Esquire's Design Dream Team
Pity Keyshawn Johnson. When the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver opted out of moving into his $12 million Mediterranean-style house in Beverly Hills, Esquire magazine took up temporary residence in mid-September and remodeled the place with a design dream team.
Iconic fashion labels—including Hermegrave;s, Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss— lent their names to the house’s 17 rooms. According to Kevin O’Malley, Esquire’s vice president, the style of these rooms finessed a balancing act.
“This isn’t about screaming your brand,” O’Malley said. “This is about organic integration of brands.”
Individual designers were charged with interpreting each label’s unique vision and making it work with the rest of the house. They found this balance by mixing the colors, sensibility and products of the fashion labels, said John Everage, president of Santa Monica, Calif.–based Everage Design Inc., who put together the house’s Hermegrave;s-sponsored guest room.
“The key was to make sure it didn’t fall apart and to keep in mind who that company is,” Everage said. “Hermegrave;s has a long history, and everything they do is handmade with the top materials.”
The guest room featured menswear, bedding and vases by the venerable French label. The rest was up to Everage, who had to gain approval from both Esquire and the Paris headquarters of Hermegrave;s for the room.
Design was not the only concern of the house. On Sept. 30, Surfers Healing, a nonprofit organization based in San Clemente, Calif., held a fund-raiser for autism research. The event featured a raucous performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and a deejay set by rock star Perry Farrell.
The magazine will clear out of the house by mid-December, leaving it for someone else to redesign.
—Andrew Asch
