Half the fun of watching “Property Brothers” — the HGTV reality series where identical twins Drew and Jonathan Scott convince homebuyers to buy an old fixer and trust the design duo to transform it — is trying to tell the handsome brothers apart. They may look like carbon copies, but they make a sport of telling you how different they are.
“Everyone always says I’m the high maintenance one,” Jonathan says. “Have you seen his wardrobe? Have you seen those nails?”
“Have you seen that hair?” Drew fires back.
I’m on a Zoom call with the pair, who are launching a furniture collection for Living Spaces, and true to form, the TV twins have managed to distinguish themselves in their new furniture line, too. The California-inspired furniture features two sides of Los Angeles, the city the Canadian natives now call home.
“You’re really seeing two sides of our L.A. story,” Jonathan says. “You’ve got Drew’s old Hollywood style, and you’ve also got my laid-back California.” One is more luxe and glamorous, while the other has a casual, sink-into-a-space-and-never-get-up-sort-of vibe.
Drew and his wife, Linda Phan, have a home in Hancock Park, a mansion-filled neighborhood near downtown. Jonathan and his partner, actor Zooey Deschanel, recently bought a home they’re renovating in Brentwood, nearer the coast.
“When you think about where we are here in LA, there’s so much architectural influence, so many amazing pieces of inspiration, so many beautiful historic homes,” Drew says. “You have art deco, you have regency modern, you have old bungalows, and you have a lot of laid-back vibes, especially over by the water. We thought, how can we capture a little bit of this classic beauty and bring it into our pieces.”
The virtual tour kicks off with the twins in a living room that showcases Drew’s old Hollywood, a look that features chic ebony leather sofas and chairs, dark-wood dressers and chests, oil-rubbed bronze furniture legs and accent chairs covered in velvety cobalt blue.
Then we move on to Jonathan’s laid-back California living room, a casual coastal look that revolves around a versatile sectional and case goods made of wood in warm, weathered taupe tones. The centerpiece Culver sofa is made for family movie night, he says, and designed to stand up to everything life throws at it. “You have to be realistic. A sofa can’t just look pretty.”
To create the 90-piece collection, which includes dressers, side tables, rugs, sectionals, dining sets and more, the twins pulled inspiration from Southern California, as well as their experiences designing more than 500 homes for television and renovating houses off air long before that. The brothers, now 43, have worked in the business for 25 years and are both licensed real estate agents. Jonathan is also a licensed contractor.
After the virtual tour, we reporters in the peanut gallery got to ask a few questions:
Q: Complete this sentence: No home is complete without a really great …
Drew: … set of twins. No, without a sectional, a comfortable sectional that can adapt to your space. Picture get-togethers with friends. Picture move night. That sectional is what will make it feel like home.
Q: What are the top furniture trends?
Jonathan: Finding pieces that can be multipurpose. That’s what I like about a modular system that you can change up to work with your space. Today you can find stuff that would be classy if it were in an office environment, or classy if it were in a living space or bedroom. Having that ability to mix and match is important.
Drew: We’re seeing a throwback to comfort along with style. We’re seeing more padding on the arms and more glam.
Q: How does this California look translate cross country?
Drew: We always laugh about the fact that when we have family or friends visit, when they go home, they all say they want to bring some of the California vibe with them. Whether it’s the feel of the beach or the different neighborhoods, the collection offers a lot of different influences and a little something that can speak to everyone no matter where they live.
Q: What are the major furniture buying mistakes people make?
Jonathan: Buying furniture the wrong size. People see something they want. They buy it, and then they realize they have to shimmy sideways to get into the next room. Make sure to measure first.
Drew: I’m all for an eclectic design. You don’t want matchy matchy. However, sometimes people get all these items, and find they don’t work together. Start with base pieces that work together that you can build on.
Marni Jameson is the author of six home and lifestyle books, including “Downsizing the Family Home – What to Save, What to Let Go.” Reach her at www.marnijameson.com.