TOUCH OF
HONEY D E S I G N E R T A M A R A K A Y E - H O N E Y ’ S S O U T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A P A D I S S W E E T E R T H A N M O S T .
PHOTOGRAPHY: TERI LYN FISHER STYLING: EMILY HENSON COPY: LEILANI MARIE LABONG INTERIOR DESIGN: TAMARA KAYE-HONEY
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WITH ROOTS IN BOTH EASTERN CANADA’S DEEP FREEZE AND THE CONCRETE JUNGLE OF MANHATTAN, it’s no surprise that designer Tamara Kaye-Honey and her husband, television-commercial producer Ryan Honey, felt compelled to do as 150 years of industrious pioneers have done before them—blaze a trail West in search of, well, sunshine and opportunity. “We lived in a New York walk-up for seven years—with no balcony!” says Tamara, 37, a former buyer at Bergdorf Goodman. “California seemed like paradise to us.” The couple’s auspicious 2003 pilgrimage to the left coast has since produced two kids (daughter, Phia, 8, and son, Streak, 6), a successful commercial-production firm for Ryan, a flourishing design showroom for Tamara, and, in keeping true to the whole land-of-milk-and-, er, honey experience, a dream home in the form of a 1923 English Tudor in the Los Angeles suburb of Altadena. Although envisioning the dwelling as the proverbial
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I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ATTRACTED TO FIXERS—THE WORSE, THE BETTER.” “dream home” required more than a little imagination—no mean feat for Tamara’s mother, who, despite a history of embracing renovations (a trait she passed onto her daughter), cried in despair at first sight of the severely dilapidated structure. “It had been neglected for decades,” explains Tamara, noting that the previous owner, an eccentric German inventor, “enhanced the home with unusual valves and odd masonry work,” and allowed a 60-pound pig run amuck on the grounds. “My mother begged us not to buy it. But I’ve always been attracted to fixers—the worse, the better.” After an accelerated six-month renovation (“Every morning, I plied the workers with lots of coffee,” laughs Tamara) that involved, among other major surgeries, overtaking a fourth bedroom to create a larger kitchen and con-
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verting the garage into a play room, the 2700-squarefoot Honey house (not to be confused with House of Honey, Tamara’s showroom in Pasadena) is now an inspired, offbeat, Southern California pad. The first clue: the architecture’s straight-from-the-English-countryside charm appears ironic considering the home is nestled among a veritable orchard of sun-drenched citrus trees (as opposed to, you know, dewy rolling green hills and other pastoral topography). The traditional setting is also an interesting juxtaposition to the Honeys’ collection of designer midcentury furniture—the dining table by Milo Baughman was a $500 Craigslist score; the hanging Parrot chair by Ib Arberg, a curious, cage-like piece indeed, is suspended permanently in the play room; and the breakfast table in the kitchen is a vintage Herman Miller conference table. “I love all its scratches and stains,” says Tamara. “They’re like wrinkles on a face—evidence of a life well-lived.” Tamara’s sense of humor also shines in the Tudor. Whimsical big-eye portraitures by the likes of Margaret Keane,
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“I LOVE ALL ITS SCRATCHES AND STAINS. THEY’RE LIKE WRINKLES ON A FACE— EVIDENCE OF A LIFE WELL-LIVED.”
Fornasetti, and Bjorn Wiinblad are sprinkled throughout the home, but are especially prevalent in Phia’s room. “I want our children to appreciate fantasy and creativity,” says the designer. Glossy 1970’s Italian cougars make an appearance in the living room, she explains, “just for laughs.” And those flokati shags and reclaimed-fur rugs? They’re not just for textural interest (although their softness is an inviting counterpoint to the home’s teak-like Australian gumwood finishes). “They’re an homage to our far-north roots!” says Tamara, who is also using the family home as a testing ground for The New Vintage, her fashion-forward, custom collection of chairs upholstered in faux fur or sequin gowns. While such divergent elements are certainly advantageous when it comes to transforming a previously brokedown Tudor into a shining example of tasteful eclecticism, Tamara maintains that her fundamentals of design are practically foolproof. First, she says, start collecting. “I have a collection of ships for my son and vintage flower paintings for the guest bathroom. Whether grouped together or dispersed throughout the home, the objects
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“THE MORE PATTERN AND TEXTURE, THE RICHER THE SPACE.”
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are dramatic, yet familiar.” Second, think in layers. In the entrance, for example, an unusual, rip-curl-shaped lacquer console harmoniously coexists with a plush, geometric rug. “The more pattern and texture, the richer the space,” says Tamara. And lastly, expect the unexpected. “If the room feels finished, remove a few accessories to accommodate something surprising,” advises the designer, whose enviable knack for whimsy is, of course, a signature touch of—you guessed it—Honey.
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