Interior designer Brian Paquette?s client, a successful Hollywood movie composer, came to him with the equivalent of an intricate melody: The composer had worked out an entirely new open floor plan for his 1910 Los Feliz bungalow with architectural designer Lara Howenstine of Studio LH. Walls had come down, ceilings had been raised, and beams, skylights, and new windows added. But progress had stalled as other projects distracted the two friends. Someone was needed to orchestrate the full symphony.
Paquette, who is based in Seattle but often works in LA (he was introduced to the composer by clients who live blocks away), was in his element: ?I selected all the materials, finishes, lighting, furnishings, and art.? Marrying ?the era of the 1,800-square-foot Craftsman house with modern elements,? Paquette created an elegantly serene and cohesive hideaway, a place that, as he says, ?allows its owner to shut off, recharge, and entertain friends??and to write music. Photography by Laure Joliet, courtesy of Brian Paquette Interiors.

Above: Paquette’s mandate from his client: “Keep the materials honest and natural, and choose pieces that stand well on their own as well as together in a room.” Toward that end, Paquette paired Lawson Fenning’s Cruz Chairs with his client’s own Sean Woolsey Dining Table, and inserted low-impact corner shelves that echo the wood of the beams and floor.

Above: “The fact that the entry, living room, dining roo...