In a small room off the entry of the Chi Omega sorority house in Los Angeles, Abby Rose created a space that honors Paul R. Williams, the architect who designed the house in 1929. The room borrows from one of his most famous projects, the Beverly Hills Hotel, with its original Martinique banana leaf wallpaper, its signature pink, and a daybed custom made by Architexture.

Who was Paul R. Williams?

Paul Revere Williams (1894 to 1980) was one of the most prominent architects in Los Angeles in the 20th century, and one of very few Black architects working in the country at the time. In 1923 he became the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects. In 1957 he became the first Black architect named a Fellow of the AIA, and in 2017 the AIA awarded him its Gold Medal, its highest honor.

He was also a gifted draftsman. Because many white clients in the 1920s were uncomfortable sitting beside a Black man, Williams taught himself to sketch upside down, so a client sitting across the desk could watch the drawing come together right side up.

His name is on some of the best known homes and buildings in Southern California, and on this sorority house too.

Why the Beverly Hills Hotel?

In the 1940s, Williams redesigned the Beverly Hills Hotel and added its Crescent Wing, completed in 1949. That era gave the hotel the pink, green, and white look it is still known for, including its famous banana leaf wallpaper, Martinique, designed by Don Loper.

Because the house and the hotel share an architect, the hotel was a natural reference for a room dedicated to him. Anyone who has walked through the hotel will recognize it right away.

What’s in the room

• Original Martinique wallpaper covers the back wall, the same banana leaf design the hotel is known for. The window shades are Martinique too.
• Banana leaf throw pillows came from the gift shop at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
• Hotel pink on the surrounding walls is matched to the hotel itself. “We even went to the hotel for brunch on their patio with fan decks to match the precise pink color,” Abby says.
• Woven rattan sconces flank the wallpaper, with a matching rattan table lamp beside the daybed.
• Framed Beverly Hills Hotel photographs fill the side wall, next to a striped director’s chair.
• A white hexagon tile floor keeps the room crisp and bright.
• A framed bio of Williams is in the works, so the room can tell his story to everyone who passes through the entry.

A custom daybed that doubles as a sofa

The seating is a daybed that Architexture custom made for the room. Most of the time it works as a sofa, and when the house needs an extra place for someone to sleep, it works as a bed. Its light, neutral upholstery lets the Martinique wallpaper do the talking. Learn more about custom upholstered furniture made to fit the room.

The awning that isn’t really there

Look up and you’ll see a pink and white striped awning over the wallpapered wall. It isn’t fabric. “The awning above the wallpapered wall is actually trompe l’oeil,” Abby says. It was painted by Claire Ouimet of Artful Finishes, a faux artist Abby works with.

Trompe l’oeil is French for “fool the eye”: painting so realistic it reads as a real object. Here it gives a small room the feel of a striped poolside cabana without a single bracket or yard of canvas.

See the rest of the Chi Omega house

The Paul Williams room is one part of a larger project. Abby also designed the entry, living room, TV room, fireplace, dining area, and patio, including bold graphic wallpaper in the entry, easy clean performance fabrics in the living room, and coral and blue in the TV room. See the full project on the Chi Omega sorority house portfolio page, and learn more about our residential design services.

Visit the Woodland Hills showroom

Have a room with a story to tell? Come see fabrics and wallpaper in person at the Architexture showroom, 21410 Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills, open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 AM to 4 PM. Or call 818-760-3399.

Abby Rose, owner and principal designer of Architexture Furniture and Interior Design, lost her own home in the Palisades Fire and is rebuilding it now. Her advice for anyone starting over: make a list of everything you weren’t satisfied with in your original house, and use the rebuild to change it.

What happened to Abby’s home?

Abby’s home was in Sunset Mesa, which is officially Malibu, up Coastline Drive, a street off PCH above the Getty Villa. It was lost in the Palisades Fire.

“We were lucky to at least have taken all the important documents and quite a few personal photos when we evacuated,” she says. “However, I had an extensive library of art and design books that I had collected over a 45 year period, as well as a large collection of Christmas ornaments also collected over many years and that were all lost.”

So when Abby sits down with a homeowner from the Palisades or Malibu who is rebuilding, she isn’t describing something she has only heard about. She is faced with the same problems for her own house.

Where do you start when you’re designing the home you’re rebuilding?

Start with what didn’t work before. “As sad and disappointing as losing your house or having your interior damaged is, on the positive side, it gives you a chance to recreate your house exactly the way you want it,” Abby says. “I would say make a list of anything with which you weren’t satisfied with your original house and that you want to change.”

What is the hardest part of rebuilding?

For Abby, it was the permits. “One of the hardest things was getting the permits approved. Once that happens, there is so much to coordinate. Much of it is coordinated by your contractor, but it’s important to stay on top of everything and know exactly what’s going on every step of the way.”

How does Abby help clients who are rebuilding?

“Depending on how they are working, I help them get organized and suggest we make a plan.”

From there, the design follows the client, not the designer. “Interior design is all about the client,” Abby says. “They are the ones who will live in the space once the designer is done.”

See how Abby works with homeowners on our residential design services page, or read about her work in Malibu and Pacific Palisades.

Why does a showroom help when you’re furnishing a house again?

When a house has to be furnished again, it helps to decide in person. At the Architexture showroom in Woodland Hills, you can try seating for comfort, take lamps and accessories home to try before deciding, browse a large textile and wallpaper library, and have larger pieces custom made to the size and finish the room needs.

That matters most with the pieces you use every day. “I always make sure to ask them how they use their sofa,” Abby says. “Do they normally sit up on it or do they lounge? This determines how deep of a sofa I would recommend for them.” Learn more about custom upholstered furniture made to your room.

Talk with Abby about your rebuild

Visit the Architexture showroom at 21410 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, Tuesday to Saturday, 11 AM to 4 PM, or call 818-760-3399.

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