j-and-j-feb-2024-ceros

Photography by Aaron Bengochea

Styling by Randi Brookman Harris

Words by Julie Vadnal

L.A.

Jesse + Jonathon

We both came into [this house] thinking, How do we make it queer?”

Wiggle Stool by Vitra, 2Modern

Ceramic Table Lamp by Entler Studio, Coming Soon

Adriatic Muscatel Sage Candle, Flamingo Estate

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Left: Yoko Bed by Sarah Ellison, DWR; Ultra-Smooth Pure Silicone Lube by Goodparts, Urban Outfitters; 3 Globe Table Lamp by Entler Studio, Coming Soon. Right: Jaxx Marble Side Table, CB2.

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Under Hooks by Ferm Living, 2Modern; Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flamingo Estate; Melting Runner, Henry Holland.

Middle: Adriatic Muscatel Sage Candle, Flamingo Estate.

Left: Lipstick Mirror by Rodolfo Bonetto, Chairish. Right: Handmade Cigarette Sculptures, Jonathon Burford.

Dining Table, Willett Space; Taraxacum Suspension Lamp by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for FLOS, Lumens. Right: Pivot Door, Maiden Steel.

Top: Wiggle Stool by Vitra, 2Modern; Ceramic Table Lamp by Entler Studio, Coming Soon. Bottom left: Samsung Frame TV, Best Buy; Ekstrem Chair by Varrier, DWR. Right: Painting, Charles Derenne

Ekstrem Chair by Varier, DWR

Creative director Jonathon Burford and their interior-designer husband, Jesse Rudolph, bought a traditional home—then stamped it with their brand of vintage-heavy quirk.

Creative director Jonathon Burford and their interior-designer husband, Jesse Rudolph, fell in love with a traditional home in one of Los Angeles’s most delightfully diverse neighborhoods.

When we moved in and were buying things, I’d be like, ‘This is incredible. We have to get this,’ and Jesse would be like, ‘Yeah, it would be great…for your office,’

The outdoor space isn’t just a hang zone for their epic pool parties, where friends like Molly Baz or Andy Baraghani make the food while another one takes on DJ duties. It’s the final step in Burford’s manifestation of their Clueless dream, and they can’t imagine building their future together anywhere else. As if.

The outdoor space isn’t just where the couple hosts friends for epic pool parties where friends like Molly Baz or Andy Baraghani make the food and a friend takes on DJ duties. It’s the final step in Burford’s manifestation of their Clueless dream, and they can’t imagine building their future together anywhere else. As if.

Outside, a tile-lined pool acts as a hub for their collection of do-touch art, like the replica column chairs, a bust they found at an estate sale—“When we die, our estate sale is going to be sick,” Burford announces—and a set of three giant Styrofoam faces that look like they were pulled from the set of Legends of the Hidden Temple. Now that vines are growing over them, they could be mistaken for stone.

Outside, a tile-lined pool acts as the hub to their collection of interactive art, like the replica column chairs, a bust they found at an estate sale—“When we die, our estate sale is going to be sick,” Burford announces—and a set of three giant Styrofoam faces that look like they were pulled from the set of Legends of the Hidden Temple. Now that vines are growing over them, they could be mistaken for stone.

Burford’s large-format paintings, however, are on proud display in the common living spaces. “What is that phrase? If you can’t make a good painting, make a big painting,” they joke. In the kitchen, a still life playfully mimics the items on a shelf directly below it. In the bedroom, a minimalist sketch of galloping horses complements the space’s chill vibe. And they don’t just paint—their handmade ceramic cigarettes (perhaps an Oldenburg reference?) are coveted among L.A.’s artsy crowd.

That said, even the most open mind has its limits. All the Rudolph rejects from thrifting trips are confined to Burford’s office, an anything-goes room where their creativity comes alive. There’s a three-foot hoisin-sauce jar they found at a flea market (and sneakily bought while Rudolph was in the bathroom). Above an antique card catalog hangs a papier-mâché mask made by their 7-year-old neighbor, Savanna. (“It tends to be the one thing that art enthusiasts who come over say is their favorite,” Rudolph admits with a smile.) Then there’s the five-foot long Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia foot that Burford bought from @Form.as, a friend’s resale Instagram account.

But as any couple who has moved in together knows, arguing over accoutrements can be the stuff marriage counseling is made of. The pair, who met in line at an Intelligentsia Coffee and instantly bonded over being tall (Burford is 6-feet-6; Rudolph, 6-feet-4), agree that they almost always prefer vintage over new. But where Burford leans “artful sensationalism,” Rudolph prefers clean, calming moments that nod to nature. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. “We mix well because the things Jonathon likes are actually a quite nice juxtaposition to mine,” Rudolph says.

