The first time fine jewelry designer Emily P. Wheeler viewed the place she would call home, she loved it so much she cried. “We just really loved the vibe of it,” Emily says of the modern and airy abode, which features three decks, lush greenery, and walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. “There are all these different levels, and nooks, and crannies,” Emily says. “It sort of feels like you’re on this adventure as you go through it. There’s one surprise after another.”
As she went through the space with her then boyfriend and now husband, John Pew, she was excited by the small fountain at the entryway, the spa-like primary bathroom with its generous proportions, and an interior garden wall that offered the New England native the novel experience of true indoor-outdoor living.
The cozy and light-filled home also offered the self-proclaimed homebody a two-level detached studio space—above the garage and connected to the main house via breezeway—where she could host clients and design her sustainably-produced and vibrant pieces. There’s also the option of cooking in her own kitchen, taking a nap upstairs in her custom canopy bed, and hanging out with her three dogs: Lola, Lily, and Leon.
Located just above Venice Beach, in the more family-oriented and slightly more spread out Mar Vista neighborhood, the multi-level home had plenty of outdoor space where the couple could enjoy spontaneous dinners, Friday-night martinis, parties with friends, and ocean views. Originally, Emily was looking for a smaller home for her and her two dogs. However, things took a sharp turn when, after six months of dating John, Emily had a strong realization that they would get married. “I basically just kind of sat him down at six months, and said, ‘Do you want to buy a house together?’”
After falling in love with the Westside home, Emily called on her friend and designer Regina Perez Montemayor of RPM Studio to help the two meet in the middle. “I am obsessed with color,” Emily says. “If I was living alone and designed my own place, it would probably be covered in color. My husband would die [if that ever happened],” she jokes.
On a neutral backdrop with warm wood, Regina infused earth tones and subtle pops of color through a mix of vintage and contemporary pieces and artworks that speak to Emily’s obsession with quirky decorative elements. “I love collecting little objects that are sometimes jewelry-like and definitely inspire me in the same way that art and color does,” Emily says, pointing out a pale pink vintage vase in the shape of wings she found at Rosemary Home and three brightly colored melting popsicle sculptures by Betsy Enzensberger.
