The Pistachio Green Kitchen Isn’t the Only Statement Feature Inside This LA Home

By Emma Apple Chozick

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Welcome to Room Envy, a series where we ask interesting people about a favorite room in their house. From minimalist living rooms to vibrant kitchens, we’re zeroing in on the best features of the most enviable rooms.

Situated on a walk street in Venice Beach, Jamie Lenore McKillop’s midcentury-modern home prioritizes unique features that marry playfulness with functionality. At the end of 2019, Jamie and her fiancé made the monumental Los Angeles move from east to west when they bought their 3000 square-foot house. Thoughtfully renovated over several years by the previous owners, the couple made very few modifications to the space upon moving in. The pistachio green kitchen required no renovating so they opted to refinish the wood counters and floors, add a fresh coat of paint, and update the appliances instead. Jamie explains, “It has those great bones and it really speaks for itself, so we wanted to maintain the integrity of the home, highlighting its key features with maintenance updates and complementary interior design. It’s a perfect space for entertaining and gathering.”

Born and raised in Northern California, Jamie moved to the East Coast to study at New York University. After she graduated in 2013, her editorial career began at Well+Good before switching to branded content and working in-house at companies like Tamara Mellon and Zappos. During that pivot, Jamie moved back to her home state and eventually transitioned to freelancing full-time as a consultant for brands across fashion, beauty, and home.

The home is positioned on a narrow railroad lot and is a small space for a combined kitchen and dining room, but Jamie points out that “the design elements, like the exposed staircase and open concept stove, help the space feel more open.”

At Jamie’s counter, three Oggo counter stools by Hank Loewenstein are positioned, while the exposed staircase serves as a playful moment in the corner of the room. The open shelving houses dishes by various ceramicists.

Last year, Jamie decided to join TikTok in order to learn more about the platform and develop strategies that she could share with clients. As a longtime appreciator of design, Jamie focuses her content on highlights of different areas of her coastal home under the handle @lazyjamiehome. After receiving tons of questions from her now nearly 30,000 followers about a set of chrome candle holders (which Jamie sourced herself), she launched the homeware brand Lazy Jamie.

When Jamie’s red bar cabinet inside her pistachio green kitchen swept across my own For You page one day, I was instantly obsessed, although she notes the viral videos have also stirred up quite a bit of kitchen controversies from commenters with unsolicited opinions. But she doesn’t take it too seriously (it is the internet after all) and often pokes fun right back. “The ethos of Lazy Jamie started from me never wanting to leave my house and creating this space for what I call indoors enthusiasts,” she says. “To me, homebodies are people who are really happy being at home and want to make it the best space that they can.”

Jamie says that the bar cabinet is “such a surprise and delight element that you’re not really expecting, but then it’s just so bold and colorful.”

The inside of the bar cabinet features glassware by Sophie Lou Jacobsen and Riedel, along with vintage Italian ice cream coups.

Location: Venice Beach, CA

Square footage: 400 square feet

Could you tell me the story about your built-in bar cabinet?

The cabinet was already built in by the previous owners when we moved in. I think what’s so impactful about it is that, when it’s closed, it’s just that very neutral white wall, so you’re not expecting it. Then when it’s open, it’s this very bright red statement moment. During the day, we usually will keep it closed. Obviously, we’re not normally utilizing it, but when evening rolls around—or cocktail hour—we’ll open it up to have a drink with dinner. I think it’s nice how it really sets the mood of whatever moment of the day that you’re in, and ultimately is a great use of space.

What about those exposed stairs in the ceiling?

With the layout of the house, it is nearly impossible to implement a staircase that is completely hidden between the first and second floors. The former owners wanted to lean into that with the wood and metal finishes and keep the window open on the side, rather than close it and paint the whole thing white to try to blend it into the ceiling. It’s been a very controversial design element on TikTok, especially. A lot of people either love it or hate it.

I’ve gotten a lot of comments that people are concerned that dirt is kicked from the staircase out through that exposed area onto the kitchen counter. I mean, that’s never happened from what I have witnessed. We keep the staircase clean, but I think that’s funny that that’s been everyone’s reaction because I hadn’t thought of that before people said it. In my opinion, it’s a really fun feature to have, and my cat loves to sit up there [because] she can survey the room when we have people over but still be a bit removed.

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How does the green tile tie into the space?

The tile is original to the house and the green is carried throughout the home. The outside of the house is painted in the same family of green, as well as the inside window trims on the first and second floors. We lovingly refer to this as Ozone green, in reference to an area we live near in Venice.

Atop the table is a set of chrome candle holders sourced by Jamie that can be purchased at lazyjamie.com. “The red cushions alongside that bench side of the dining table are a nice way to pull the deep cranberry red in from inside the bar,” she says.

How do you think about decor in your kitchen?

With the kitchen’s statement built-in features, we didn’t want to do anything that would be too loud. We have a lot of art in the house, but not so much in the kitchen itself. We have exposed shelves and we’ve collected a lot of ceramics from different ceramicists. A lot of the plates and bowls on the shelves are by Jono Pandolfi, and a lot of the mugs are by Callahan Callahan. I also brought home two espresso cups from Hvornum in Copenhagen by Autotelic Objects.

By Morgan Goldberg

By Sara Barragán del Rey

By Ludovica Stevan

Then on the counter itself, I like things that make it feel a little bit more dressed up without being too overbearing, like a small bowl of Maldon salt and the Alessi Blip Spoon Rest I have next to the stove. The chrome candle stick holders that I sourced are really nice because they’re such a simple, easy thing, but create this very substantial centerpiece feeling. I’ve been pulling those out when I’m having people over for dinner parties.

The black window behind the table pushes out completely, “opening up the space and giving the room an indoor-outdoor feeling,” as Jamie puts it. Outside, bamboo trees line the whole length of the lot, “helping with privacy while not being too shrouded or oppressive.” Two shaded lamps from Carpyen hang over the table from the ceiling.

The dining table was left behind by the previous owners who built it themselves and had a friend paint on its surface.

Could you tell me about some of the other furniture?

The table is so special. It was left by the former owners and they made it themselves, they had an artist friend who hand-painted all of those little lemons and the grapes and cherries. We really couldn’t get rid of it, it just fits so well in the space. It has a pretty strong point of view yet doesn’t feel too loud—it blends into the room pretty well.

Around the table we have the classic Wishbone chairs and a built-in bench. Dining benches are so great for entertaining, you can just pile everyone on there. At the counter we have Hank Loewenstein Oggo Barstools—people are always asking me where they’re from and I feel bad because I purchased them vintage, but I’m sure you could find them on Chairish or 1stDibs if you really wanted to.

How would you define your interior style?

I think it’s really easy or tempting to try to pick a side, whether it’s fashion or design, and feeling like “I have to be minimalist” or “I have to be maximalist,” and then following whatever sort of Pinterest search rabbit holes those categories yield. But the best spaces are ones where people have just let themselves gravitate a little bit more naturally. I think that’s where you get those unexpected elements, and it helps the space feel more collected and more personal.

Sophie Lou Jacobsen Piano Cocktail Glasses

Sophie Lou Jacobsen

Riedel Glass Vinum XL Cabernet Sauvignon Set of 2

Amazon

Lazy Jamie Ice Cream Coupe

Lazy Jamie

Lazy Jamie Pillar Candle Holder Set

Lazy Jamie

Alessi Blip Spoon Holder, Silver

Amazon

Jono Pandolfi Union Bowl

Jono Pandolfi

Wishbone Chair

DWR

Oggo Counter Stool By Hank Loewenstein, 1970s

Betsu Studio