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Location: Laguna Beach, California 

Interior Designer: Kenneth Ussenko 

Construction Company: MWC Commercial General Contractors 

The historical Gucci Villa is a landmark residence nestled into the seaside city of Laguna Beach, California. Kenneth Ussenko states “before starting the design journey on this project, it was a pleasure to see some of the interior work of the original Gucci Watch designer that had influenced the decor and vision of this estate villa”. Due to the historical nature of this residence, the focus for this project was to carefully update and elevate the interiors into a contemporary vision of a classical painting.  

To achieve the design brief, the team had to take each room back down to the bare bones of the structural framing and rebuild from the core. From there they created layers of detailed classical and modern moldings for the canvas of the spaces to help outline the history patina of a bygone era. For the Duchess seating room, it was important to create a charming, yet sophisticated space for the homeowners to relax and socialise with family and friends. Linen and leather wallcoverings blanket the walls outlined and framed with wood and brass moldings. Ceilings plastered in a pearl patina reflect the crystal chandeliers above the new marble floors.  

The kitchen was a bespoke journey of great craftsmanship creating a radius line of cabinets that were finished in walnut, brass, antique mirror and sprinkled with gold dust. Key to this design is also the Gucci Bar Retreat, a petite gem of glitz and glamour. This space of texture and shape is created with undulating wood moldings, accompanied by a bespoke settee bench which faces a marvelous gold bar and bar-back. 

Due to the short timeline and covid-19, material was very hard to come by and the team had to manufacture some of their own tools to make the project work and move forward. The end result was completed on time and all of it was finished beautifully.