editor’s letter | LINDA GRASSO
At the Joan’s on Third photo shoot with (clockwise from me) stylist Allison Rae Marsh, actress Nancy Travis, makeup artist Cat Sherwin and Joan’s manager Wendy Lorenz. Article on page 50.
My Space Our annual Home & Garden issue makes me think about how much a home can mean to a person. Lots of people charge their batteries by going out and connecting with people and doing exciting things. Not me. I regenerate by being at home. When I’m feeling tapped out from a busy week, I stay put. Puttering in my garden, cooking and even doing laundry (I fear I might regret sharing this) make me feel centered. The Encino home my husband and I created for our family has gone through several iterations. We bought it when we were in our early 30s. We both had jobs in the entertainment industry and were always tossing dinner parties where the guests were substantially older than us. Aside from all the ridiculously fancy wedding gifts we’d received, the most expensive item in our home was a sofa we’d splurged on from Mitchell Litt. At the time, I wanted to feel more sophisticated and, dare I say, older? After the Cannes Film Festival one year, we rented a car and drove through the south of France on a somewhat euphoric shopping spree. We bought a half dozen pieces in a town called Arles. I’ll never forget the glee at unpacking those crates and placing the antiques in our home. I finally felt like an adult! Cut to nearly 20 years later. Some friends were at our house. One of them mentioned a neighbor’s home was for sale and the asking price. I asked her how it compared to ours—i.e., could we possibly rake in that kind of money? She said matter-of-factly, “Well, their house is more updated than yours.” At that moment, it was as if my rose-tinted glasses had been yanked off. The kitchen with its muddy tiles and heavy black wrought iron looked … well … provincial. The sofas were worn from years of our trying to scrub out stains from sloppy teenagers and dogs that couldn’t care less that the chenille was from the Pacific Design Center. The French antiques looked … well … old. And point of fact: I wanted to feel young. I turned into something of a madwoman, redecorating several rooms with a decidedly transitional vibe and then doing a complete overhaul of the kitchen. Gotta say, the results are pleasing. The house is now more reflective of us as a couple and the way we live. (Though both our boys have returned to the nest; it could be some time before they can afford LA rents.) Recently I considered getting rid of some of the French antiques. But I changed my mind. They are a tie to our past and I’m not going to erase it. And point of fact: They’re beautifully crafted and well preserved. I have an appreciation of that now. Though I still want to feel young.
Linda Grasso Editor-in-Chief
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VENTURA BLVD | MAY/JUNE 2019
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