LOVE YOUR WORK

WRITER-PRODUCER MARA BROCK AKIL'S GORGEOUS CONTEMPORARY OFFICE IN LOS ANGELES IS A CREATIVE HUB FOR WORK AND PLAY, AND THE IDEAL BACKDROP FOR AN INTIMATE DINNER PREPARED BY ANOTHER WEST ADAMS NEIGHBORHOOD STAR, CHEF KEITH CORBIN.

- CHRISTINE LENNON

Mara Brock Akil likes to say that her office in historic West Adams reminds her of a Phyllis Hyman song. Assured, feminine, and suede smooth-it's easy to see the parallels between the classic R&B singer's sultry voice and lyrics and Brock Akil's modern, mood-lit writer's den. Built around a small courtyard, with ample garden space and lounge areas, and designed in collaboration with Night Palm interior design studio founder Tiffany Howell, it's a fresh take on Hollywood glamour. And thanks to two fully stocked kitchens, it's the ultimate spot to host what Brock Akil likes to call her "Muse Dinners," gatherings of creative minds and open hearts around a table filled with nourishing food.

"For most of my career, I'd eat out of Styrofoam and plastic containers for lunch, like everybody else," says Brock Akil, who created the television shows Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane, and The Game. "I can't do that anymore. Food has to be on a plate now. I'm treating myself like a human being. And human beings are capable of creating great bodies of work. My office comes from a core belief. I'm supposed to be doing my best work in this space. So, I started by asking, 'What is inspiring to me?""

The first answer to that inspiration question is easy: location. Brock Akil grew up visiting with her grandmother's friends around Los Angeles' West Adams neighborhood, and has positive, happy memories of the community.

"This street was so familiar to me," she says. "I was born in Compton and my grandparents settled in Baldwin Vista, so this feels like coming home. I like being one of the first creatives here on the block. I know it's changing and there are politics around the developers coming in. But I'm here. I'm claiming this space."