F22_MollyBaz_WORKING

Photography by Laure Joliet | Words by Julie Vadnal | Styling by Merisa Libbey

Photography by Laure Joliet | Words by Julie Vadnal | Styling by Kate Berry

Willett has future plans to design a built-in bed, but for now the couple created a cozy and serene space with neutral carpeting, oatmeal-colored bedding, and soft window coverings. A woodblock by Francis Schanz brings in a touch of nature.

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While fruit, cutting boards, and Baz’s beloved rotisserie are out in the open, a hidden refrigerator and sleek cabinets conceal clutter. “We didn’t want to look at a microwave,” she explains, so it resides (along with a wine fridge, backup appliances, and serving platters) in the pantry next to the bar.

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Molly Baz and Ben Willett’s East Los Angeles house serves up good meals, epic marble, and that sweet indoor-outdoor California lifestyle.

Molly Baz and  Ben Willett’s Altadena home serves up good meals, epic marble, and that sweet indoor/outdoor  California lifestyle.

And obviously, because they are who they are, there are plenty of places to eat, from the wiggly living room coffee table (another Willett creation) to a powder-coated metal table in the sunroom (same), to the official dining room (covered in mustard wallpaper, natch), to the backyard, which Willett drew up and filled with California native plants and a burl wood surface that’s a gathering place for their friends. All of it is proof that their house is a collaboration of the greatest kind. But mostly the home is so them. “There’s this really great symbiotic relationship that Molly and I have created here,” Willet says. “And it feels meant to be.”

Other designs went more smoothly, like the bar that sits next to their pantry, a Douglas Fir-paneled space that hides a wine fridge, and, as Ben says, “every single appliance under the sun.” Because clutter is really not their thing, an interior sliding door means that even when the pantry is open, you don’t have to see the flour mingling with the spices. And obviously, because they are who they are, there are plenty of places to eat, from the wiggly living room coffee table (another Willett creation) to a powder-coated metal table in the sunroom (same), to the official dining room (covered in mustard wallpaper, natch), to the backyard, which Willett drew up and filled with California native plants and a burl wood surface that’s a gathering place for their friends. All of it is proof that their house is a collaboration of the greatest kind. But mostly the home is so them. “There’s this really great symbiotic relationship that Molly and I have created here,” Willet says. “And it feels meant to be.”

But then there were the things they couldn’t control. For example, when they saw the 2” x 2” white corian sample of what would be their kitchen countertops, everything looked, to use a food term, peachy. But when the 10 foot slab arrived, “I remember my stomach dropping,” Baz says. They noticed smudges and specks that didn’t appear in the teeny example they’d seen—and so they had to pivot to Durat, a surface made with recycled plastics (and is recyclable, too).

And when the couple couldn’t find furniture that fit the laid-back SoCal feel, Willett made the missing pieces himself, like the round-corner credenza that greets guests upon arrival. Pinned above his workspace are the drawings of in-the-works or completed residential spaces and furniture he has designed. “Everything is so integrated in our house—our lives, the work that we’re doing—and it has really given me the opportunity to share what I do with our community and our friends,” says Willett. In the same way you can close your eyes and know you’re tasting a Molly Baz dish (it’s a little acidic, a little fatty, and insanely delicious), Willett’s furniture is instantly recognizable for its clean lines, unfussy details, and—thanks to Baz’s influence—sometimes healthy dose of color, such as the blueberry sofa in their breezy living room.

And when the pair couldn’t find furniture that fit their laid-back SoCal feel, Willett made the missing pieces himself, like the rounded-corner credenza that greets guests upon arrival. Tacked above his workspace’s Donald Judd–inspired desk (yes, of his own design) are the beginnings of in-the-works tables and chairs. “Everything is so integrated in our house—our lives, the work that we're doing—and it's really given me the opportunity to share what I do with our community and our friends,” Willett says. In the same way you can close your eyes and know you’re tasting a Molly Baz dish (it’s a little acidic, a little fatty, and insanely delicious), Willet’s furniture is instantly recognizable for it’s clean lines, unfussy details, and, thanks to Baz’s influence, sometimes a healthy dose of color, like the blueberry sofa in their breezy living room.

“Our dream has always been to have a house that feels like an open door,” says Baz. “There’s a big kitchen that then spills out into our living room, and people feel welcome to come in and know that they can hang, we can work, and there’s always food. It’s a very communal vibe.” For creators such as Baz and Willett, it’s hard to know where work ends and life begins, and their three-bedroom home reflects that ambiguity. To outfit her kitchen as the ultimate office, Baz fashioned it like the set of a cooking show (because, well, sometimes it is the set of a cooking show), with a spacious island for prepping; soft-on-the-feet cork floors; appliances color-matched to the buttery paint shade; and, nestled in the Scandi cabinets, a rotisserie that she’ll often use to lure friends in with the smell of schmaltz-y rotating chickens.

