The product names from her Schoolhouse collection—Pablo, Jacques, Yves, etc.—came to her after leafing through French art books.
Clare and Kneeland Co. owner Joanna Williams long ago bonded over their half-Mexican heritage, so when she spots a small treasure from Mexico at Williams's shop in L.A., like the trio of plates over the sink, she has to scoop it up.
Quilt and Shams, Nickey Kehoe; Rug, Kneeland Co. x Temple Studio; Vase by Alex Stadler, Kneeland Co.; Side Table, Schoolhouse; Sconce and Tray, Schoolhouse x Clare V.; Paint (on walls), Farrow & Ball Pavilion Blue; Paint (on trim), Farrow & Ball Palm.
Left: Stool by Shane Gabier, Kneeland Co.; Towels, Nickey Kehoe; Paint (on walls), Farrow & Ball Pavilion Blue; Seminara Mask, Trame; Rug, Schoolhouse x Clare V. Above right: Sconce, Schoolhouse x Clare V.; Painting by Françoise Vivier Nicolaÿ. Below right: Hand Towel, Nickey Kehoe; Tray, Schoolhouse x Clare V.
Top: IKEA Besta Nightstand Frames, Fronteriors; Mirror and Lamp, Schoolhouse x Clare V.; Duvet Cover, Solid Pillowcases, and Striped Pillowcases, Piglet in Bed; Paint, Farrow & Ball Calamine; Curtains, Nordic Knots. Above: Credenza by USM, Design Within Reach; Tray, Schoolhouse x Clare V.
Top left: Tea Towels, Heather Taylor Home; Pendant Lamps, Schoolhouse; Paint (on cabinets), Farrow & Ball Pink Ground. Above: Pitcher by Sonia Boyajian; Bowl, Tureen, and Plate on Stand by Astier de Villatte, Nickey Kehoe; Glasses, Food52.
Left: IKEA Sektion Sideboard Frame, Fronteriors; Pillow, Pierce & Ward; Pot and Vase, Sonia Boyajian; Candleholders and Vase by Astier de Villatte, Nickey Kehoe; Dining Chairs and Pendant Lamp, Schoolhouse; Rug, Schoolhouse x Clare V.; Paint (on walls), Farrow & Ball Au Lait; Paint (on ceiling), Farrow & Ball All White; Paint (on trim), Farrow & Ball Joa’s White. Right: Vase by Astier de Villatte, Nickey Kehoe; Bust by Ginny Sims.
Coffee Table, Lawson-Fenning; Tiger Pillow and Green Tufted Pillow, Pierce & Ward; Sofa and Tray, Schoolhouse x Clare V.; Paint, Farrow & Ball London Stone.
Incense Holder by Shane Gabier, Kneeland Co.; Side Table by Danny Kaplan, Lawson-Fenning; Tray and Mirrors, Schoolhouse x Clare V.
Vintage Lamp, Slipper Chair and Ottoman, Round Pillow and Square Pillow, Pierce & Ward; Sofa, Ottoman, and Tray, Schoolhouse x Clare V.; Paint (on walls), Farrow & Ball Au Lait; Paint (on ceiling), All White; Paint (on trim), Joa’s White.
You’d never know Clare is a relatively new plant mom by looking at her thriving greenery. Her care routine goes beyond watering: “They really like it when I check on them and touch their leaves,” she says. “It’s wild.” The round mirrors sandwiching the mantel, also Schoolhouse pieces, were inspired by the puffy, twisted handles of a Clare V. bag, and come in Clare’s go-to shade of red.
Clare had one surprising sticking point when designing her Schoolhouse sofa: the number of cushions. “It was really important to me that we did three,” she says. “To me, it’s a little more French; it ages better.”
With two-plus decades under her belt, you’d assume this is the designer’s forever home, but Clare is not so sure. “Oh, I would move,” she’s quick to admit. It has nothing to do with the place itself, but rather getting bitten by the age-old real-estate bug. Four years ago, the couple bought a holiday house in Thierry’s hometown of Saint-Calais, France, and they’ve been collecting furniture for it ever since—slow and steady, just the way they like it. “I think one day it might be in the cards,” Clare says, contemplating the idea of selling the family’s West Coast home base and downsizing. “But then, it’s hard to get any better than something you love.” And that’s one thing that will never change.
In the dining room, the paneling called for a glow-up, quite literally. Out went the old dark brown hue in favor of a soft white called Au Lait, a cheerier match for the sunlight always filtering in. When guests are stuffed from Clare’s Sunday chicken roast, they need only take a few steps to find a place to park themselves—there’s a chaise in the corner with arms you can adjust so it lays totally flat. She has held on to the modular design since she snagged it at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire while she was living in the Bay Area. “We’ve accumulated so many different things from different periods, and not many have lasted this entire time,” she shares, but this piece has defied the odds.
