When prominent entertainment attorney Aaron Rosenberg called on designer Andrew Torrey to once again help him tackle his latest project, his home in LA’s Bel-Air, everything happened quickly. The two had worked together previously on a sophisticated New York City duplex and an office in Brentwood, so they had an easy rapport. Now, the divorced dad of two young boys was ready to start his new life in this modern-farmhouse-style residence, closer to his kids’ school and his office.
“I think he gave me three weeks’ notice with a fast close [on the new property] and closing on his existing house on the same day,” explains Torrey of the accelerated timeline. “I’m always up for a challenge and we were able to move him out of the Hancock Park house in a few days and into the new house. [Rosenberg] only slept in a hotel one night.”
The new dwelling, which was previously owned by a professional basketball player and came with a court, was set up immediately with everything Rosenberg already owned—what Torrey calls “high-level staging.” Rosenberg lived like that for about a year and a half and then the gut renovation started. The existing floor plan consisted of seven bedrooms, seven full baths, and two powder rooms—totaling about 12,000 square feet.
At the tail end of the pandemic, construction was full throttle with all of the restrictions and safety protocols in place. Torrey, who’s based in New York, dove in and moved to LA for four months while working on the home. ET Builders and Elite Remodeling were hired for interior work, while GreenTree Landscaping was hired for the outdoor areas. Torrey and his team changed all the lighting, all the furnishings, and reconfigured the primary bedroom with an added dressing room and bar. One of the bedrooms was opened up and is now a guest suite. All the fireplaces were reclad and the floors were redone.
