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For real: Had Stephanie Savage made it her life’s mission to live as close to the Griffith Observatory as humanly possible? When a friend jokingly posed the question, the screenwriter and producer (you may know a couple of the series she’s worked on—Gossip Girl? The O.C.?) had to admit it sure seemed that way. Not only has every home she’s owned in Los Angeles been in the general vicinity of the famous attraction, but she can make out the three iconic domes from the backyard of her current house. “I was like, you know what? Maybe it has been this subconscious motivation,” says Savage. “I was a big fan of Rebel Without a Cause in grad school.”
With a view like that, it’s not surprising the Spanish-meets-Craftsman–style house has a star-studded pedigree. Artists Thomas Houseago and Amy Bessone sold Savage the place. Before them, it was owned by actor Lorenzo Lamas in the 1990s, actor Valerie Bertinelli in the ’80s, and Martin Gang, one of Frank Sinatra’s lawyers, in the ’50s. “That’s a fun one,” says Savage.
The 1922 home, she later uncovered, also had a noteworthy design history. After asking around about who installed the built-ins, Savage tracked down the architect: Jeff Guga, who is behind popular L.A. restaurants Jon & Vinny’s and Kismet. She gave him another challenge: Turn the very ordinary foyer into a groovy entry. Guga and woodworker Aaron Turner clad the space—low ceiling and basement door included—in strips of bentwood. “It really sends the message when you walk in that this is not going to be a traditional 1920s house. There’s going to be a few little surprises in here for you,” she says.
Savage’s longtime interior designers, Kathryn Hetherington and Karlyn Byxbee of Studio K Design, made sure of it. With this being the third house they’ve worked on together, the duo knows how Savage likes to decorate. “We didn’t rush the design process with her, which doesn’t work for every client,” says Hetherington. Savage’s office, for instance, all started with the desk: a treasured piece that belonged to Leighton Meester’s character, Blair Waldorf, on Gossip Girl. “I bought it for what Warner Bros. paid for it. I got no discount,” Savage says with a laugh. “But it was definitely worth it.” From there, they found a rug that mimicked the table’s oval shape. A few of the accessories, like the John Derian pencil holder, also came from Blair’s on-set office. “Which is funny to me because I love John Derian, too,” adds Savage. Her personal collection of decoupage plates from the New York City shop adorn the cork walls, which Studio K added later on to act as a giant pinboard for work.
Savage is an avid collector of many things: art, stuffed animals and other vintage toys, Bambi figurines, flower frogs, and green Fiesta tableware. So she’s happy to wait years for the right lounge chair or pendant light to come along. “I’ve always been a natural collector, even when I was a little kid,” she shares, admitting that it’s the reason she still owns all her textbooks from college and grad school. “I like the conversations that they spark when people are standing around with a glass of wine being like, ‘That’s an odd book that you have on your shelf. What’s that about?’”
Visitors will really be curious when they venture upstairs and take in all the artwork. “I’m really happy walking down in the morning. It’s a burst of energy to have all that beautiful art staring back at me,” says Savage. There’s the Aurel Schmidt drawing of a bouquet in an Orval beer can (a nod to her Canadian roots and her love of flower arranging); the giant portrait of a woman by Vanessa Beecroft; and an Elizabeth Peyton painting that she splurged on because the dog looks nearly identical to her late pup, Harper. “It’s such a nice reminder of her,” says Savage.
Her knack for collecting extends to her closet, where vintage clothes line brass ceiling-mounted racks and window treatments made from alpaca fabric protect her wardrobe from the sun. Something Savage learned early on from Gossip Girl costume designer Eric Daman was to sort pieces by color, then within those groupings keep patterned pieces and similar sleeve lengths together. “It really looks beautiful to the eye, and you can zero in on what you’re looking for,” she says.
When it comes to pretty much anything DIY-related, you can bet she learned it from her mom, a savvy sewer, knitter, and embroiderer who spends six months out of the year in Los Angeles with her. “She can do wonders with a can of spray paint,” Savage says. Part of the initial draw of the nearly one-acre property was that it had a guesthouse where she can spread out and get crafty, while still being able to host her sister’s three kids, fellow writers, or other out-of-town guests comfortably. When things do start feeling a little cramped, there’s plenty of solace to be sought outside under the swooping thatched pergola where she can steal glimpses of her favorite L.A. landmark.
