Visit the glamorous LA home of singer-songwriter and actor Joey McIntyre

If there’s a little stardust sprinkled around this elegant home, it’s not surprising. Located in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, home to many celebrities, it was built in 1939, during Hollywood’s golden age.

The French Normandy revival property, designed by famed architect Arthur Kelly, is now home to singer-songwriter and actor Joey McIntyre, and his wife Barrett and their family. Joey works in film, television and on stage, and is best known as the youngest member of the 1980s boy band New Kids on the Block.

Moving from an apartment in New York City to the historic home in Hancock Park was a big step that meant not only a change of neighborhood, but also a change of lifestyle and a very different style of living. house designat. To help the family get used to their new environment, they called on the design team of Department + Graywho had previously worked with them in their New York home.

Designers Christie Ward and Staver Gray show us around and explain how they made the elegant home modern, while at the same time retaining and enhancing the Hollywood glamor of the 1930s.

portrait of singer-songwriter and actor Joey McIntyre and his wife Barrett in their living room in LA

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

Joey and Barrett wanted to keep the character and charm of the house, but make it a functional, livable space for their family.

“The scope of the renovation included furniture layouts, hard finishes, selecting paint colors, new furnishings and new lighting throughout, art and wall finishes such as wallpaper (and in some cases upholstered walls),” says Christie Ward.

The skill was in doing all of this but retaining that sense of movie star magic.

living room with cream-colored paneling, armchairs with fireplace and ottoman

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

The refreshed living room ideas really captures the golden age of movies. ‘We wanted the interior style to reflect the glamorous Hollywood Regency style,” says designer Staver Gray. ‘We found antiques from this era, such as the antique Mastercraft polished brass and glass side tables in the living room, and used those items as a subtle nod to that era.

‘We opted for classically shaped sofas and chairs, but in more modern fabrics to keep the house light and fresh. The house wants to have the right balance between formal and playful, so we lean on that. After all, this is a young family and we wanted to make sure the space reflected them.”

“We left the original paneling throughout the room as a focal point. It has beautiful scale details and felt so original that we really fell in love with it,” Christie adds. ‘We found a way to make the furniture complement the architecture, rather than steal the show. So a sofa we made for their New York City apartment was paired with a custom ottoman, covered in fabrics and upholstery from Clarence House, Fermoie and Samuel & Sons. We love how the mix of patterns created a very vibrant space. The wall sconces are made of hand-blown Murano glass.’

music room with guitar, striped loveseat and Marshall amplifier

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

There are no prizes for guessing that this singer-songwriter’s home contains a devotee music room. With over a million worldwide record sales as a solo artist, Joey is no longer the new kid on the block in the music world.

“The bookshelves and millwork are all original to the house and we all felt it best to keep it exactly as it was,” Christie adds. “The client has styled this room to perfection with his gear and guitars and we added this oversized chaise lounge to the corner of the room and covered it in a vibrant Pierre Frey fabric (the specific print is called Stella).”

LA eat-in kitchen with skylights, cream cabinets and island with marble top

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

Staver and Christie completely renovated the kitchen, designing the cabinetry and layout and selecting the finishes, hardware and plumbing fixtures.

“We wanted the updated thing kitchen ideas in this historic house so as not to feel too far removed from its time,” says Staver. “So the bones and any millwork we added had to remain consistent with the 1930s/1940s when the house was built. While we completely renovated the house, the furnishings had to feel like a cohesive part of the house.’

One of the room’s most striking architectural features are the sloping skylights, added as part of an earlier addition.

interior designers Christie Ward (left) and Staver Gray of Ward & Gray

Christie Ward and Staver Gray

Department + Gray is an interior design firm based in New York City, Miami and London. Directors Christie Ward (left) and Staver Gray focus on boutique hotel and residential projects with an emphasis on collected and thoughtful interiors. For this project in the historic Hancock Park area of LA, they wanted to capture the essence of what it would have been like to live there in the 1930s and 1940s, when the house was built, and reflect the Hollywood glamor of the neighborhood.

kitchen with sloping skylights, stove, cream-colored cabinets and island with marble top

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

The Ward+Gray team worked with the family to… kitchen layout and design.

