Photography by Sara Liggoria-Tramp, Styling by Brady Tolbert, By Landon Peoples
Updated Oct 12, 2018 6:42 AM EDT
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In his Los Angeles home, interior designer Brady Tolbert is a pro at marrying the old with the new. Dubbed The Treehouse, the 1958 space is loaded with natural light, high ceilings, and special touches like wood built-ins, an original staircase, and stained-glass windows. Over the past few months, Tolbert has been working his way through room by room, sprinkling in modern touches while preserving the original charm.
He’ll be the first to admit his style leans more neutral than chaotic. He’s also not shy about saying your formal dining room should actually be “as casual as your kitchen.” And when it comes to setting the table, he suggests treating it like making your bed — it should feel welcoming and comfortable.
Because the best rooms live on juxtaposition, Tolbert leaned into his gift for pairing high with low. He used pieces from the Gap Home collection, exclusive to Walmart, and each one chips in to a unique, inviting vibe where everyone gets a seat at the table.
“Get a good set of dinnerware and a few different glasses or dessert plates you can swap in and out easily,” says Tolbert on finding a tabletop starting point. Using Gap Home’s 16-piece stoneware in black, blue, white, and yellow together — rather than separately — adds depth (the four colors clash in perfect harmony and unlock endless tablescape combos). To push that perfectly imperfect look, Tolbert suggests playing with varying sizes, shapes, and textures: he added black flatware, white cloth napkins, and a glass pitcher for balance.
What primarily lured Tolbert to this home was its bounty of fun quirks and character — which, admittedly, isn’t the easiest thing to design around. “The dinnerware isn’t overly ornate,” he says. “It pulls its detailing from classic, timeless styles, which lets it slip into all kinds of looks.” Offsetting the old-world charm of the black-and-white checkered floor and stained-glass window are modern touches, like the semisheer organic cotton Gap Home curtains above the sliding doors.
“A lot of people say the kitchen is the heart of the home,” says Tolbert, noting the dining room usually sits right next door. “For years people have designed very formal spaces and only eaten there on holidays. But I love being in the dining room — almost every single day.” Since it’s the only real sit-down spot for meals (no kitchen table or banquette here), he set out to build something casual, not stuffy. “Every area of your home should feel inviting and comfortable,” he says. “For me, a formal dining room just doesn’t make sense. It should be a place you can do anything in.”
To nail the look, Tolbert mixed and matched different chairs at his white oval table instead of buying a matching set. “It feels more collected and curated than uptight,” he says. “It’s also a fun way to show that, even if everybody’s a little different, they can all sit, eat, and work around the same table.” For a winning combo, Tolbert suggests sticking to a neutral palette and using no more than two shapes. “Here I added an angled flat-back chair plus an option that mimics the original wishbone style,” he explains. “The result complements without competing.”
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