It’s also very French to have all your glasses out in the kitchen, so naturally she took the doors off some of the uppers. The reconfigured cabinets got a coat of Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground in high gloss, as did the trimwork. And the backsplash. And the walls. Clare loved the color-drenching effect so much that she took the same approach in her bedroom, this time with a matte version of Calamine. “The space had to have that sanctuary feeling, and that’s what this color was for me,” she says.
Other Schoolhouse creations have found their way into a guest bathroom, from a lacquered tray that corrals perfumes to a retro floor lamp that has effectively turned the tub into a reading nook for her bath-obsessed husband. “I think it’s a European thing; he takes one daily, so it was very important for him to have that,” says Clare.
The bedroom had to have that sanctuary feeling, and that’s what this color was
for me.
It’s hard to get any better than something you love.
Now empty nesters, the couple has taken stock of their home once again. Selling the green baby grand piano, a Vivier living room landmark, was heartbreaking, the designer admits, but also a bit of a relief: “It took up so much space, and it made it so we couldn’t enjoy sitting in there.” She filled the prime spot in front of the bay window with a sofa from her new Schoolhouse collaboration. The striking black and camel print, reminiscent of Clare V.’s best-selling Le Bateau tee, has a special place in her heart. “If we were doing upholstered furniture, there was definitely going to be a stripe!” she says. (More proof of Clare’s longtime pattern passion: her dreamy walk-in closet.)
Phase two of construction kicked off in 2013: turning said sunporch into a full bath, stealing part of a downstairs bathroom for a laundry area, and breaking into uncharted territory—the attic. “That was a really fun part of the reno,” recalls Clare. Sure, it was a bare-bones, unused crawl space, but as the couple peered through the ceiling hatch, they only saw opportunity for another guest bedroom.
As for Clare’s sewing machine and desk? Before she took operations out of the house for good, they found a temporary spot in the den, home to the designer’s library of novels and art books. Of all her titles, Clare finds herself rereading Donna Tart’s Goldfinch, a fitting favorite for an avid collector (she also can’t resist hand-embroidered linens or a good vintage French poster). Plus it has deep personal meaning: “It was the last book my dad and I read and talked about before he passed away.”
As their lives have changed, the house has followed suit. They flipped the direction of the staircase, refinished floors, painted (and repainted) millwork, and turned a desolate backyard into an entertaining zone—and that was all back in 2001 and 2002 when they first bought the property. “It felt like we were living in dust for a full year,” Clare reflects, but her son and stepson had spacious bedrooms, the garden was thriving, and they got a real taste of Southern California living when they added French doors leading to the patio. “It was the best thing we’ve done to the house. We spend most of our time in the kitchen with the doors open,” she says. Eventually, though, her business started to outgrow the sunporch that had served as her headquarters.
Clare Vivier
almost can’t believe it’s been 23 years since she and her husband, Thierry, bought their Los Angeles home. “Who lives in a house that long?” she jokes. The Clare V. founder and fledgling homewares designer (her first collection for Schoolhouse launches this month) credits it to being on the cusp of Echo Park and Silver Lake, two creative hubs, and the fact that when you’re inside the 1905 Craftsman, it’s so peaceful that you don’t realize you’re that close to Sunset Boulevard. “I can even walk to my store,” she points out.
Two decades on, fashion designer Clare Vivier’s longtime Los Angeles Craftsman is still an ever-evolving project.
(and a Long Time)
Here for a
Go
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Frank Rothenberg
WORDS BY Lydia Geisel
STYLING BY Kate Berry
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The Paris Disc Pillow, Pierce & Ward
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Checkered Incense Holder, Kneeland Co.
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Arthur Side Table by Danny Kaplan, Lawson-Fenning
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Fernand Circle Mirror,
Schoolhouse x Clare V.
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Au Lait Paint, Farrow & Ball
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Balustre Candleholder by Astier de Villatte, Nickey Kehoe
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California Bloomin Vase, Sonia Boyajian
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TON 811 Caned Chair, Schoolhouse
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Calamine Paint, Farrow & Ball
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Sonia Rectangle Lacquer Tray, Schoolhouse x Clare V.
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USM Haller Credenza, DWR
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Sandstone Red Striped Linen Pillowcases, Piglet in Bed
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The vintage art posters that hang over her sweater-filled credenza are two of many peppered throughout the house. She has found most of them in bookstores in France, her eyes always peeled for Galerie Maeght prints promoting the work of artists like Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, and Marc Chagall.
Time
od
Good
The Paris Disc Pillow, Pierce & Ward
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The Paris Disc Pillow, Pierce & Ward
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Fernand Circle Mirror,
Schoolhouse x Clare V.
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Arthur Side Table by Danny Kaplan, Lawson-Fenning
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Fernand Circle Mirror,
Schoolhouse x Clare V.
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The Paris Disc Pillow, Pierce & Ward
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Checkered Incense Holder, Kneeland Co.
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California Bloomin Vase, Sonia Boyajian
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TON 811 Caned Chair, Schoolhouse
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Au Lait, Farrow & Ball
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Balustre Candle Holder by Astier De Villatte, Nickey Kehoe
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Hair and Makeup by Carla Perez