‘We found a beautiful antique piece from the 1930s with this double beaded panel profile and we thought we would use that detailing idea as a wonderful subtle nod to the 1930s for the kitchen cabinets,’ says Christie. ‘We used Farrow & Ball Strong white on the cabinets and combined it with Verde Cipollino marble worksheets to connect the greenery of the nearby solarium.’

The stools are upholstered in linen fabric with Rose Tarlow stripes, which draws the oranges in and picks up the unlacquered copper sanitary fittings.

eat-in kitchen with banquette and wooden table and white walls

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

Even the breakfast corner has a nostalgic old-fashioned atmosphere and creates a cozy, relaxed atmosphere eat-in kitchen where the family can eat together.

“The sconces flanking the ‘cheerful’ artwork are vintage finds and we created custom lampshades in pale blue silk to stand out against the velvet in the banquet,” adds Christie.

family living room cream section and view of kitchen

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

Family living room ideas for this space adjacent to the kitchen it was all about designing an informal and comfortable place where the family can come together and spend time watching TV together. Furniture and fabrics have been carefully curated to give a fresh twist to the golden atmosphere of the house.

“We found a vintage swivel chair from the 1960s for the room, which we reupholstered in a Carlton V ikat,” says Staver. ‘And we bought an original Rebecca Jack painting for the wall to create a cheerful feeling. The table is tailor-made for the room, with bamboo wood and wicker details throughout the top.’

traditional conservatory style solarium with glass walls and roof and white sofa

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

The solarium is designed for multiple uses, with both a formal dining room at one end and this comfortable conservatory right by the outdoor pool.

“We used outdoor fabrics for the sofa and cushions so the family can run in wet from the pool,” says Christie. ‘The coffee table and ottoman are vintage pieces, with Robert Kime’s Ottoman Lampas as the fabric on the ottoman. We painted the trim and doors around the room with Farrow & Ball Green Smoke to collect the original shutters on the facade of the house.’

The chandelier came from an antique store in New Jersey and was driven across the country. “We knew it was right for this room as soon as we saw it,” Staver says.

graceful curved staircase with palm light

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

While we’re on the subject of chandeliers and statement lighting, take a look at the hallway And stair ideas. The elegant original staircase would make Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance for joy and pleasure stair lighting With added Hollywood wow factor, the custom four-tiered palm tree chandelier is reminiscent of 1930s designs and is perfect for the home.

‘This was truly the golden age of Hollywood and we felt the furniture and lighting should have a playful storytelling ability. The aged copper details of the pendant reflect beautifully on the original balustrades,” Staver adds. “We found an antique French iron table base for the foyer, with floral details throughout to bring out the stair moldings. We stained the original parquet floor in a rich, deep brown color to create a high contrast with the light and fresh ivory walls.’

bedroom with taupe paneling and patterned pillows

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

Since Joey and Barrett decided to repurpose the bed and chair from their New York home here, the bedroom ideas were about finding ways to combine the pink tones and preserving and enhancing the beautiful historic details in this space.

“We found a beautiful Le Manache fabric for the curtains – which felt very Hollywood Regency to us with the fan details – and it brought the colors in this room together,” says designer Christie. ‘The matching French side tables, used for the bedside tables, were found at an auction.’

bedroom fireplace with mirror and marble frame and paneling

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

On the opposite wall of the bedroom is another of this home’s notable original features: the fireplace and mirror surround. “We fell in love with that mirrored wall and marble mantle with shell detailing, and it’s also pink in color, which matched our fabric scheme so well,” says Staver.

The wall sconces are also original to the home, with beautiful beaded flowers throughout.

Exterior of 1930s LA home and backyard with pool and solarium

(Image credit: Michael Clifford)

The French Revival property in Normandy dates from 1939 and was originally designed by famed architect Arthur Kelly. The outdoor spaces have been updated, as part of the entire house, so that they feel effortless and casual.

“We wanted the family to feel like they could collapse on the furniture after a long swim and felt it was important that the furniture didn’t feel too precious,” says Christie. ‘The house has beautiful exterior shutters that frame the windows and we noticed that sage green inside the house too. The marble we chose for the kitchen has the same sage green tones and is close to the solarium, the edges of which we had custom painted.”

Welcoming and family-friendly, with fresh, contemporary fabrics and a lasting tribute to Hollywood’s golden age – the story of this home looks set to become a long-running blockbuster.

Interior design: Department + Gray
Photos: Michael Clifford