Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills gets a makeover that pays homage to its murderous history

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On the first floor of the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, designer Oliver M. Furth has re-envisioned the reception hall with a ceiling of recycled plastic and steel tile flooring.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A detail of the ceiling of recycled plastic installed in the reception hall.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Furth chose furnishings and accessories that celebrate 21st century design, including pieces by Wendell Castle, Don Pollock, Eric Schmitt, Blackman Cruz, Ralph Pucci, Tanya Aguiniga and Adam Silverman.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Sara Story’s approach to the grand living room is inspired by artist Josef Albers’ exploration of color and geometry in his celebrated “Homage to the Square” series.

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The massive living room features groupings of furnishings and accessories from Maison Gerard, Dune, Paul McCobb, David Wiseman and Peter Lane, among others. It also includes a painting by Joseph Albers, which is on private loan.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Detail of a sideboard by Brooklyn ceramist Peter Lane. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A dining table by Los Angeles-based designer David Wiseman for R & Company.

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Side-by-side art installations stand at the entrance to the grand living room, designed by Sara Story. This one is designed to encourage reflection and looks into the other installation across from it.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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The look is painterly and ladylike, but the design of this salon hints at its dark history. “I wanted to acknowledge the murder-suicide that happened in this room,” says Chloe Warner of Redmond Aldrich Design. The custom wallpaper by De Gournay is alive with black crows.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Dark curtains, crow-inhabited custom wallpaper and funerial terrariums hint at the history in this salon, where oil heir and homeowner Ned Doheny and his secretary, Hugh Plunkett, were found dead. Otherwise, furnishings are simple, feminine and modern.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Plush vintage sofas in the day lounge designed by Patrick Dragonette offer a cozy place to congregate. “I want people to come in and relax,” he says.

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Porcelain figures by Lladro adorn the first floor modern lounge designed by Patrick Dragonette. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Sheep on wheels by Dragonette Private Label and a custom ping-pong table by Caesarstone add a sense of fun to a Patrick Dragonette-designed day room. Ombre wallpaper fades from black to gold leaf and features spiders and butterflies. “The gold gives the room a luminous quality,” Dragonette says.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A room off of the main hallway is envisioned by Consort Design as a convivial “saloon.” A custom bar table by Bananas and Hammocks emerges from the fireplace.

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The modern speak-easy by Consort Design turns windows into an Italian-modern-looking backdrop to a bar.

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Designer Jane Hallworth describes the dining room she decorated as an homage to the Doheny family. “I wanted the room to feel as though the family just left,” she says.

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In a nod to Greystone’s tragic past, Jane Hallworth blanketed this dining room with gothic bronze moths.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Playing off the dark vibe of Hallworth’s dining room next door, Cliff Fong created a light-filled breakfast room featuring hand-painted murals by Hattas Public Murals.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A round dining table from Galerie Half in the breakfast room. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Cliff Fong’s plant-filled solarium features a sofa, bench and armchairs by Bausman & Company and a chandelier from Liz’s Antique Hardware.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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On the second-floor landing, Timothy Corrigan creates a vibrant and playful living room with a Missoni rug, velvet fabrics and pink and gold accents.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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The ultra-feminine girls’ bedroom by Massucco Warner Miller features rose gold hand-painted peacock wallpaper by De Gournay and a hammered canopy bed by Made Goods. The bench is by Lee Industries.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A detail of the rose gold hand-painted peacock wallpaper by De Gournay. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Matisse-like walls and upholstery enliven a second-floor lounge. Designer Benjamin Vandiver describes the room as “an ode to decorator Billy Baldwin.”

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Beth Webb designed Mrs. Doheny’s bedroom as a “quiet, elegant refuge with sumptuous furnishings, luxurious fabrics and wallcoverings.”

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Mrs. Doheny’s desk looks out over the 18-acre site.

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Object d’art flower pots by Tommy Mitchell hang in Mr. Doheny’s Suite by Nina Campbell.

