the house, anchored by a vintage center table from 1stDibs.

RIGHT: “You can see behind the entry hall into the atrium where there’s a beautiful back French door—the whole wall is windows,” the designer says of the view from the front. The owners have hosted many parties and guests would enter through the front to go straight out back to a completely refurbished landscape and hard surfaces.

BELOW: The outdoor area where the family gathers around the firepit many evenings after dinner has also been the center of numerous parties hosted in the expansive outdoor space. Indoor-outdoor Peter Dunham fabrics were used for all of the outdoor furniture, including in the pool house, where overnight guests stay.

ABOVE: Gold-toned chargers sit underneath Herend Chinese Bouquet patterned plates in green with monogrammed, white linen Sferra napkins. Waterford glasses are accented by an artful flower arrangement. “I got to know what flowers and colors they love and I helped purchase all the accessories, so I knew the best flowers for the vase and the room,” says Ruddo, who would create flower arrangements for the home seasonally and for big events.

TOP RIGHT: “The butler’s pantry is my favorite room,” the designer says of the space that’s layered with Oscar de la Renta for Lee Jofa Sameera wallpaper. “It’s just a little jewel box.” The small nook also features custom shades on the ceiling lamp and wall sconces with Fermoie fabric shades.

RIGHT: Grasscloth wallpaper by Phillip Je ries is adorned with a pop of color in the form of drapes by Cowtan & Tout Ikat with Lee Jofa fretwork trim. The chairs’ slipcovers are Perennials fabric; the art on the wall was existing. The use of wood, like this dining room table, throughout the house “adds texture and warmth, making a space feel cozy,” says Ruddo, who prefers wood over glass. “Wood and anything antique immediately warm up space no matter what color the finish.”

ABOVE: Bold prints from Lee Jofa and a Patterson Flynn Martin abaca rug add to the casual vibe of the interiors, especially in the family room, where a floral Oscar de la Renta pattern adds an extra layer to the wicker chairs. Located o the kitchen, “that would be where every night the news or a show is on TV,” the designer says of the family room where she placed a pair of blue-and-white Ralph Lauren lamps on her client’s original console. “Most of the clients’ existing pieces we used were a warm wood, which fit perfectly in this traditional home.”

LEFT: Ruddo wanted flowers to greet guests directly after entering the home, adding an additional layer to her interior designs, included with art from the homeowners’ collection. Throughout the house she artfully places hydrangeas, anemones, hellebores, roses, ranunculus, and other seasonal florals in blueand-white Chinese bowls among other vases.

LEFT: The existing bathtub in the master bathroom overlooks the master balcony, which has a view of the tennis courts and pool. Ruddo’s design scheme is to make sure the house is flowing in pattern and color. “You have calm moments in certain rooms and more punches of color in the bathrooms—taking the biggest risks in pattern in the smallest rooms, so you’re not overwhelmed with too much color,” she says.

BELOW: The master bedroom features an elegant, custom canopied bed made in L.A. with linens from Matouk, fabrics from Quadrille, and lighting (a feathered chandelier) by Visual Comfort. The Southern-style room uses “very calming soft blues,” says the designer, giving the main room a cozy and layered feel. The nightstands are custom made locally in Los Angeles as well in walnut and mahogany, inspired by an antique piece.

< EMILY RUDDO, emilyruddo.com