In The Colony, a tightly held enclave of the Hollywood Hills where mid-century homes make it through in unusual numbers, a 1960 residence by Whitney R. Smith brings the quiet authority of a structure that understood precisely what it wanted to be. Smith, a Case Research study Home designer and co-founder of Smith & Williams, belonged to the generation of Southern California modernists dealt with sawtooth ceilings and angular geometries as instruments for light, pulling it down into the volumes at measured periods. The quick handed to Ome Dezin was less a restoration than a settlement with that intelligence.
The studio recognized early that the architecture would lead, and that the real discipline lay in restraint. Restorations through the 1980s and 1990s had actually blurred the home’s initial reasoning, and the work became one of subtraction as much as addition. This required refining percentages, recovering flow, and withstanding the temptation to over-design a house. The custom spiral staircase, the ceiling heights, and the structural rhythm were maintained rather than reinterpreted.
< img src ="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/06/the-colony-ome-dezin-1-810x1080.jpg"alt=" A modern interior features a shiny white spiral staircase with red inner actions and wooden treads, set on a refined wood floor. "width="810"height ="1080"/ > A warm, grounded combination of rich woods, plaster, and tonal stone counterweights the sculptural drama of the architecture. The staircase, its curve solving in a bold red underside, becomes the space’s emphasize, a graphic gesture set versus otherwise calm surfaces. A large pivot door opens into a double-height foyer where gallery percentages and the sawtooth ceiling provide an intentional flood of daylight.
Ome Dezin wanted to Milan, and to Villa Necchi Campiglio in particular, Piero Portaluppi’s 1930s vacation home of lacquered surfaces, controlled high-end, and spaces that hold their composure under pressure. That sensibility surfaces in the color pairings and the low, structured furniture
sourced from Dusty Deco, Made by Choice, NO GA, and Kallemo.< img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/06/the-colony-ome-dezin-11-810x1080.jpg" alt= "A minimalist restroom with wood-paneled walls, a stone bath tub, a circular window, and a potted plant beside the tub."width= "810"height ="1080"/ > A shared bath in the 2nd wing dedicates fully to a lemony yellow, its copper accents and glass brick reading as period-correct mid-century optimism rather than pastiche. The primary suite, set under initial high ceilings with a loft-like openness, trades color for a minimalist composure, its bathroom framing a clean view of the hills above the vanity. Graphic works from Creative Art Partners punctuate the calm at intervals.
< img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/06/the-colony-ome-dezin-45-810x1013.jpg" alt="A contemporary living-room with a big potted tree, dark velour couches, a wood coffee table, a textured carpet, and two vibrant pictures on the wall." width="810" height="1013"/ > < img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/06/the-colony-ome-dezin-46-810x1013.jpg" alt="Dining area with a round black table, 4 wooden chairs, a modern-day pendant light, a fireplace, indoor plants, and big windows allowing natural light." width="810" height="1013"/ > < img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/06/the-colony-ome-dezin-9-810x1080.jpg" alt="A minimalist bed room with a single bed, brown geometric blanket, wood-paneled wall, small wall light, vase with flowers on a drifting rack, and abstract picture above the bed." width="810" height="1080"/ > < img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/06/the-colony-ome-dezin-19-810x1013.jpg" alt="A nicely made bed with a dark cover, a little wood side table with books and a vase of flowers, a wall-mounted lamp, and a picture painting on a cream-colored wall." width="810" height="1013"/ > To learn more about the studio behind the design, go to omedezin.com. Photography by Patrick Biller with styling by Lisa Rowe. < img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2021/11/leo-lei-200x200-1-100x100.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt =""/ > Leo Lei equates his passion for minimalism into his daily-updated blog Leibal. In addition, you can discover uniquely designed minimalist objects and furniture at the Leibal Store.