comfort zone

A young family in LA enlists architect William Hefner and designer Jeremiah Brent to help them realize their own vision of home

- CATHERINE HONG

How many of us swore to ourselves that when we grew up, we wouldn't furnish our houses the same way our parents did? Call it a declaration of decorating independence-the inalienable right of each new generation to reject chintz, midcentury modern, or whatever furniture Mom and Dad picked out back in the day. Married couple Kevin and Nahal Danesh admit that for them, this is absolutely the case. Both born in Iran, as young children they immigrated with their respective families to Los Angeles, where they grew up in the area's Persian American Jewish community. They were introduced by mutual friends during their senior year of college (he was at UCLA, she was at USC), and, says Nahal, "we've basically been together ever since."

Later, as a married couple feathering their nest together, the two realized yet another important commonality. Nahal and Kevin say they had little interest in retreading the type of furnishings they both grew up with a look they affectionately describe as "very ornate," "very Louis XVI," "very gold-accented," and "very bring-it-from-Iran."

"No disrespect intended," laughs Kevin, an attorney, "but we did not want a home that looked like our parents'!" The houses they admired tended to have clean lines, natural wood, neutral palettes, and plenty of breathing room. "We loved the same kind of serene, modern houses," says Nahal, a dietitian. The more they looked, the more they realized they were drawn to the work of one architect in particular: Los Angeles-based William Hefner. "His homes feel beautiful and timeless," notes Nahal. "So we pursued him."

"We 1,000 percent stalked him," adds Kevin.