Inside Fashion Mogul Jerry Lorenzo’s Minimalist Beverly Hills Home
For both the Los Feliz project and this current home, the couple chose to work with Tommy and Kathleen Clements of the AD100 firm Clements Design, in whom they found simpatico collaborators equally committed to the power of serenity and stillness. “Both Jerry and Desiree like to keep it simple, which is always refreshing. They have incredibly cultivated taste, but it’s very pared down,” Kathleen says of the aesthetic kinship. “They’re totally in tune with the emotional, visceral aspects of a space,” Tommy continues. “They wanted to create rooms that are both comfortable and inspiring. It wasn’t about assembling a checklist of trophy objects and boldface names.”
Part of the appeal of the new residence was its finished condition. Aside from cosmetic enhancements—stone selections, paint colors, etc.—no major structural changes were necessary, save for the conversion of one of the house’s two garages into a combination mudroom, butler’s pantry, and laundry. Much of Lorenzo’s attention was trained on the reimagining of the landscape, including the transformation of a tennis court into a sunken garden, to provide ample space for the kids to roam and play. “The flow of space between the interior and exterior is seamless. The neutral palette of the house makes the greens feel super green,” Lorenzo says, describing the emendations of landscape architect Tomer Levi of Double Green Landscapes. “The garden is like the outfit the home is wearing.”
Within the house, the collected furnishings and objets de vertu signify the homeowners’ abiding interest in subdued, modern silhouettes and sculptural forms, with signature pieces by 20th-century maestros Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, Mathieu Matégot, Poul Kjærholm, and George Nakashima. There’s also a host of furniture and decorative accessories by Rick Owens. “Rick’s home pieces, from the small urns to the dining table, have a palpable weight and monolithic quality. Like the house, they possess that same combination of the new and the timeless. I’m a huge fan,” Lorenzo enthuses. “Their vision is very consistent—nothing too pretentious or fussy, just beautiful, organic tones and compositions,” Tommy Clements says of his clients’ tastes. “Not surprisingly, Jerry is very particular about the hand of fabrics.”
The couple’s art collection is especially personal, focused on the work of friends, collaborators, and artists they simply admire—a roster that includes Gordon Parks, Lauren Halsey, Arthur Jafa, Tyler Mitchell, and Shaniqwa Jarvis. “We’re not collectors in the sense that we’re looking for financial investments or status buys,” Manuel says of their curatorial predilections. “Everything we have is dear to us. It’s all personal.”
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