EDITORS’ BLOG

Come behind the scenes on the photo shoot of actors Kerry Washington and David Moscow’s West Hollywood bungalow. Country Home Editor-at-Large and eco-expert Danny Seo helped his friends pull their place together in a clean and green way. (See results in “Getting Personal” in the October 2006 issue of Country Home.) “Kerry and David had a great selection of furnishings and accessories,” says Danny, “but didn’t know how to make them work together. So I didn’t decorate as much as curate. This is both an ecological and economical way to go; I didn’t have to run out and buy all new stuff.” Here, in an extended interview, Danny talks to Kerry and David about the makeover process.


David, the first time we met, your apartment didn’t look like this. How would you describe it before?
Starving artist. We had a mattress on the floor, metal office lamps, random art from trips abroad, stacks and stacks of books, magazines, and DVDs. It was the kind of chaotic mess that had clearly just been thrown together because we never really had the time to design and decorate.

Why do you want to live green?
David: The reasons are numerous, but the most important is that this is the only planet we have.
Kerry: People still sometimes have ideas about what environmentalism looks like, and although they care about the Earth, they might not want to wear Birkenstocks and hug trees. So it’s important that businesses create well-designed products that are also good for the planet. And it’s important that we, as consumers, support those businesses. Being green and being stylish are absolutely compatible.

Kerry, what new things in your home do you like most?
The dining room chairs are chic, comfortable, and made from recycled aluminum. They’re hand-cast and polished to a chrome-like finish. The dining room table is made from recycled scrap wood, all hand-glued together, cut, and shaped into a one-of-a-kind table. These pieces are like art.

What do you think of your comfy, hemp chair?
Kerry: we love the blue chair! I love how classical it is in form—it makes me laugh every time i think about the fact that this very elegant little chair is actually made from hemp! No one would ever guess.

Kerry, where do you hang out most in your home?
The place I cherish the most is the bedroom. Relaxing is not something that comes easily to me—I can sometimes be a bit of a workaholic. But now that you’ve redone it, the room is so inviting and cozy and sensual. It has encouraged me to spend more quality time with David and Josie in the mornings when we have the luxury to do so.

Kerry, speaking of puppy-dog Josie...is she incredibly spoiled, or is it just my impression?
She is not spoiled! She is loved. Love does not spoil a person or an animal; it makes them stronger. But she is a feisty little brave girl who likes to be treated like royalty. We take her everywhere. We sneak her into places that would shock you because she fits inside most of my purses. So whenever I get ready to leave the house she jumps into my bag.

How did you name her “Josie?”
I was excited about the idea of getting a dog, but also really nervous, so I bought a lot of books on proper dog care and training. In one of those books, I read that it is easiest to train a dog when his or her name has two syllables and ends in a long "eee" sound. I was racking my brain trying to think of a name that had this sound but that also had some sort of emotional importance or relevance to me. The names I liked were Yogi and Sufi — names that David wasn’t so crazy about. He wanted to name her after a real-life person. His favorite ideas were Albert Einstein and queen Elizabeth the third—he thought that one was particularly funny! Finally, knowing that she’s a huge inspiration and hero of mine, David suggested Josephine baker. It was perfect— we call her Josie, or Josie B, or JB—and the name fits her.

The one thing you asked for from me was a spot to meditate, Kerry. Why?
Mediation is very very, very important to me. I have an absolutely imperfect meditation practice. But I love to meditate and I thought that having a space designated for meditation would help me to spend more time giving myself the amazing gifts of sitting in stillness. When I meditate, i experience more gratitude, joy, peace of mind, and self-acceptance throughout the day.

Kerry, whenever I’m around you, you’re always coming back from the gym or whipping up a protein shake. What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Because we are constantly back and forth between New York and L.A. and other shooting locations, we tend not to keep perishables, but we always have a well-stocked pantry: Crystal Geyser seltzer, Smart Water bottled water, Imagine organic soups, David Kirsch Wellness Co. Protein Powder, Just Peas, organic almonds, and olives.

I tried to use the things you love in the redo. Tell me about one item you’ve picked up that you cherish today.
David: We went to Uganda last year for a film Kerry is in called The Last King of Scotland (scheduled to be in theaters September 27, 2006). It was such an amazing place! We stayed at an eco-lodge at the foot of the volcanoes on the border of Congo and Rwanda. On the drive there from Kampala, the capital city, we stopped at a small crafts shop at the equator where they sell paintings whose profits go to children with AIDS. There was some really amazing art, and some of it now hangs on our wall.
Kerry: We also have a beautiful little piece of black volcanic rock that they allowed us to bring home. It now sits on the side table in our living room. I love that rock because it reminds me of that trip.

You have a stuffed fish. Did you catch that, David?
David: Yeah, off the coast of Florida. Kerry caught one, too, and I ate it right in the marina. We walked off the boat to a restaurant, she handed them her fish, and they grilled it up. We were told you couldn’t eat barracuda, so we got it mounted but felt really badly. Since then, we have a rule that we only catch fish that we can and will eat or release. And since Kerry is allergic to fish, that means lots more food for me.
Kerry: I never really fished before falling in love with David, but together we've been fishing in California, Florida, and Montana.


