At Home with Whitney Port

It’s been more than seven years since Whitney Port signed off the small screen, leaving televised tenures at Teen Vogue and DVF for a bustling career off camera—which has included the launch of a namesake clothing line, a lifestyle book, and most recently, an online flower delivery service. But it was just this summer that the MTV alumna took on her biggest role yet: mother—a job she says, led to her and husband Tim Rossman's decision to relocate. "We were living in a wide-open loft with lots of stairs in Venice Beach,” says Port. “Once I got pregnant, we knew we needed more of a family home.” And so, weeks ahead of baby Sonny’s arrival, the couple packed up their Venice loft, and settled into a Studio City ranch. The only problem? They weren’t in love with the space. “We first saw this home and thought it was OK,” says Port. “We had our work cut out for us.” For help bringing their interiors to life, the new parents called upon our style director—and today, they’re sharing the stunning results. Take a look. 

You and your husband recently moved into this space. Can you tell us about how you ended up here?
Once I got pregnant, we knew we needed more of a family home. We first saw this home and thought it was OK, but weren’t in love. After it went off the market, and then came back on, we revisited it—it’s funny how you always want what you can’t have. We loved the high-vaulted ceilings with skylights and that the majority of the house looked out onto our yard with a pool and views. We had our work cut out for us, but we've loved making this space our own.

What was your design strategy for your new home? Where did you begin?
The first thing we did was put in new hardwood. The previous owner had vinyl, and that was just not going to work. We also knocked down some walls to create a more open living space. In terms of interior design, we wanted to make it very neutral, calming, and a mix of traditional and midcentury. I started by creating a board of all my favorite rooms I’ve pinned over the years, and then I picked out the elements I liked from each. 

Before co-founding the online flower brand Bloom2Bloom, you designed a clothing line, Whitney Eve, for nine years. How is designing a home different from designing a fashion line?
Designing a home is different in that it requires you to think about your everyday life and the environment you want around you. With clothing, you can be a little riskier and more playful, because you don’t have to wear the same thing every day. Every morning I wake up to the same house, and I never want it to go out of style. With fashion, I want to change up my look all the time.

Walk us through your master bedroom. What do you love most about the space?
I knew I wanted a clean white bed with a Moroccan style rug and a comfortable yet funky seating area with shades of blue, mustard, and white. Overall, I love how open and airy it feels. I honestly think my rug is my favorite thing in the room. I can’t tell you how soft it is and how amazing it feels to step out of bed.

Tell us more about the seating nook. It’s striking, but it also looks functional.
I absolutely love this space. The indigo-striped settee is just so cute. I use it to do work, have a glass of wine with friends, and I pump here! I knew when we bought this house I wanted our bedroom to feel like a sanctuary. This seating area just does that for me.   

And what about Sonny’s room—what was the inspiration behind his nursery?
Since we didn’t find out the sex of our baby, we wanted the room to be very gender neutral, but without being too boring. I wanted it to match the vibe of our master—Moroccan accents, light wood finishes, neutral colors—but also have a sort of whimsical, fairy-tale aspect to it. That’s where the wallpaper came in. It was a last-minute addition and I absolutely love it. It’s such a pretty print, without being too gender-specific.

Was there anything his nursery just had to have? Or anything you absolutely didn’t want?
There were five things that were huge priorities to me, some more obvious than others: a crib, soft rug, glider, day bed, and a dresser that acted as a changing table. We use the glider to feed him and calm him down, and the day bed is perfect for when we want to lay down and just stare at him, or take a little snooze while he sleeps.

What’s next for your new home? Are there any spaces you’re itching to decorate? Any renovations you’re hesitant to tackle?
Yes, yes, and yes! We are currently designing a kitchen renovation and a breakfast room re-do. We're also doing all new landscaping in the backyard. I wish everything could be done at once, but with a new baby it’s hard to make our home the priority. We’ll get there!