SM22_EmilyWard

Photography by SETH SMOOT Words by SAMANTHA WEISS-HILLS Styling by KENDRA SMOOT

rowing up in Laguna Beach, Emily Ward spent a lot of time in the back seat of a minivan. There was always something to look at, she says, of California, of America—flowers, mountains, horizons. And that’s true of much of the country

rowing up in Laguna Beach, Emily Ward (one half of the Los Angeles–based interior design firm Pierce & Ward) spent a lot of time in the back seat of a minivan. There was always something to look at, she says, of California, of

from a window, in any season. Highways trimmed in miles of dried, ochre-colored grass. Fragrant eucalyptus dancing about in the last of the day’s sun. Leggy cypress dotting the coastline. Groves of wild blackberry bushes brimming with fruit.

America—flowers, mountains, horizons. And that’s true of  much of the country from a window, in any season. Highways trimmed in miles of dried, ochre-colored grass. Fragrant eucalyptus dancing about in the last of the day’s sun. Leggy cypress dotting the coastline. Groves of wild blackberry bushes brimming with fruit.

A RH Belgian track-arm sofa, cozied up with throw pillows from Pierce & Ward, and vintage armchairs huddle around a custom ottoman in the family room.

Snapshots like these have stayed with Ward throughout her life, inspiring her as one half of the duo behind Los Angeles–based interior design firm Pierce & Ward; she and business partner Louisa Pierce have designed the homes of Dakota Johnson, Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Josh Brolin, among others. “I mean, look at the color of my bedspread!” she says with a laugh, referring to her cream-and-khaki duvet and sepia-tone pillowcases. But of all the locations she has seen from a car window, she’s particularly drawn to the earthy palette of Northern California. Beyond those make-your-heart-stop vistas, the locale has a poignant pull on Ward: It’s where she spent her college years, a time in her life marked by her mother’s passing. After the loss, she spent days driving around the area of Mount Tam, just processing. “That dramatic landscape and beauty always made me feel so in touch with my mom,” she remembers. “It’s such an emotional place for me.” The region was also a destination that Ward and her partner, actor Giovanni Ribisi—whom she met in Los Angeles, and soon after hired her firm to design his house—returned to again and again at the beginning of their relationship; they dreamed of owning a home there. So began a three-year, on-and-off search for a retreat further north for their family, which now includes twins Maude and Enzo, plus Buster Brown, their chocolate Lab.

Snapshots like these have stayed with Ward throughout her life and inspire her work with business partner Louisa Pierce, with whom she has designed the homes of Dakota Johnson, Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Josh Brolin, among others. “I mean, look at the color of my bedspread!” she says with a laugh, referring to her cream-and-khaki duvet and sepia-tone pillowcases. But of all the locations she has seen from a car window, she’s particularly drawn to the earthy palette of Northern California. Beyond those make-your-heart-stop vistas, the locale has a poignant pull on Ward: It’s where she spent her college years, a time in her life marked by her mother’s passing. After the loss, she spent days driving around the area of Mount Tam, just processing. “That dramatic landscape and beauty always made me feel so in touch with my mom,” she remembers. “It’s such an emotional place  for me.” The region was also a destination that Ward and her partner, actor Giovanni Ribisi—whom she met in Los Angeles, and soon after her firm was hired to design his house—returned to again and again at the beginning of their relationship; they dreamed of owning a home there. So began a three-year, on-and-off search for a retreat further north for their family, which now includes twins Maude and Enzo, plus Buster Brown, their chocolate Lab.

Above, a mirror that hangs over a vintage cabinet from Wertz Brothers Furniture reflects a Harmony Korine painting. The cabinet is also home to a lamp from Pierce & Ward. To the right, a Crate & Barrel wicker table lamp tucks into an art-filled corner of the family room.

Above, a Harmony Korine painting is reflected in the mirror above a vintage cabinet from Wertz Brothers Furniture that’s home to a vintage mirror and lamp from Pierce & Ward. To the right, a Crate & Barrel wicker table lamp tucks into an art-filled corner of the family room.

In the living room, natural light pours through bamboo shades from Hunter Douglas, illuminating a vintage coffee table from Pierce & Ward and a Nickey Kehoe vintage armchair. Above the fireplace leans a painting by Serge Serum; a vintage Dot planter from Galerie Baruch basks in the sun off to the left.

Fast-forward to May 2020, the height of the pandemic’s first wave. Ward’s sister had just given birth, which took Ward from L.A. proper to Laguna Beach for a period of time. “I wanted to help her, so I was holding her baby for hours while I was on Zillow,” she says of how she found the West Marin property, which backs up onto state parkland and has three separate structures: a main house, bunkhouse, and guesthouse. She was struck by its warm, rugged personality; the cluster of buildings had that ’60s West Coast vernacular that echoed the likes of Highway 1 mainstays Sea Ranch Lodge and Deetjens Inn. They always have family around, so the layout immediately appealed to her and Ribisi. “It was like, oh, my God, we can escape and everybody can come with us, and we’ll still have our own space,” she says. The next day, Ribisi hopped into his Airstream and tooled up the coast to see it in person. He was awestruck by the land, and when he saw how naturally illuminated the interiors were, he knew they had to have it.

