’70s Hollywood Hills Retreat: 12 Hours of Sunlight Spotlight Art

This post examines how creative director Caroline Belhumeur and artist Chris Belhumeur transformed a 1970s Hollywood Hills house into a light-filled, art-driven retreat. The home blends Mediterranean charm with contemporary living.

This article highlights key architectural and design moves such as outdoor reconstruction, material strategy, art curation, and vintage-infused interiors. It also offers practical lessons for those seeking a balance of calm and playfulness.

Bringing 1970s Mediterranean Charm to Life

The property’s location near Griffith Park and its original Mediterranean features provided an ideal canvas: white stucco walls, broad eaves, and panoramic hill views. Caroline and Chris chose to enhance these qualities, focusing on amplifying light, landscape, and sightlines.

They preserved the home’s shape and scale while updating dated elements for modern living. Refreshed materials and thoughtful landscaping help connect indoor and outdoor spaces as one cohesive composition.

Backyard Reimagined: Walls, Pool and Planting

Although the house was move-in ready, the outdoor spaces needed a complete redesign. The team rebuilt the stucco perimeter, gave the pool cleaner lines, and added lush, drought-tolerant plants that blend with the surrounding hills.

These changes expanded the outdoor living area, enhanced privacy, and anchored the home in its landscape. The result is a yard with terraces and sweeping views, ideal for enjoying Southern California light.

Three Core Materials That Unify the Design

The project’s material strategy was simple: limit the palette and use it consistently inside and out. The Belhumeurs relied on three main materials to tie the spaces together.

Interior: Art, Vintage and ‘70s Italian Influences

Inside, the Belhumeurs used warm tones, rounded shapes, and vintage pieces to evoke a refined 1970s Italian feel. The mix is both nostalgic and contemporary.

Furniture was chosen to complement meaningful artworks. A DS-600 de Sede sofa anchors the living room, while paintings by Chris and his late father Roland Belhumeur provide visual focus.

The interiors blend family heirlooms, eBay finds, and travel treasures for a collected, lived-in atmosphere.

Living Room & Art Curation

In the living room, major furniture pieces are arranged to highlight both views and artworks. Ample negative space allows each object to stand out.

Layered lighting brings out texture and color. Vintage leather, brushed metal, and warm plaster walls interact with the art and natural light.

Design Lessons for Architects and Homeowners

As a practitioner with three decades in architecture and design, I see several takeaways from this project.

These lessons can apply broadly.

 
Here is the source article for this story: At a Creative Couple’s ’70s Hollywood Hills Retreat, 12 Hours of Sunlight Spotlight a Personal Art Collection