When hotel heir Omar Mangalji lucked into finding a Los Angeles home on the market in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood, he felt that there was something special about the house. “I don’t think I was born with the gene for design aesthetics or space curation,” he says, “but this time, I could see it.”
Before he purchased the four-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom residence, Mangalji brought along his close friend and interior designer Elizabeth Law to view the property. She agreed it had immense potential, especially given its sweeping views of the city. They had worked together on his previous house in the Hollywood Hills after first meeting through mutual friends in London in 2012. “She knows how to challenge me with things that would potentially be out of my comfort zone,” Mangalji says, “which she does in a very nice way.”
Law effectively got carte blanche when it came to this project, ultimately bringing in architect Jim Schmidt, who decided to take the building down to the studs. “It was all about the view for all of us,” Law says. Though cues were taken from the original structure, much of its orientation was changed to focus the main rooms out over the hills. “We spent a lot of time on windows and doors,” the designer recalls.
The result—which took four years to complete—is a house with cozy interiors that, while personal, maximizes its breathtaking vistas. “I wanted the house to have a handsome aesthetic,” Law says. “I really wanted to steer away from shiny and slick.” Mangalji notes how a lot of houses in Los Angeles feel like unlived-in spec houses, where footsteps echo from every area. (Oak flooring was installed for its sturdiness and lack of clip-clop sound.)
Brown Serbian marble, which wraps around the wall that divides the living room and primary bedroom, was one of Law’s first major design choices. It anchors the “earthy and textural” palette she had in mind. The same can be said of the leathered stone, which adds further warmth to the house. Throughout the home, a relaxing sensibility persists—and not just in the gym, which Law says possesses “wellness spa vibes.”
Though the furnishings were spearheaded by Law, Mangalji incorporated his own art finds: two charcoal drawings by a friend he’d lost contact with (and whose art he found by chance on a website, not knowing it was by her), a tapestry reminiscent of one he admired in a London club, and a sculpture by another friend for the entrance.
Overall, Law and Mangalji have built a home not just for Mangalji’s current life, but also with an eye toward the one he might one day have. Despite the fact that Mangalji is single, the house’s primary bathroom and closet have been designed with two people in mind. (Mangalji’s mother jokes, however, that there’s not much room left in the other half of that closet). The intention behind the large kitchen island—which is almost 20 feet long—was to facilitate dinner parties. In Mangalji’s vision, the island would serve as a point around which guests could gather. A welcoming anchor for the Los Angeles home, and one which speaks to the overall spirit of the house. Clearly, its future is just as bright as its present.
The entry pivot door is by Riviera Bronze. (“It takes zero muscle to open,” Law says.) A bonsai tree peeps through a hole in the roof, which was added by architect Jim Schmidt. Craig Roth, of Roth Development, was the builder for the project.
A small powder room off the house’s entryway is made moody by black zellige tiles from Clé Tile. Contrasting this are a vintage 1960s Italian floating mirror, edged with a copper sheen, purchased through Orange, and a Gaia wall light by Ochre whose bulbous nature offsets the multitude of straight lines seen elsewhere.
Art: Joslyn Lawrence
The Serbian Ombra de Caravaggio marble, which wraps along the living room and around the wall into the primary bedroom, helped set the tone for the whole house. Similar hues are found in the Joslyn Lawrence photo above the fireplace, and the two Hans J. Wegner Aarhus City Hall Chairs from Oz Shop. Next to the fireplace is a model horse, which is a nod to Mangalji’s polo career. It was the first thing Mangalji and Law bought for the house.
Art: Daniela Schweinsberg/Moberg Gallery
“You’re a grown-up,” Law said to Mangalji early in the project. “You’re having a dining table.” Mangalji had wanted to have only a pool table, but Law was able to accommodate both in the living area, which serves as a dining room and lounge. The Atra dining table is surrounded by six Thomas Hayes chairs. Above a 1930s Charles Dudouyt sideboard, purchased at Orange, is Work No. 2015.34 by Daniela Schweinsberg, whose bursting dashes of electric blue and lime liven up the otherwise neutral palette.
A Gaggenau cooktop is recessed in a long white marble island by Henrybuilt. A sliver of light streams in above the cabinets.
The custom banquette by Charlie Carden is upholstered in Maharam fabrics—the floral one referencing the arborous media room. The table, with a fluted central post, is a collaboration between Elizabeth Law Design and Thomas Hayes. The eight skateboards above the banquette, which were found by Mangalji, are also a collaboration—this time between Skateroom and the Andy Warhol Foundation.
One of Mangalji’s requests was that he had to be able to watch the game (which sport? All of them!). Law won the argument to not have a TV in the living area, so a media room was created. The Cole & Son tree-covered wallpaper brings nature into the only room in the house without a window. An Andromeda Constellation light by Jane Hallworth was installed on the Portola limewashed ceiling. The custom Thomas Hayes coffee table and vintage mohair poufs are from Orange.
In the primary bedroom, woody tones from the marble are accentuated by the walnut of the custom Thomas Hayes bed, vintage bench from Den, and vintage grasshopper chaise from Oz Shop, which was purchased before the project broke ground. The custom sliding door is by Riviera Bronze.
A bench upholstered in navy mohair from Maharam sits in the middle of the dual closet by CJS Woodworking. Mangalji was extremely involved with the design of this space. Law says he had it (and the bathroom) redrawn “zillions of times.”
A Blu Bathworks tub sits right next to windows that can slide open, overlooking the lawn, with the city beyond it. “We had a big battle about which way the veining of the marble should go,” Law says. She won out, with a horizontal orientation that she considers more “elegant” being emphasized.
Harbor Classic furniture sits on the limestone patio. The original pool was filled and a new infinity pool was installed to further capitalize on the view.