" Great spaces are always
the result of a collective effort,” says designer Rachel Laxer. Though
this house breathes a laid-back elegance that is unmistakably hers,
Laxer credits the synergy of “lots of creative heads” as the secret
behind truly divine results. In this case, it was the discerning tastes and
global experiences of the clients coupled with a sound architectural
plan that gave her the inspiration to create the 10,000 square feet of
un-fussed calm that is this private Californian home.
Laxer made her first mark at the framing stage, before the house
was structurally complete. The original plan was to have a grand,
classical entryway with a large inlaid marble staircase, but a trip
to London’s National Portrait Gallery persuaded her otherwise. In
the contemporary galleries, paintings are hung back-to-back on
glass walls, creating a vista that runs uninterrupted almost the entire
length of the space. Laxer took this inspiration halfway across the
world, suggesting that in the entryway they “do something with glass
and make it float.” By removing a key wall and building a glass-paneled staircase that appears to hover in mid air, the house has an
immediate sense of openness and depth.
International influence is key to Laxer’s design philosophy. As a New
Yorker based in London, she started her career in finance (she has an
MBA in finance and international business from NYU) and worked as a
trader on Wall Street for many years. In 2001 she moved to Japan and
found inspiration in “the harmony and balance” inherent in Japanese
interiors. Laxer decorated her own Tokyo home and was quickly
asked to do the homes of other local ex-pats.
“It was around the time that Kelly Hoppen published her book East
Meets West, and I was so intrigued by her and her work—it really
struck a chord.” Two years later she returned to the UK to take
Hoppen’s class at London’s KLC School of Design and loved it. After
the course, she applied for an internship, which swiftly became a four-year working relationship based on mutual respect. “I think Kelly liked
my eye, as I was a bit older than most interns and had a refined point
of view from living around the world.”
When she moved back to New York, Laxer continued to work for
Hoppen on large projects before setting up Rachel Laxer Interiors with
friend and fellow Hoppen protégé Alexa Salter. She now divides her
time between London and both U.S. coasts. “I’m so fortunate that I
get to bounce around the world—New York designers tend to source
from New York and Europeans from Europe, but I’m lucky that I get
to mix it up.” It’s no wonder that she was the perfect choice for the
clients, who wanted the house to reflect their own heritage (the family
is originally from India), along with their many cultural interests.
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