“Our dream has always been to have a house that feels like an open door,” Baz says. “There’s a big kitchen that then spills out into our living room, and people feel welcome to come in and know that they can hang, we can work, and there's always food. It's a very communal vibe.”  For creators like Baz and Willett, it’s hard to know where work ends and life begins, and their three-bedroom home reflects that ambiguity. To outfit her kitchen as the ultimate office, Baz fashioned it like the set of a cooking show (because, well, sometimes it is the set of a cooking show), with a spacious island for prepping, soft-on-the-feet cork floors, appliances color-matched to the buttery paint shade, and, nestled in the Scandi cabinets, a rotisserie, which she’ll often use to lure friends in with the smell of schmaltzy rotating chickens.

There to help interpret? Her husband, creative director and spatial designer Ben Willett, who drew up their big dreams and helped bring them to life alongside designer Leah Ring of Another Human. When Baz and Willett left Brooklyn and bought the East Los Angeles home in 2020, it was mid-flip—so naturally they flopped, halting the building process to take the ranch from dark and dated to open-format and warm. On the menu: A mid-century-inspired, California-cool space where Baz could cook up her second book with her team during the day, while Willett, headphones on, takes to his office to work on projects for the likes of The North Face, Nike, and Yeezy Gap, along with his newly launched venture, WILLETTSPACE, a spatial design and furniture studio.

There to help interpret? Her husband, creative director and furniture designer Ben Willett, who drew up their big dreams and helped bring them to life alongside Leah Ring of Another Human. When Baz and Willett left Brooklyn and bought the Altadena home in 2020, it was mid-flip—so naturally, they flopped, halting the building process to take the ranch from dark and dated to open and airy. On the menu: A mid century-inspired, California-cool space where Baz could cook with her team during the day while Willett, headphones on, takes to his office to work on projects for the likes of The North Face, Nike, and GAP x Yeezy.

our friends.”

“Everything is so integrated in our house—our lives, the work that we're doing—and it's really given me the opportunity to share what I do with our community and our friends.”  —Ben Willett

When food personality and cookbook author Molly Baz talks about design, she can’t help but use food-speak. Her kitchen, where she films her live once a month (with recipes from her best-selling 2021 manual, ), isn’t just painted in Benjamin Moore’s Good Vibrations—to Baz, it’s butter yellow. The primary bathroom, swathed in pale green onyx with burnt toast veining, for instance, is the Cae Sal bathroom, an #IYKYK abbreviation for her favorite dish of all time, Caesar salad. A powder room has a floor that resembles prosciutto (actually it’s marble). “I synthesize most things through food,” she explains. “That’s my love language.”

When cookbook author Molly Baz talks about design, she can’t help but use food speak. Her kitchen, where she films her “Cook This Show” YouTube videos (based on her bestselling 2021 manual, Cook This Book) isn’t just Benjamin Moore’s Good Vibrations—to Baz, it’s butter yellow. The primary bathroom, swathed in pale green onyx with burnt toast veining, for instance, is the Cae Sal bathroom, an #IYKYK abbreviation for her favorite dish of all time, caesar salad. Another powder room has a floor that resembles prosciutto (actually, it’s marble). “I synthesize most things through food,” she explains. “That’s my love language.”

01/02

Great Taste

taste

great

01/02

—Ben Willett

“Everything is so integrated

in our house—our lives, the

work that we’re doing—and

it's really given me the

opportunity to share what I

do with our community and

Credits

This image: Windows and Door, Jeld-Wen. Above: Vintage Armchairs; Custom Sofa upholstered in Phlox Fabric by Raf Simons, Kvadrat; Art and Custom Coffee Table by Ben Willett, Willett Space; Dimple Sconces, RBW; Falcon Quarry Tile, Summitville; Vintage Pyramid Vase, NFS; Marble Art Bowl by Sergio Asti for Up & Up, Den.

Credits

Good Vibrations Paint, Benjamin Moore; High Chair K65 by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finnish Design Shop; Color Wheel Classic Tile, Daltile; Custom Basis Kitchen Doors and Drawers, Reform; Custom Latis Linear Pendant Lamp and Chip Sconce, RBW; Simple Wood Utility Canister, Hawkins New York; Hammer Grinder, +COOP, 48" Gas Pro-Range, Dacor.

Credits

Double Vanity Rounded Rectangle Brass Mirror, Rejuvenation; Custom Vanity by Pacifica Wholesale Tile & Stone in Miele Onyx, Marble Unlimited; Clover Ball Vase by BZippy, Lawson-Fenning.

