From reimagining a Fred Flintstone fireplace for YouTube star animator James Rallison, Irish interior designer Grania Murray was drawn into a whole new West Coast client circle.
Photography: Tim Hirschmann
The Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, nicknamed Media City, is home to some of the world’s biggest animation companies, from the Walt Disney Company to Warner Bros, Cartoon Network Studio, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
These people live and breathe the art form. For about a decade, it was even home to a deli where customers signed the wall with their art.
Household names like SpongeBob SquarePants,s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mouse, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters, Inc., and Family Guy were all inked on the walls. But when it came to seeing their home differently, some of the talent struggled to see the big picture.
Irish interior designer Grania Murray had just moved to the City of Angels and didn’t know who James Rallison, the low-key American YouTube sensation, was when she first met him.
The animator, artist, cartoonist, comedian, and writer behind The Odd 1’s Out already had almost 20 million subscribers when she first met him. He now boasts 20.8 million on the platform.
“He was very accomplished and from a young age,” she says of their first meeting, taking the same relaxed approach to such celebrities that she brings to her work.
“Somebody mentioned he needed a fireplace looked at.”
It was one of those stone-fronted designs popular on the West Coast and often disparagingly referred to as Flintstones style, as they resembled the décor of Fred Flintstone's home in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series.
It was of its time. The room also had an architecturally interesting, sloped ceiling.
With the fireplace extending to over three metres wide, she kept the stone theme but installed flat granite slabs supplied by Stoneville instead.
Adding bookcases to either side, also lined in the same material, created a real focal point for the room.
Additional touches included a Samsung Frame TV featuring a print of The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder on its screen.
The coffee table is by Arhaus, the blue velvet swivel chair and the charcoal bouclé sectional sofa are both by Restoration Hardware.
Her best-known public work in Ireland is the Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel, a place with cosy nooks and subtly lit brick arches, illumination that makes everyone look good.
Furnished with bespoke pieces, it features lots of mirrors to help play with depth of field. It’s a space that feels like it’s been in situ since forever, which is part of her signature style.
Her work looks established from the moment it is completed.
Unbeknownst to Rallison, the designer was already well-versed in how his industry worked.
She had just met Mark Young, an animation writer, producer, and mentor for the National Talent Academy for Animation (NTAA), a Screen Ireland initiative, and an improv teacher. He would go on to become her husband.
He had seven Emmys, awards for artistic and technical merit in the television industry that say on surfaces throughout the house, “I didn’t know what they were,” she says.
When she first arranged to meet Rallison and his partner at their home, there were eccentric flourishes throughout, a snake mirror here, animal skulls there.
These had the consummate professional’s heart beating a little faster. She was afraid they might want to “go full gothic” on her.
In return, she added what she calls “nooks of personality” where the arty elements belonging to the pair could be centre stage.
The guest W.C., for instance, is home to a snake-coiled oval mirror that his partner had bought on Etsy.
As a result of her classy fireplace renovation, she was asked to reimagine the rest of the property, giving her free rein.
“They let me play with colours,“ she explains. When it came to choosing paint, she went back to her roots in Dublin and touched base with Joe Meeney of Kraftsman Paints about using the Clements & Moore Collection.
In the open-plan living and dining space, the oak table and chairs are from Crate and Barrel, and the oversized pendant light is by Eichholtz. The walls and ceiling are a rich earthy colour called Deep Clay.
The Madagascar Raffia wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries can be ordered from Stillorgan Decor. The orange velvet Mario Bellini sofa is available to order from Minima Home, while the sisal rug underfoot is from Annie Selke.
The home ended up having a moody but restful effect. She used all their artwork on the walls. A Fibonacci circle hangs in the entrance hall.
Then she colour-drenched the rooms using the Irish paint range. Don’t do the ceilings, they begged her.
“It creates a vibe,” she explains.
For the couple, the sense of calm it delivered had to be experienced to be believed. The primary bedroom now wears the restful Driftscape Tan on its walls and ceiling.
She also helped them buy some forever pieces of furniture, including the Bellini sofa and pieces from Restoration Hardware and Crate and Barrel, ranges Irish homeowners would love to be able to order to their front doors.
“I got so many referrals from it. The couple, still in their 20s, liked to entertain. There is no better way to get a referral than by somebody who’s seen the work,” she says.
Murray had clients, mainly private, on both sides of the pond. Having recently returned to Dublin, she is one of six designers taking part in a round table talk on Thursday, September 17th as part of Design Week Dublin.
To attend Grania Murray’s Design Round Table at Design Week Dublin, click here
