Photography: Jon Day

Southern Californian native Chet Callahan is at home in his turn of the (20th) century LA property. Together with Ghislaine Viñas, Chet has created the interior with the concept ‘envision a space that had been inhabited by the same person from the time it was built.’ So, while the structure is vintage, the home can evolve, grow, progress and incorporate some of what Chet calls LA’s “playfulness”.

Chet and dog Lewie enjoy convenient access with a built-in Gaggenau refrigerator-freezer.
Callahan’s own living room mixes the heritage of the home sleek, contemporary style
A view looking up to the first floor from the kitchen in Chet Callahan’s house
Yellow furnishings with wooden panelling in Chet Callahan’s house
Light green furnishings with white cupboards in Chet Callahan’s house
Callahan’s own living room mixes the heritage of the home sleek, contemporary style
Callahan’s own living room mixes the heritage of the home sleek, contemporary style
A view looking up to the first floor from the kitchen in Chet Callahan’s house
A view looking up to the first floor from the kitchen in Chet Callahan’s house
Yellow furnishings with wooden panelling in Chet Callahan’s house
Yellow furnishings with wooden panelling in Chet Callahan’s house
Light green furnishings with white cupboards in Chet Callahan’s house
Light green furnishings with white cupboards in Chet Callahan’s house
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As an architect, Chet has always used color and texture to help define the forms he designs. For his own, historical home, vintage elements and pieces are in evidence, but made contemporary with color and upholstery. “While we’re always trying to create something new and memorable that reflects the personalities of the current owners, we also want to reflect sort of what came before.” This is, ironically, best expressed in a completely new part of the house. “The kitchen, for example, became these very monolithic elements set within a kind of minimalist box to reflect the sort of, again, that kind of stature of the historic house.”

The kitchen is more integral to a modern lifestyle than in 1895, so a new space was created for cooking, entertaining and family get togethers. “I think that there isn’t one single perfect kitchen design. However, I think that, you know, within this kitchen, this was the perfect kitchen for this house, for these clients, which happens to be my husband and I.”

Callahan’s home kitchen keeps the outdoor lounge just steps away, ensuring Chet’s husband is never far from the conversation.

“My husband is very socially likes to entertain. And so, he wants to welcome people into the kitchen. He wants people to feel comfortable there. However, he doesn’t want anyone preparing the food except for himself. And so, there is this double island plan in the kitchen to allow lots of opportunities for people to approach the kitchen from either side. But there is an internal kind of galley that is only for him.”

Gaggenau 400 series Combi-steam oven and convection oven in Chet Callahan’s kitchen.
The exterior of Callahan’s home accentuates where the historical elements of the home meet the modern updates.

Chet and his husband Jacinto have renovated three properties and installed Gaggenau into each of them. Jacinto does the cooking and was convinced by the precision and quality of Gaggenau, going so far as to convert from gas to induction and for the combi-steam oven to emerge as his go-to, favorite appliance. “It’s really changed the way that we heat food and it makes reheated food taste as good as, and sometimes better than, the first time around.” The convection oven and the refrigerator behind cabinetry round off the list of Gaggenau appliances. As for the non-chef Chet, “I mean, my background, I come from a design background, so I just love the aesthetic of it, the simplicity of the look of it. I think a lot of designers choose Gaggenau.”

An exterior wide angle view of Chet Callahan’s home

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