Credits

Akari 40XP Pendant Lamp, Noguchi; Custom Dining Table, Waka Waka; Rug, Zouzou Rugs; Wiggle Side Chair by Frank Gehry, Vitra; Tube Wide Saucer and Oval Scallop Vase by BZippy, Lawson-Fenning; Modernist Marble Bowls, +COOP; Kumamoto Grasscloth Wallpaper by Phillipe Romano Naturals, Designer Wallcoverings; Bamboo Room Divider, Lichen.

Credits

Miele Onyx Countertop, Marble Unlimited; Custom Cabinetry, Taidgh O’Neill Design; Travertine Dish by Fratelli Mannelli, Den.

Credits

Rounded Rectangle Brass Mirror, Rejuvenation; Rotary Light Dimmer, Forbes & Lomax; Custom Credenza by Ben Willett, Willett Space; Italian Marble Nutcracker, Den; Vintage Wood Sculpture, NFS; Totem Eye Vase by Olivia Cognet, Merchant Modern.

02/02

Credits

Vintage Ottoman and Armchair; Vintage Pinewood Stool by Charlotte Perriand, 1stDibs; Porcelain Glazed Cylinder Planters, Plant Material.

Credits

Dining Table and Benches by Ben Willett and Matthew Philip Williams; Ball Bubble Pendant Lamp by George Nelson, DWR; Strøm Jug by Raawii, MoMA Design Store; Vinyl Tile, Armstrong Flooring.

Credits

Custom Desk by Ben Willett, Willett Space; Rug, Zouzou Rugs; Vintage Desk Organizer.

Credits

Underscore Rectangle Tub, Kohler; Jade Green Onyx Cladding, Marble Unlimited; Brice Ceramic Planter, Rejuvenation; Natural Hues Ceramic Tile, Daltile; Art by Ben Willett, Willett Space.

02/02

Credits

Crisp Sconces, RBW; Medicine Cabinet by Fresca, Houzz; Custom Vanity by Taidgh O’Neill Design in Jade Green Onyx, Marble Unlimited; Antique Brass Lavatory Faucet, California Faucets; Brice Ceramic Planter, Rejuvenation.

Credits

Right: Simply White Paint, Benjamin Moore; Vintage Nightstand; Rectangular Sconce by A19 Artisan Lighting, Etsy; Bedding, Parachute; Bond Street Rug, Stanton Carpet; Sonny Woodblock Assemblage by Francis Schanz and Pietrina Checcacci Petite Cast-Bronze Hand Sculpture, Den; Vintage Sculpture, Merchant Modern; Piñon Pine Object, Dan John Anderson. Below: Dog Days Outdoor Sofa and Lounge Chair, Blu Dot; Washable Linen Pillows, Lawson-Fenning; Vintage Coffee Table.

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High Chair K65 by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finnish Design Shop ($511)

Good Vibrations Paint, Benjamin Moore

Strøm Jug by Raawii, MoMA Design Store ($99)

Amber Dimple Sconce, RBW ($360)

Cook This Class

Cook This Book

Video by Ralph Blair Hair and Makeup by Jessie Yarborough Wardobe Styling by Joanie Del Santo

always food.”

know that they can hang,

like an open door...people

feel welcome to come in and

“Our dream has always been

to have a house that feels

—Molly Baz

we can work, and there’s

But then there were the things they couldn’t control. For example, when they saw the 2-by-2-inch white Corian sample of what would be their kitchen countertops, everything looked, to use a food term, peachy. When the 10-foot slab arrived, “I remember my stomach dropping,” says Baz. They noticed smudges and specks that didn’t appear in the teeny example they’d seen—and so they had to pivot to Durat, a surface made with recycled plastics (and is recyclable, too). Other designs went more smoothly, like the bar that sits next to their pantry, a Douglas fir–paneled space that hides a wine fridge and, as Willett says, “every single appliance under the sun.” Because clutter is really not their thing, an interior sliding door means that even when the pantry is open, they don’t have to see the flour mingling with the spices.

And obviously, because they are who they are, there are plenty of places to eat, from the three-legged living room coffee table (another Willett creation) to the powder-coated metal table in Baz’s studio sunroom (same) to the official dining room (covered in mustard wallpaper, natch) to the backyard, which Willett drew up and filled with California native plants and a burl-wood surface that’s a gathering spot for their friends. All of it is proof that their house is a collaboration of the greatest kind. But mostly the home is so them. “There’s this really great symbiotic relationship that Molly and I have created here,” Willett says. “And it feels meant to be.”

Credits

02/02

01/02

Expansion Pack

Seven designers and homeowners built structures to fill very specific voids, right in their own backyards.

A light-filled Northern California property was home at first sight for interior designer Emily Ward.

Homework

Two couples left busy New York City for a circa-1928, 14,000-square-foot school-turned-residence upstate.