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Layers of color, texture and pattern highlight the Nina Campbell-designed bedroom suite for Mr. Doheny. The chaise longue is by O Henry House.

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A portrait of Mr. Doheny hangs in the contemporary bedroom suite designed with him in mind.

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Mr. Doheny’s bedroom suite includes wallpaper by Osborne & Little.

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A breakfast nook located inside Mr. Doheny’s Suite designed by Nina Campbell.

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Mrs. Doheny’s dressing room is outfitted with custom fabric drawer inserts by L.A. Closet Design.

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The closet in Mrs. Doheny’s dressing room features original wallpaper by Dorothy Draper, who designed the famous wallpaper for the Beverly Hills Hotel.

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The dressing room adjacent to Mrs. Doheny’s bedroom.

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Inside the closet of Mrs. Doheny’s dressing room.

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In the girls’ dressing room, an angora bench by Lee Industries disassembles to become multiple seats.

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Sconces beside a fireplace are by Lladro.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Kristen Buckingham re-imagines Mr. Doheny’s gun room as a modern day study for Mrs. Dohney. The walls of the room are lined with Indian Lotus by KB Textiles fabric.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Wallpaper by Farrow & Ball and antique nautical flags line the walls of the boy’s bedroom by Reath Design.

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Hand-painted leather panels in blue and white adorn the walls of a second-floor kitchen area where game once was prepared. The design is by Avo/Brit Kleinman.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

By Lisa BooneStaff Writer

Nov. 14, 2015 10 AM PT

No amount of Gustavian furniture, flamboyant wallpaper or Tony Duquette-inspired decor can mask the dark history that permeates Greystone Mansion.

And that’s what makes the Maison de Luxe Designer Show House, the latest designer makeover of the Beverly Hills estate, so much fun.

This year, instead of ignoring the mansion’s tragic past, several of the 23 designers use their decorating skills to acknowledge the Feb. 16, 1929, deaths of oil heir and homeowner Ned Doheny and his secretary, Hugh Plunkett. Authorities ruled that a deranged Plunkett shot his employer, then killed himself, but the crime remains a source of speculation.

The massive living room features groupings of furnishings and accessories from Maison Gerard, Dune, Paul McCobb, David Wiseman and Peter Lane, among others. It also includes a painting by Joseph Albers, which is on private loan.

In the dining room, Los Angeles-based designer Jane Hallworth pays homage to the Doheny family by wrapping dining chairs in black mourning bands and blanketing the room with gothic bronze moths.

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Down the hall in the first floor salon, designer Chloe Warner acknowledges the room’s grim back story — it was the scene of the crime — with sinister wallpaper detailed with black crows, dark curtains and funeral-appropriate terrariums.

But the show house is not just about death and decor.

Layers of color, texture and pattern highlight the Nina Campbell-designed bedroom suite for Mr. Doheny. The chaise longue is by O Henry House.

Look for newly released hand-painted leather tiles by Avo in the modern kitchen, as well as a custom ping-pong table made of Caesarstone in the Patrick Dragonette-designed lounge. In an effort to open up the small social salon, Consort Design has cleverly installed a colorful — and perfectly styled — Italian-modern bar in a large window. The estate’s massive living room has been a challenge for designers in the past, but Sara Story balances scale nicely by adding a contemplative art installation at the front of the room based on Josef Alber’s color theory. And then there’s the wallpaper — subtle, outrageous, elegant, outlandish — everywhere. If you’re looking for wallpaper ideas to steal, this is a good place to go for inspiration.

Playing off the dark vibe of Hallworth's dining room next door, Cliff Fong created a light-filled breakfast room featuring hand-painted murals by Hattas Public Murals.

Before they tour the 55-room estate, visitors may wonder if Greystone’s inherent intrigue is more compelling than the interior design on display. Fortunately, the latest show house resonates because it is blessed with both.

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