Nature Lover

In his California home, star chef Jeffrey Mora proves that good design can be good for the planet, too.

Written by Willlliam Weathersby, Jr. • Styled by Lori Dennis
Photographed by Edmund Barr

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Professional chef Jeffrey Mora has cooked in more than 20 countries and considers himself a citizen of the world. The chef for Los Angeles' Lakers and Kings pro sports teams, he is also a staunch environmental advocate who prides himself on using sustainable food sources including seafood, meats and locally grown produce. When recently renovating his house in Tarzana, California, Jeffrey applied a similar eco-conscious approach. "I wanted to create a comfortable home in which aesthetics were important," he says, "but sustainability was key. And building ‘green' doesn't have to mean breaking the budget."

Jeffrey enlisted Beverly Hills–based interior designer Lori Dennis, principal of Dennis Design Group, to upgrade what he calls a "very Brady Bunch" 1960s, ranch-style house. Inspired by a house Jeffrey had owned in Big Sur and the laid-back oceanfront style of inns in the coastal village of Carmel, Dennis orchestrated a new cottage-like ambience she dubs "Americana Ranch." They began by gutting the 3,800-square-foot, four-bedroom house, then installed new plumbing and electrical systems, and replaced outdated shag carpeting with oak floors fabricated from reclaimed wood throughout. Reclaimed cedar frames doorways, while low-toxic paints and stains on walls and ceilings create a neutral backdrop for flea-market finds and low-cost wood furniture.

Between the living room and den, Dennis removed a wall to open up the space. "Besides expanding the main living area, it improves the flow of air and daylight," she says. She also had the room's fireplace refaced with salvaged river rocks and had new bookshelves constructed of recycled woods. Environmentally friendly fabrics, such as cotton and linen, upholster Provençal-style wood chairs and a down-filled sofa. Antique seltzer bottles, a tortilla press and an American flag lamp are among the "accessories rescued from a flea market" that might have ended up in a landfill, Dennis says.

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