Santa Monica home of denim executive Jerome Dahan fuses style, art, toys

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The backyard swimming pool in the former home of Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner, built in 1913 and is located on a double lot in Santa Monica. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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The entrance to Jerome Dahan’s 1913 Mediterranean home in Santa Monica. Located on a serene tree-lined street, the nearly 5,300 square-foot home exudes an elegant and exotic feel. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Moroccan doors offer a warm greeting before entering the estate. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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In the entryway, color, pattern and art combine to dramatic effect. On the left, a drawing by Jean-Michel Basquiat and right, a painting by L.A.-based artist Sterling Ruby. Dahan installed the low cabinets underneath the painting to add balance to the foyer. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Text in an untitled drawing by Jean-Michel Basquiat is reflected in a mirrored tabletop in the entryway. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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In the living room, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s drawing, “Ribs Ribs,” shares the room with vintage furnishings: A pendant from a Paris flea market, Milo Baughman chairs from 1stdibs and a vintage rug from the 1920s. The modern couch is from Diva Furniture. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A Moroccan lamp from Casablanca hangs in the living room at Jerome Dahan’s 1913 Mediterranean home. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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In the living room, red walls and ceilings add drama to the furnishings and artworks from around the world. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A Moroccan door at Jerome Dahan’s 1913 home in Santa Monica. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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The newly remodeled kitchen features a center island, blue ceilings and graphic wall-coverings from Eskayel. The barstools are from Twentieth. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Dark blue Italian tile creates a backsplash in the kitchen. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A custom corner booth with orange hides is framed by “Galileo Glass” wallpaper from Brooklyn based design studio Eskayel. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Dahan’s pitbull Baloo enjoys one of the home’s several outdoor seating areas. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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The side yard offers a quiet place to reflect. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Dahan chose the blue wallpaper to reflect the warm tones of the pool. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Jerome Dahan poses on one of his Ducati motorcycles in the garage “museum” of his 1913 home in Santa Monica. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Jerome Dahan poses next to his 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing coupe inside the garage. It is one of only 1,400 made in the world. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A vintage pendant from Chinatown in San Francisco hangs in the hallway. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Dahan recovered a pair of vintage armchairs from the 1960s in blue velvet, now in the second-floor hallway of his home. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A vintage lamp adds another layer of color to the second-floor foyer. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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“Lead Plate With Hole” by Jean Michel Basquiat (1984) is reflected in a wall of mirrors on the second-floor foyer. Dahan installed a strip of red and white wallpaper to break up the solid red walls. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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In the master bedroom, dark gray wallpaper is framed by navy trim. The black painting above the bed is by New York-based artist Kaws. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A painting by Frank Stella hangs in the master bedroom. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A peek inside the Citizens of Humanity designer’s closet. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A sleek platform bed and two-tone walls create more space in one son’s bedroom. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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A red and white artwork by San Francisco painter and graffiti artist Barry McGee plays off the red and white wallpaper. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Detail of a Barry McGee artwork in the hallway of Jerome Dahan’s Santa Monica home. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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View of the ceiling lights, mirror and art in one of the rooms. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

By Lisa BooneStaff Writer

Nov. 29, 2014 4 AM PT

Citizens of Humanity founder Jerome Dahan may be one of the kings of luxury denim, but at home in Santa Monica, he cultivates his polychromatic side that’s influenced by his travels, regular flea-market visits and his love of 1960s and ‘70s design.

When Dahan purchased the 1913 house from Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow in 2006, the home had a pronounced Shabby Chic vibe. Today, the nearly 5,300-square-foot home exudes elegance and exoticism. Dahan has redecorated twice since then, furnishing the four-bedroom home with a mix of contemporary and vintage furnishings from 1st Dibs, international flea markets, Fat Chance and Modern One, among other sources.

Jerome Dahan poses on one of his Ducati motorcycles in the garage "museum" of his 1913 home in Santa Monica.

Dahan designs clothing for men and women, but many of his grown-up toys speak to his masculine side — he has dedicated two spaces in his home to the many motorcycles he races, not to mention a rare 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.

In the entryway, color, pattern and art combine to dramatic effect. On the left, a drawing by Jean-Michel Basquiat and right, a painting by L.A.-based artist Sterling Ruby. Dahan installed the low cabinets underneath the painting to add balance to the foyer.

But the interiors of the Santa Monica house are eye-catching — even feminine — as color, pattern and texture fuse with notable artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, graffiti artist Barry McGee, limited-edition toy designer Kaws, Los Angeles artist Sterling Ruby and photographer Douglas Kirkland. “Fashion and interior design go hand in hand,” Dahan says, “because they share color, texture and fabric.”

In the living room, Jean-Michel Basquiat's drawing, "Ribs Ribs," shares the room with vintage furnishings: A pendant from a Paris flea market, Milo Baughman chairs from 1stdibs and a vintage rug from the 1920s. The modern couch is from Diva Furniture.

All of these elements come together in the living room, where Dahan incorporates brick red walls with warm gold wallpaper, an antique Chinese Deco rug from the ‘20s and whimsical accessories from his travels. Curved armchairs by Milo Baughman from the 1970s and a modern couch from Diva Furniture in Los Angeles are arranged in front of an ornate fireplace. A vintage glass pendant that Dahan found at the Clignancourt flea market in Paris adds a delicate touch to a room dominated by Basquiat’s monumental drawing “Ribs Ribs.”

The newly remodeled kitchen features a center island, blue ceilings and graphic wall-coverings from Eskayel. The barstools are from Twentieth.

The kitchen, Dahan says, is where he spends most of his time. The sunny space is enhanced by the indigo Galileo Glass wallpaper from Brooklyn, N.Y., design studio Eskayel. Eschewing a formal dining room, Dahan dines at an oversized custom banquette that seats up to eight and offers a delightful blast of color with seats made from bright orange hides. The tabletop is glass, which sits atop bases from two 1970s Pierre Cardin brass tables.

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“It’s a good mix,” Dahan says.

The artworks are museum quality, yet they don’t overpower the interiors because of the strong graphic elements throughout the house. In the master bedroom, Dahan has mounted a colorful abstract painting by Frank Stella against a gray-and-white patterned wallpaper. In the second-floor foyer, red-and-white polka-dot wallpaper on one wall complements Basquiat’s “Lead Plate With Hole,” which, in turn, is reflected in a wall of mirrors — another 1970s touch. Other dramatic elements include vividly patterned rugs that add warmth and a slight hippie vibe to the interiors.

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Asked what draws him to Basquiat — three of his works are prominently on display — Dahan’s response hints at what makes the fanciful elements in his home work so well. “He’s like a child,” he says.

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