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“I haven’t always had that—I think I lived in 10 houses by the time I was 15—so for me now, having a son, I wanted a place that felt really ours.”
After a few self-proclaimed “failed” attempts at decorating on her own, Roberts turned to star designers Louisa Pierce and Emily Ward of the AD100 firm Pierce & Ward, with whom she had worked on a previous residence. Their first step was simply to repaint the stark white walls a creamy ivory in order to begin bringing warmth, depth, and an air of timelessness to the space. “We want a house to look like it’s been there for 50 years,” says Pierce. “We never want a home to look new.”
Keeping in line with this approach, they retained many pieces of furniture that Roberts already owned, doing things like reupholstering the sofa in the formal living room to give old possessions new life. They also incorporated much of the art that Roberts already had, and made room for her collections of dolls, books, and vintage magazines. “Minimalism is not my strong suit,” she says with a laugh. “Every house I’ve ever lived in feels a little bit like a cabinet of curiosities.” This element of repurposing, Ward points out, helps ensure the home doesn’t feel overly designed.
“I loved the idea of making my very own grown-up dollhouse,” Roberts says, explaining that she was smitten with the place after seeing it advertised as a rental on Instagram. On a whim, Roberts went to check it out and ended up asking if the owner would consider selling it. When the owner said yes, it all began to feel meant-to-be for Roberts and her now three-year-old son, Rhodes. “I have a picture of the day we moved in,” Roberts says, smiling. “I’m holding him and it was the most sunny California day, and we were in front of the blue door of our new house. I just remember feeling like we are exactly where we need to be.”
On her first visit, Roberts had taken one look at the cabinets in the living room and thought, “I can put all my books there.” At the time, the doors were inset with chicken wire, so anything on the shelves would be on full view. Pierce and Ward changed the open wire to solid caning to help create a sophisticated neutral backdrop for the room. This way, Roberts can continue collecting all the mismatched paperbacks she likes without the pressure to style them in any way. On nearby open shelves, many of her prized vintage editions are on display, amplifying the feeling of coziness and adding to the literary atmosphere.
It’s clear a reader lives here. Roberts and her best friend Karah Preiss have run the beloved Belletrist book club since 2017, and two years later, the two started Belletrist Productions, which has produced two television shows so far (First Kill on Netflix, and Tell Me Lies on Hulu). In this role, Roberts is often reading several books at once.
Rhodes has his own mini library in his room, in addition to his first “big boy bed.” The ceiling is covered in a Mulberry Home wallpaper depicting flying ducks because, Roberts explains, “I remember as a kid, whatever’s on your wall and your ceiling is seared into your brain for the rest of your life. So I wanted to make it extra cozy and fun, but not too overwhelming.”
Roberts calls the primary bath her “happy place.” It’s where her son gets ready for bed and, later, where she likes to soak with a book. Right now, she’s reading an advanced copy of The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, which comes out in July. Roberts recently finished The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis, which she recommends wholeheartedly, and After Henry, a 1992 collection of essays by her literary hero Joan Didion, which she bought on Etsy from Womb House Books. This was the last book by Didion on Roberts’s list—she was saving it, because she didn’t want to have read all of her books. Next to the tub stands a bar cart that the design team cleverly repurposed to hold Roberts’s favorite candles and bath salts, as well as Rhodes’s bath toys.
The kitchen, where Roberts makes French toast for Rhodes many mornings, is another favorite area. She recalls feeling that something about the room wasn’t quite right, and the design team told her it needed an island. Roberts was on the fence but now loves the addition. “It’s a game changer,” she admits. “It’s completely changed how we live in the kitchen. It’s just so much easier to cook and so much easier to sit.” When she saw the island, she asked if it was custom-made. Pierce and Ward began laughing and revealed that it was actually a ready-made piece from Urban Outfitters. Roberts recalls them saying proudly, “High-low, baby!”
That open-minded approach has resulted in rooms that look to the past for inspiration while also making plenty of space for living in the moment. Things feel luxurious, but never precious. “A room is never done,” Ward says. “You need to breathe new life into spaces all the time.” So, even though the collaboration between Roberts and Pierce & Ward is complete for now, the design allows for change and growth.
Hanging on a wall of the formal living room is a 1968 Julian Wasser portrait of Didion—the iconic shot of her in front of her Corvette Stingray with a cigarette dangling between her fingers. The photo—one of Roberts’s most treasured possessions—was a gift from her manager David Sweeney, who has worked with her since she was nine years old. It makes sense that this photo would make its way into Roberts’s new home—Didion evokes Hollywood literary glamour in the same way Pierce & Ward’s design does. Here, history and beauty coexist and evolve as Roberts and Rhodes continue to write new stories.
Emma Roberts and Prince Johann George V in an intimate video. When reached for comments their agents didn’t respond to questions and said that it was a relationship of one year and five months and that someone leaked the video.