Coldwater Project by Nina Takesh
Reviving a mid-century Beverly Hills residence that frequently hosted Hollywood soirées, Nina Takesh layers its legacy with a richly crafted material tapestry.
Once home to Leslie H. Martinson, the director of the original Batman, the Los Angeles-based interior designer, Nina Takesh, honoured this single-storey residence’s adeptness at hosting gatherings while simultaneously creating intimate settings that relish private retreat.
Art Deco Curvature
Prioritising Coldwater Canyon’s early classic Californian architectural integrity, new foundational elements including extensive marble finishes and fine hardwoods were enhanced by Bankston hardware. Weaving spaces together via the Art Deco-inspired curves of pieces from Bankston’s Hemispheres Collection, designed in collaboration with the Brooklyn-based studio, Civilian, they rhythmically complement the home’s arched entry points. “Bankston hardware was selected for the way each piece feels designed, not just finished. The forms are sculptural and substantial, bringing a sense of weight and intention to the architecture while remaining timeless,” adds Takesh.
Graceful Endurance
Exquisitely crafted organic materials settle across rooms–from expressive marble surfaces plus white oak herringbone flooring, to soft cashmere and mohair furnishings–enriching the home’s original character. “We wanted living finishes…things that really elevate a space,” adds Takesh, who styled the rooms with pieces from her bespoke furniture range.
Tactile hardware enhances this sophisticated sense of cohesion. Takesh selected H01 Levers, H04 Pulls and H05 Robe Hooks to adorn joinery cupboard and cabinet fronts, plus internal doors in two finishes. They include the silken shimmer of Smooth Nickel, plus creamy Bone that complements the home’s Roman clay wall surfaces.
Theatrical Flourish
Demonstrating the interchangeable nature of the Bankston x Civilian Collection, the carefully proportioned domed knobs that fit snugly inside the hand can be customised amongst all ten of the collection’s pieces. Takesh mixed both the offered materials amongst rooms: rich American Walnut timber and coveted Portoro Gold marble, characterised by its deep noir base flecked with dramatic liquid gold veins.
Rather than standing apart, Bankston’s hardware becomes part of the architecture itself, elevating doors and joinery into moments of design that feel considered, enduring, and quietly striking.
- Nina Takesh
Poised Presence
The parallel linear accents of the kitchen’s cupboard Pulls add a decorative, weightless touch. Available in two lengths, beyond kitchen settings they are also ideal for joinery and wardrobe fronts and can also be installed horizontally. Given their grip point behind compact domes, the Robe Hooks (used here for cabinet pulls) perhaps perform the most versatile role in the collection given their suitability across a wide range of applications upon drawers and cupboard fronts.
One especially poetic moment involves the handle adorning a secret door. Given its Smooth Nickel finish and open-frame lever sitting upon an elongated oval backplate, it accents a dimly lit, forested custom wallpapered alcove adjoining the re-designed bar area with an air of bucolic escapism.
“Bankston’s presence throughout the project underscores the belief that true design excellence is found not only in what is seen, but in what is felt, touched, and experienced every day.” – Nina Takesh
