If thereâs one thing Prentice Penny knows for sure, itâs that itâs better to go all out rather than to play it safe. âWe didnât want people walking in and saying, âThis is designed within an inch of its life, but it could be anybodyâs,ââ says the producer, writer, and director of his familyâs Los Angeles home. In a city overflowing with lifeless renos, youâd be hard-pressed to ignore the pattern-filled storylines draping every square inch of the Penny family residence, each one just as intriguing as the last.
Having moved into their home in 2020, Prenticeâthe producer and showrunner of Insecure, whose other credits include Uncorked and Girlfriendsâand his wife, Tasha, were struck by the previous ownerâs aesthetic vision. âIt was his style; thatâs why it was cool,â Prentice recalls, â[But] most importantly, it didnât feel like usâ¦. So we finally asked, âWhat do we want?â Thatâs a question that youâre not always privileged to ask yourself.â
That concept became a guiding force within the redesign process. âWe wanted this to feel like our home,â stressed the producer. Carmen René Smith, founder and principal designer at Aquilo Interiors, was entrusted with the makeover. Marrying intention, art, and function, Smithâalongside Prentice and Tashaâset out to craft a space that embodied the coupleâs values.
âI like asking my clients what their wildest dream is for their home,â Smith says. âPrentice was clear that he wanted his space to reflect pure creativity.â And it appears that wish was fulfilled. Building off of the homeâs traditional midcentury architecture, Smith began layering patterns and colors that warrant an admiring eyeâs double takeâlike the set of Simone Micheli Gulp armchairs with geometric Kelly Wearstler pillows that nest atop a Rug Society hand-tufted wool and botanical silk rug.
âHe was so open to all of it,â says Smith of Prentinceâs approach to the redesign project. He adds: âCarmen kept reminding us of that concept, and I think that mentality made the experience much more freeing.â
But Prentice and Tasha werenât the only ones that got to participate in all of the fun. (âWatching my kids push me out of the room because they wanted to talk to Carmen on their own was great,â Prentice reflects.) Tributes to family favorites such as Star Wars, â90s hip-hop, Rat Pack Palm Spring style, and Harry Potter can be found scattered about.
With all the attention to meaningful detail, remembering that this space was to be inhabited by a family of five also remained top of mind. Function was the projectâs through line. âWhatâs the point if itâs really pretty but you canât use it?â remarks Smith. The generous amount of seating options were just one of the many solutions that Smith came up with to accommodate the familyâs lifestyle. âThe house follows the flow of our day-to-day lives,â Prentice says. âThereâs a lot of traffic moving through here Monday through Friday, and there needs to be space for us to grow.â Itâs that family-first attitude that lends itself to the obvious heart and soul thatâs been injected into the home.