Interior Devine

Before he even reached the age of 18, Paul Devine had built an eclectic portfolio of experiences for himself. That they should all be united by the common theme of selling an elegant first impression was no small coincidence.

My early jobs were with a fine men’s tailor shop and fabric showrooms,” he discloses. “Next, I was selling chandeliers and then it was on to the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.” In the latter venue, Devine has been contributing to the “oooh’s” and “ahhh’s” of the celebrated house tour for 22 years.

Since 1965, the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) has invited approximately three dozen area design studios to transform the rooms and gardens of a selected San Gabriel Valley mansion into elegant, sophisticated, breathtaking and inviting vignettes that respectively capture their signature styles and distinct personalities.

PSHA’s makeover mansion for 2007 is Descanso Gardens’ Boddy House, a two-story, 22-room Hollywood Regency style that was completed in the late 1930’s. Its first owner, E. Manchester Boddy, was the publisher of the Los Angles Daily News and nestled his abode in the midst of 160 acres which had once been deeded to Corporal Jose Marie Verdugo in the 18th century by the King of Spain.

My room this year,” Devine discloses, “was formerly Mr. Boddy’s gun room.” He laughs. “Of course, feeling the room’s original purpose was not quite politically correct, I evolved the space into a modern dandy’s botanical library. Little boys may have tree houses and adults create collections but in either case the fascination with the natural world has always been ageless. Rare antique botanical and natural history prints fill the walls. I took my style queue from the adjacent wood paneled library. Being a ‘green’ designer and one who is considerate of our natural resources, I didn’t want to use rare woods to create this elaborate paneled art library. Instead, I imported Faux Bois wallpaper in wood patterns such as birds-eye maple, ribbon burl and French oak. The paper was carefully cut and assembled creating a fine paneled room : however, the illusion was not complete. Hand-drawn lines were next applied to wall panels and the ceiling was stenciled, repeating the pattern found on the room’s original air vent. Wood continues with the fantastic framing, each work of art is more interesting than the next. The prints range from the rare to the common all of which came out of my gallery inventory, Interior Devine. The single gold frame in the room holds the first print from the Curtis Botanical Magazine. The final touch of wood comes from contemporary photographer, Matthew Betcher. Glass panel photographs of trees were used as door panels housing more books and treasures. Free range cow-hide leather was used to upholster vintage club chairs. The furniture and artwork is an eclectic collection dating as early as the 17th century yet feels comfortable in this contemporary retreat and invites gusts to imagine themselves drinking a glass of champagne or a single malt Scotch as they listen to music.”

The evolution of Devine’s career as an accomplished interior designer is replete with anecdotes he’s enthusiastic to share. “I’ve been a designer from day one. I remember my mom dragging me off to look at model homes on weekends. Our family wasn’t moving – she just liked to see all the houses!”

His family was also always going to museums and garden tours on weekend field trips. “My dad constantly told me ‘Think of it as an adventure!’”

It was during this childhood that Devine started collecting prints. “My dad would tap on my bedroom door and wake me up to go to the swap meet. I only had my pocket money to spend so I would buy old books and prints. I remember discovering Madam de Pompadour’s architectural engravings when I was a kid. ‘Great,’ I thought. ‘I can produce prints for Crate and Barrel and such and I’ll make a fortune!’”

He went to some fine art houses to try to reproduce the originals but when the cameras combined the fine lines together, the result was a harsh black and white instead of grey tones. “The skill of yesterday is finer than the technology of today.” Nevertheless, he was hooked on the concept and continued to learn and collect into adulthood as an extension of his successful framing and design business.

Devine cites that experience has been one of his best teachers, especially in restoring his own home, a five thousand square foot historic house built in 1916. He whimsically defines himself as possessing “an old money look without taking myself too seriously”.

He has also been fortunate, he reflects, to have rubbed elbows over the years with individuals whom he deems to be some of Southern California’s most talented designers. “My short list,” he says, “includes Matthew White, Mike Boone, Carolyn Oliver, RBA and Paula Testa. I love stories of the classic designers from the Adam brothers to Elsie de Wolf. The only local talent I’d love to work with is Michael Smith. We have similar styles and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until our paths run together.”

When it comes to taking on new projects, Devine explains that architecture is always easier to design from scratch than to re-do. The reason? “It always costs twice as much to do old as new because you need to remember that you have to strip away all of the old mistakes.”

For new clients interested in a consultation, Devine quips that he will “even accept smoke signals if the client is serious”. For readers who prefer more traditional methods of communication, he can be contacted at Paul@InteriorDevine.com or at (626) 795-5025 to schedule an appointment.

This year’s Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, which is one of the largest and oldest of its kind in the U.S., will run from April 22 through May 20, 2007.

Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday tours are available from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday visitors will be able to see the house upon until 6:30 p.m. Tours are closed on Mondays. Tickets range from $35-$40 and can either be acquired in advance through PSHA’s website at www.PasadenaShowcase.org or by calling (714) 442-3872 or (626) 578-8500. Onsite dining is available for light breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Through its annual proceeds, PSHA has donated over $14 million to local youth music and symphonic programs, in addition to presenting the Pasadena Showcase House Music Mobile program, the Pasadena Showcase House Youth Concert, and the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition.