Who knew a high-profile client roster could have a downside? “We work with a lot of private clients and celebrities, so, sadly, we can’t showcase much of our work,” says James Houston of Studio JBD, co-owned with his husband, Brian McGrory.
Likewise, an air of privacy factored into the couple’s own Palm Springs renovation project they began in early 2022.
Hedges installed around the property provided the structurally and aesthetically challenged midcentury house with the cloistered ambiance of an intimate resort. Their escape-from-L.A. retreat lets them entertain guests and soak up time with family, including their 4-year-old daughter, Dylan Geraldine (the “D” in the firm’s name).
Houston, an Australian beauty photographer, has counted L’Oreal Paris, Givenchy, and Vogue among his clients and worked with Jennifer Lopez, Julianne Moore, and Cate Blanchett. His fine art photographs hang in the homes of Studio JBD clients. McGrory, originally from Scotland, spent a decade in hotel management and publicity in the U.K. before moving to New York City in 2001 and launching several restaurants.
The pair founded Studio JBD, based in Los Feliz, to unite their divergent paths of visual storytelling. Together they explore design, development, and “all things lifestyle,” including custom furniture and fine art. Renovations to their personal homes — published in Architectural Digest and Elle Décor — evade a preference for a specific style. They’ve completed a light and airy Spanish colonial home in Los Angeles, an eclectic 1920s townhouse in Brooklyn, and a 3,500-square-foot contemporary lake house in upstate New York. The men have a soft spot for homes that are big on potential but rough around the edges.
“We have always loved Palm Springs,” Houston says. “We had been coming regularly since we moved to L.A. from New York City. We also love to contribute to a location by honoring its history, hence keeping the style of the original. We wanted to do a home that Palm Springs would be proud of.”
The designers named their getaway Mountain View Lodge. “By definition, a lodge is an inn where travelers stay overnight,” Houston explains. “Mountain View Lodge allows our guests to come together in a beautiful home and enjoy the amazing view of the mountains. In the winter, the farthest peak is covered in snow. Additionally, the word ‘lodge’ reminded us of fun times we have shared with friends at ski lodges over the years.”
The house is perfectly cozy. Its earthy palette of wood and stone link in a modern point of view and an 11-foot-long leather sofa pulls up to a custom fireplace stacked in pine green Fireclay tile. Instead of ski slopes, the view takes in the saltwater pool and the ring of Adirondack chairs around the communal fire pit, all part of the inn-spired garden courtyard. Come dusk, lanterns glow amid the olive trees, and the deep, blue pool glows back.
Deriving its hospitable character from the men’s collective 30-year career spectrum, the Lodge is as experiential as it is photogenic. Its private nature suits guests, and even more so, family moments that live like a vacation in their own backyard. “Seeing our daughter learn to swim in the pool was incredible,” Houston says.
The Studio JBD partners describe themselves as “chameleon creators,” noting that when a house speaks, they listen up, no matter the style. Restoring its original architecture and design is their way of celebrating its authenticity. Their current projects may or may not be shareable, but entertaining in their own homes has allowed them to share their love for interior design with their friends, family, and then some.
STUDIO JBD’S TOP 3
1. Think of a great night out. McGrory’s experience as a restauranteur leads him to consider how each design ingredient bakes into a home’s mood. Enhancing the look, “the feel, the energy, the music, the lighting, the comfort, and the spaces in which to create memories all have to be there and align,” he says. Outdoor surround sound? Absolutely.
2. Customize thoughtfully. “We did a lot of custom furniture to bring our vision to life,” Houston says. “Oftentimes, the scale of midcentury furniture can be off, so we made some comfort adjustments by making our custom sofa deeper, the Fireclay tiles for the fireplace bigger, and so on.” The classic lines of the furnishings work within the 1950s architectural context, not against it.
3. Expand as needed. A gut renovation opens doors for building while you’re rebuilding. “Amid resurfacing the pool, adding a Jacuzzi, paving the surrounding area in locally sourced flagstone, and bringing in two 65-year-old olive trees to feature in the garden, we added 800 square feet to the house layout,” Houston says, yielding a four-bedroom home from a two bedroom.
