TATLER - Home tour: Inside a 1930s Hollywood Hills estate revived by the designers who sold Blackpink’s Lisa her mansion

In the hills above the celebrity playground of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, at 1524 Sunset Plaza Drive, an estate that dates back to the 1930s has been reimagined as a soulful retreat that marries European old-world charm with West Coast architectural drama.

The 5,400 sq ft residence, which has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, is the latest project by Amanda Leigh and Taylor Hahn, managing partners of House of Rolison, the Los Angeles-based property design and development firm who last year made headlines for selling a Beverly Hills mansion to Lisaof K-pop girlband extraordinaire Blackpink.

“Our goal was to create a home that honoured its 1930s roots while pushing the boundaries of modern luxury,” says Hahn of 1524 Sunset Plaza Drive. The duo was inspired by European design sensibilities, particularly Sicilian textures—think vintage brick, plaster and raw materials like stone that recall rugged mountain formations. These were married with moody Italian palettes and layered with the raw character of California living, says Leigh.

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With its steep pitched roof and dormers, the home already hinted at a colonial revival style. “The bones were beautiful—but the finishes and proportions were dated,” says Hahn. “We saw potential to elevate the structure while preserving its soul. It just needed a lot of masonry and love.”

Designing with history in mind, the team approached every room as a dialogue. “We treat every space like a conversation between past and present. For this home, it was about layering: raw, patinated elements next to polished stone; old-world lines meeting contemporary scale,” says Leigh.

Materiality was a driving force throughout the process. “We’re texture-obsessed. Materials had to feel storied, tactile and unexpected,” says Hahn. One of the project’s most distinctive elements was discovered by chance: “The vintage brick was a spontaneous find—hundreds of pieces of old Chicago common brick from a local seller. It added this raw, European charm to an otherwise clean build.” The palette of the spaces was intentionally rich and immersive. “We drew inspiration from antique European hotels and 1970s Milanese design—spaces where colour feels enveloping and soulful, not loud,” says Leigh. The idea evokes “emotional luxury”, she adds.

In a process that took eight months, the home’s redesign was treated like a historical restoration, with what Leigh calls a “bold, editorial eye”. Every room, surface and material was reimagined.

The kitchen saw the most dramatic reconfiguration. The original space felt cramped and tucked away and was opened up to create flow and framed views—a move that introduced “moments of symmetry and softness” to the space. It is centred with a stone island, which “feels like sculpture” under the skylights, says Leigh. The dining room “became its own moody moment”—it is decorated with rich walls, oversized art and and soft lighting. The living room, meanwhile, is “all about restraint”, with clean-lined plaster, linen sofas and oversized steel windows that frame the landscaping.

For Hahn, the master bedroom is a standout feature: “It’s its own private oasis sitting above and away from the rest of the home and feels like a true retreat.” For Leigh, the formal living room is the space that captures the heart of the project: “There’s a quiet drama to the room—it doesn’t scream for attention, but it completely holds you” It features a bold checked rug and a built-in bar that Leigh says feels equal parts refined and effortless, while one of her favourite details is a vintage light fixture suspended in the centre of the room: “It casts the most beautiful, ambient glow and anchors the space in a way that feels both nostalgic and sculptural. It’s where we balanced structure with softness, and where every detail—from the lighting to the bar hardware—was chosen to create mood. It’s a room you want to linger in.”

Despite the overhaul, some original details were carefully preserved and celebrated. “The doors and stained glass were sacred—we preserved and echoed them elsewhere to build continuity,” explains Leigh. The original ironwork inspired new custom railings, and the Delft tiles in the living room became a centrepiece rather than a relic, she adds.

One of the most challenging aspects of the renovation was ensuring that every part of the home and exterior felt like it had a purpose. The goal was to ensure the home would suit a variety of scenarios: families with children would have ample yard space; car lovers would have a grand private entrance; those who love to entertain would have ample space for hosting; and the home would have a pool and outdoor living areas.

The estate’s aesthetic is a reflection of the House of Rolison’s design philosophy. “We aim to create homes that feel like emotions—poetic, grounded and slightly cinematic. We’re not interested in our homes fitting into one style or box; we’re interested in presence. Every House of Rolison project is about bold restraint, soulful materiality and a refusal to follow trends. Each home tells its own story and has a way of being boldly different based on the original intended architecture,” says Hahn.

“This home is a reflection of how we want to live: slow, soulful, layered,” says Leigh. “It’s not just a house—it’s a story. And that’s always our goal.”

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