Seller Story: Debbie Gruber, Los Angeles, CA
Match Made In Mail Room Heaven
“I met my husband in the mailroom of William Morris Agency. I was a literary agent and he was a talent agent. We both are born-and-raised New Yorkers, but we’ve had this home in Los Angeles for over 20 years.”
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
KitchenAid Artisan Series Yellow 5 Quart Stand Mixer With Accessories
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K Pearl Drop Earrings
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K Enameled Champagne Bottle Charm
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K Rectangular Drop Link Earrings
Little House In The Hamptons
“My father lived next door to his twin brother in the Hamptons in this perfect little beach shack. It felt like a boat on the water, complete with a view of the most amazing sunsets you’ve ever seen. Then when Hurricane Sandy hit, my little beach shack was swept away.”
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Elizabeth Lincoln for Rookwood Pottery Floral Design Ceramic Vase, 1930
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Grey Iron Casting Co. "Queen" Cast Iron Miniature Reproduction Toy Stove
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Walter Stomps Abstract Geometric Acrylic Painting "Galactic Border No. 1"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
18K White Sapphire Cluster Earrings
The Early Bird Gets The Chinoiserie
“I’ve been collecting since before I moved into my current home. I would wake up at dawn to go to every flea market in Los Angeles. While I’m not a designer by trade, I’ve decorated homes of friends, and have traveled to France to source some of my most treasured pieces. I met an English gentleman who took me through L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and various places in Provence where I started buying things. I took two containers back from France to my home in Los Angeles and in The Hamptons!”
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
English Cut Glass Decanters with Sterling Silver Rims and Decanter Tags, 1930s
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Dee Sudbury Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting Of Flower Field, Late 20th C.
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Mahogany-Stained X-Back Armchair, Manner of Barbara Barry
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
1950s Rhinestone Miriam Haskell Brooch
On Being A Modern Traditionalist
“My mother (an interior designer) is a modernist, so I grew up in a contemporary home, but now live in a 1937 traditional. It’s rare that someone my age has grown up in a contemporary home, so I’m sort of caught between having a modern sensibility but in so many ways am a traditionalist. My taste is eclectic that way.”
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Watson Sterling Baby Utensils with Floral Motif and Dog Portrait
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
18K Lattice Pendant Necklace
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
N. Ming Stylized Oil Portrait, 21st Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Jack Meanwell Abstract Oil Pastel Drawing, Late 20th Century
Where Does Hollywood Meet The Hamptons?
“I would like to consider myself a bit of a hipster, mixed with a conservative, preppy element. My fashion style reflects my design approach in that it’s a mix of traditional and modern. You know that scene in the movie Chinatown, ‘She’s my daughter, she’s my sister?’ It’s like that. A little bit of both.”
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Large Louis XV Style Painted Trumeau Mirror
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Fred Aris Serigraph After Paul Klee "Figure in the Garden"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Swedish Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta Glass "Feathers" Etched Glass Bowl
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Bernhardt Baroque Style Walnut-Stained and Rope-Carved Armchair
Her Favorite Finds
“I have two big paintings from Rachel Ashwell’s original Shabby Chic store. They feel so quintessential L.A. to me. I love those pieces. The French leather chair I brought back from France is one of my favorites – it’s from 1910 and is so classic and special.”
Room For Dogs
“Now you’ve touched on something very important. In my home, I have an entire room of dog art. I’m a dog lover, on the board of a local rescue group, and have been buying dog art at a New York auction that coincides with the Westminster Dog Show. I’m sort of obsessed with anything dog-related, so of course the dog etchings are really special to me.”
On Family-Friendly Interiors
“I entertain a ton. While I like to keep my house neat and beautiful, I believe every room, every dish, every piece of furniture should be used and loved by the entire family – including the dogs!”