But as any couple who’s moved in together knows, arguing over accoutrements can be the stuff marriage counseling is made of. The pair, who met in line at an Intelligentsia Coffee and instantly bonded over being tall (Burford is 6-feet-6; Rudolph, 6-feet-4), agree that they almost always prefer vintage over new. But where Burford leans “artful sensationalism,” Rudolph prefers clean, calming moments that nod to nature. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. “We mix well because the things Jonathon likes are actually a quite nice juxtaposition to mine,” Rudolph says.

Despite its vibrant location, the home itself—which once belonged to a prominent Black judge who defiantly kept the racial covenant on his deed—leaned traditional. Burford explains: “We both came into it thinking, How do we make it queer?” They started by sanding down the original moldings to reveal the exposed wood. Next came adding cement board around the fireplace to streamline the look. Where there was once a clunky glass sliding door to the backyard, they brought in a pivot style inspired by their favorite art gallery, Blum and Poe, and The Row shop on Melrose. Then it was time to add furniture and art, or as they put it, “layer in our weirdness.” The two began with a base of cool-kid design reliables: a 10-foot Ligne Roset L-shaped sofa (a Craigslist find), a black leather Togo upstairs, a pipe-cleaner Ekstrem chair in the living room, a Samsung Frame TV, and a hideaway dining table by their friend Ben Willett. If you feel if just by reading that, you can close your eyes and picture their living room, sorry, but you can’t—it’s their mix of quirky-cool art that makes the space wholly un-memeable and all their own.

“You’ve seen Clueless, right?” Obviously. The question comes from Jonathon Burford (who uses they/them pronouns) before they excitedly launch into a recap of the scene when Cher takes Christian on a tour around her pool, showing off a giant-size cigarette sculpture by Claes Oldenburg (he’s way famous, by the way). “That shaped my point of view on design from a young age,” they say. “I just wanted to live with art.” So in 2020, Burford, a creative director, and their husband, Jesse Rudolph, one-half of interior design studio Ome Dezin, bought their three-bedroom Los Angeles home with a pool just like Cher’s in a delightfully diverse neighborhood. “I’ve never felt like I fit in anywhere, as a mixed person and a queer person,” they say. “It’s amazing that we found this neighborhood where everyone around us is different.”

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Under Hooks by Ferm Living (Set of 2), 2Modern

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Donna Floor Lamp, Schoolhouse

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Taraxacum Suspension Lamp by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for FLOS, Lumens

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Stagg EKG Electric Kettle, Fellow

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Jaxx Marble Side Table, CB2

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Gregg Outdoor Pendant Light by Foscarini, Lumens

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Lipstick Mirror by Rodolfo Bonetto, Chairish

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Yoko Bed by Sarah Ellison, DWR

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So it’s definitely where all my weird shit goes.”

Gregg Outdoor Pendant Light by Foscarini, Lumens; Roly Poly Armchair by Driade, 2Modern.

—Jonathon BurforD

That said, even the most open mind has its limits. All the Rudolph rejects from thrifting trips are confined to Burford’s office, an anything-goes room where their creativity comes alive. In one corner sits a 3-foot hoisin-sauce jar they found at a flea market (and sneakily bought while Rudolph was in the bathroom). Above an antique card catalog hangs a papier-mâché mask made by their 9-year-old neighbor, Savanna. (“It tends to be the one thing that art enthusiasts who come over say is their favorite,” Rudolph admits with a smile.) Then there’s the 5-foot-long Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia foot that Burford bought from @Form.as, a friend’s resale Instagram account.

“You’ve seen Clueless, right?” Obviously. The question comes from Jonathon Burford (who uses they/them pronouns) before they excitedly launch into a recap of the scene when Cher takes Christian on a tour around her pool, showing off a giant-size cigarette sculpture by Claes Oldenburg (he’s way famous, by the way). “That shaped my point of view on design from a young age,” they say. “I just wanted to live with art.” So in 2020, Burford, a creative director, and their husband, Jesse Rudolph, one-half of interior design studio Ome Dezin, bought their three-bedroom home with a pool just like Cher’s in a small but delightfully diverse two-by-four-block gated Los Angeles enclave. “I’ve never felt like I fit in anywhere, as a mixed person and a queer person,” they say. “It’s amazing that we found this neighborhood where everyone around us is different.”

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“You’ve seen Clueless, right?” Obviously.

The question comes from Jonathon Burford (who uses they/them pronouns) before they excitedly launch into a recap of the scene when Cher takes Christian on a tour around her pool, showing off a giant-size cigarette sculpture by Claes Oldenburg (he’s way famous, by the way). “That shaped my point of view on design from a young age,” they say. “I just wanted to live with art.” So in 2020, Burford, a creative director, and their husband, Jesse Rudolph, one-half of interior design studio Ome Dezin, bought their three-bedroom Los Angeles home with a pool just like Cher’s in a delightfully diverse neighborhood. “I’ve never felt like I fit in anywhere, as a mixed person and a queer person,” they say. “It’s amazing that we found this neighborhood where everyone around us is different.”