The house is filled with hundreds (if not thousands) of DVDs.
You love films! What are your Top 3 favorite picks, David?
Wow—very tough question. I have new favorites each week, but there are a few all-time greats:
I like DR. STRANGELOVE — a brilliant, funny political film that is extremely relevant now.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY — I recite Billy Crystal's lines to Kerry when she acts like Sally - which is OFTEN! Also it reminds me of home when we are in L.A..
We don’t really watch TV all that much, but recently we have been buying full seasons of different television shows and having marathon viewings. The first season of The Sopranos is incredible. The grandmother is the most amazing character ever on the small screen.

What are you listening to on your iPod right now?
David: Our iPod is sitting dusty and unused in its case. It’s weird that we haven’t really become iPod users because everybody is and we love our iTunes programs on both of our Macs. But we do listen to a lot of music. My most-played is the album “Z” by the band My Morning Jacket. Kerry loves Top 40 music and is obsessed with music and video countdowns. She downloads music from web sites that have the current countdown hits.

I’ve never met bigger bookworms than both of you! What’s on your nightstand right now, and why did you start reading this book?
David: I am just finishing "Don't Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight" by Alexandra Fuller. It’s an incredible memoir about a racist white family surviving as farmers during the Rhodesian/ Zimbabwe revolution. It’s hilarious, sad, and something totally outside my realm of thought.
Kerry: I am reading “Personal History” by Katharine Graham and “Thoughts Without a Thinker” by Mark Epstein. I am usually always reading some sort of spiritual/self-help book and then another book as well. Lately I’ve been obsessed with women’s biographies: Jane Fonda’s “My Life So Far”; “Desert Flower” by Waris Dirie; and now “Personal History,” which was a gift from David.

Tell me your three must-have essentials when you go away to work on a film.
David: Must bring Kerry, Josie, and a book.
Kerry: Must bring David, Josie, and my cell phone.

David, you’ve acted professionally ever since you were a child. How did you end up being so normal and grounded?
Well I wouldn’t say I’m “normal,” but I might be grounded. It would be my folks’ and friends’ fault. I also think that being an actor was my initiative and wasn’t my parents’ idea. They were very supportive of it, but also made sure that I did well in school and was sent off to my cousins’ in Utah every summer to run around like a kid. I also happened to go to high school in Harlem where being a white actor was not as cool as being black and Latino and on the basketball team. In addition, I just want to say that while newspapers are sold with the exploits of child actors gone bad, most of the ones I have known have turned out pretty good—Neil Patrick Harris, Adrian Brody, Seth Green, Hillary Swank, to name a few.

You’re working on an eco-renovation of a Harlem rowhouse now. Can you tell me more about it and why you’re doing it?
David: We purchased a brownstone a couple of years ago from someone who had let the building deteriorate. Its tenants had been shoving cardboard into holes to stop the rats from coming through.
We first fixed the most immediate issues—holes in walls, broken windows, redid collapsing floors. Then we signed up for an energy-efficient renovation program for low-income/mixed-income housing. They redid the roof, changed all the windows, brought in energy-efficient appliances.
In the process of doing this, we were able, with the tenants, to create a sense of community in the building. We put dressers and rugs in the common spaces. One of the tenants started putting his art on the walls. The building has become more like a home than four separate apartments.
We got excited about what we had been able to do and turned our attention to the vacant lot next door. We went to the city with a proposal to build mixed-income environmentally conscious housing. The city was very interested because this was one of a number of very small lots that developers are generally not interested in. Half of the four apartments will be reserved for low-income tenants and the other half will be NYC market rate prices. We had hoped to make it a totally green building. But we found that, in the short term, there was a contradiction between two high priorities. On the one hand, we wanted to create a building which was 50% low income because of the increasing displacement of long-term Harlem residents due to gentrification. We also wanted to build a green building. We found that there were financial limits to doing both at the same time. So we are going to do some green work—bamboo flooring, low-pov paints, recycled brick and concrete, local plants, high-efficiency appliances, a tankless water heater. We hope to continue to make the building greener as we are able to (a green roof, solar power, et cetera).

It all pays the same for Danny Seo, Country Home Editor-at-Large and environmental expert, who puts the final press on a bed he’s making wrinkle-free for photography.

BEFORE: This bicoastal couple divides their time between LA and NYC, so Kerry and David’s Hollywood home had all the appeal of a crash pad when they called on Danny to help.

BEFORE: Indonesian furnishings look cool but grow old after awhile. Danny felt it was time for full-size furniture.

BEFORE: Danny kept the mirror and moved the table and shelves elsewhere in the house so the main room in this small bungalow apartment would be a welcoming place to watch DVDs and relax.

Kerry and David share Danny’s passion for sustainable living and environmental causes, so he was a natural to call on when they were ready to furnish their apartment. Everyone seems happy with the result…even their fluffy dog, Josephine Baker.