“Although we didn’t repeat other textiles or finishes, we kept the color palette consistent
between the two areas,” says Sugerman.
The color palette serves as the strong connector between the two spaces; varying
shades of cream, taupe, and brown appear in each of the rooms and visibly tie
them together. The dining room’s square Macassar ebony table from Wiggers Custom Furniture, for example, echoes
the dark wood accents in the living room, while the Parisian pendant chandelier
hanging above it further plays up the neutral color scheme utilized in both
rooms.
“Part of our specialty is interior architectural detailing—crafting design elements that enhance the backgrounds,” says Sugerman. “Like sculpture, this was about finding a balance between positive and negative
space. Then we layer in furniture, fixtures, art, and accessories to complete a
cohesive whole.”
In the home’s dining room, they put together a soothing backdrop of cream and earth tones
that creates a sophisticated, warm color palette for the
fourteen-by-sixteen-foot room and casts it in an attractive ethereal glow. “We always try to keep the large elements in a room relatively neutral, using
color in smaller accents and artwork,” says Loor.
“This helps to maintain a more timeless look in our interiors, as well as
imparting a more sophisticated, elegant feel.”
In keeping with their neutral-leaning design philosophy, Sugerman and Loor then
employed large neutral pieces to extend the dining room’s color palette into darker shades, like the Macassar ebony dining room table
and buffet. Each piece brings a slightly different feel to the room, despite
the fact that they were crafted from the same material. “The table is in a filled-pore, high-gloss finish, and the buffet is open-pore
stain,” says Sugerman. “This subtle contrast helps maintain unity between the pieces but keeps them from
feeling like a matching set.”
They also kept the foundation of the room relatively neutral by putting in a
medium-stained walnut wood flooring. The flooring adds warmth to the room and
also helped the couple connect the dining room with the adjacent sunken living
room. “We always strive to establish continuity between spaces in the homes we design,
especially when the spaces are adjacent,” says Loor. “In this home, we wanted to combine the living and dining rooms into one
entertainment area to facilitate the flow between the two.”
To create a more entertaining-friendly space, the designers first removed
portions of the wall that had previously divided the dining and living rooms.
Then, they selected similar flooring, wall finishes, drapery fabric, hardware,
and color palettes for both rooms.
Eight bone-colored leather armchairs from A. Rudin lend the room crisp, clean
lines; supply comfortable seating with their high backs; and mimic the color
and shape of the seats in both the living room and the adjacent outdoor patio.
These elements unify the rooms and yet still allowed the designers to select a
composition of artwork and accessories to give the dining room a distinct
personality. “The iron candlesticks on the dining buffet and the driftwood branch on the
dining table add a lot of texture and interest to the room, without screaming
for attention,” explains Sugerman.
A large bronze hand sculpture and a large photograph sit atop and above the
dining room buffet, creating two additional focal points for the room. “We found the photography at a gallery in Santa Monica and loved the imagery, as
well as the way the black-and-white composition popped against the wall and
balanced out the rich woods we used,” says Loor. “The bronze hand sculpture is actually part of a set of andirons we found in Los
Angeles. It’s bold and warm at the same time and evokes conversation.”
And, like the rest of the pieces and materials used within this room, it
transforms what could have been a stark, modern design into an exceptionally
inviting space. 