Ward and Ribisi decided not to renovate many of the house’s spaces, including the kitchen. They simply hung a Noguchi Akari 55A ceiling lamp over the dining table and gave a few vintage stools a spot at the island.

—Emily Ward

The house moves and creaks, and it feels as if it’s alive, you know? Feels so good.”

“The house moves and creaks, and it feels as if it’s alive, like a tree, you know? Feels so good.”

The bunkhouse bathroom was one of the only parts of the property they renovated. Ward installed Clé’s zellige tile in Golden Henna and the Baywood exposed pipe shower by Signature Hardware.

The bunkhouse bathroom was one of the only parts of the property they renovated. Ward installed Clé Tile’s zellige tile in Golden Henna and the Baywood exposed pipe shower by Signature Hardware.

There is real poetry to the architecture—a verve and flow to its geometry, wavelike and meditative. It was something Ward didn’t want to fuss with much ahead of moving in. She and her partner both prefer to adapt to interiors instead of changing their—or the house’s—style. (“Giovanni and I joke that we were both so good at Tetris growing up that we know how to make everything work,” she says.) The main building was left as is. Just 10 feet away, gravel-filled terraces cascade from a space they did renovate: the two-bedroom bunkhouse, now home to perhaps the most inviting walk-in shower lined in honey-colored zellige tile. A spruced-up toolshed became Ribisi’s office, and the guesthouse, also untouched, is situated due west across the expansive lawn, where every night coyotes howl and play. Ward recounts that at 6 every morning, deer cross over and then later return to the woods (and there’s not a trace of them on the weekends). “It's like they’re going to work every day,” she marvels. The site’s quiet grandeur calls to mind something of a higher power for Ward. That feeling stems, perhaps, from the fact that the main house’s diminutive front door gives way to towering ceilings and expansive windows. Both features distribute light in an otherworldly way to the main level, a mélange of the kitchen, dining room, den, and a cozy living area (a family favorite for movies via projector), plus the couple’s bedroom and that of their children.

—Emily Ward

“I love my beautiful things...and before I was so obsessive about how it looked. Now it’s just so much more about how it functions for our family.”

An original spiral staircase leads to another bedroom, originally meant to be the primary suite; Ward and Ribisi gave it up (it’s for guests now) to be on the main level, closer to the twins. The walls throughout are clad in original redwood planks, which make Ward feel as if they’re inside a tree. “The house moves and creaks, and it feels as if it’s alive, you know?” she says. “Feels so good.” The layout has brought the designer around to the simplicity of smaller homes; all they really need, she muses, is “a place to cozy up and watch movies, a kitchen, and a table.” Wasted space is one of the main reasons they’re moving on from the larger floor plan of their Hollywood Hills house (and who wants to clean all of that, anyway?).

The bed frame in the couple’s bedroom, from Urban Outfitters, is finished in Nickey Kehoe bedding and flanked by vintage nightstands with Cleo table lamps from Crate & Barrel. Above, the guest room is nestled on the upper level, accessible by a spiral staircase.

Most of their furniture, objects, and art is used or vintage, or has been with them for years, save for a few larger pieces like sofas and beds. Even still, there’s nothing too precious. (See: Auggie, a beloved oversize teddy that traveled to the property on top of a trailer and holds court from the floor in the kids’ room. “He’s very important,” Ward explains.) The designer’s palette—rusty, ugly, and earthy, she says—suits the house, and comfort has become paramount since having children. A lot of people, she adds, refer to her look as high-low, but it’s really just about what she is drawn to: “It’s so nice to have warmth with texture rather than stuff.” Plus, with a dog running about and the region’s rainy coastal climate, a no-fuss mindset is almost required. “I love my beautiful things...and before I was so obsessive about how it looked,” she remembers. “Now it’s just so much more about how it functions for our family.” And to her, that makes it the happiest place in America—or on earth, really.

A vintage armchair holds court in the couple’s bedroom; the natural jute rug is from Rugs USA. To the right, a vintage bowl by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. that Ward found on 1stDibs and a painting by Vanessa Stockard complete the space.

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

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Auggie the bear is a beloved member of the family—a gift from Ribisi’s mother to the couple’s children. He rests happily under paintings by Ward’s business partner, Louisa Pierce, and a framed vintage Hermès scarf. The kids sleep in a toddler house bed that Ward sourced from Etsy and play atop an Australian sheepskin area rug from Overland. Clothes are kept in a Hampshire dresser from Crate & Kids. The space is lit by CB2’s Hakka conical rattan pendant lamp.

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Designer Emily Ward in her Marin County home. The rug and bench, atop floor tiles original to the property, are from Pierce & Ward.

Elise Small Deco Pillow

Les Indiennes ($66)

Belgian Track Arm Slipcovered Sofa

RH ($4,995)

Hampshire Dresser

Crate&kids ($799)

Hakka Conical Rattan Pendant Lamp

CB2 ($429)

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WEST MARIN—CA

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

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WEST MARIN—CA

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