Emma Chamberlain is no stranger to revealing every aspect of her life through her stream-of-conscious-style videos, set against the backdrop of her home or her travels. But followers of the 21-year-old YouTube star know that her residence has been in flux over the past year, after she sold her home to escape being “in the thick of LA,” as she described in a video last summer.
“It’s kind of emotional, weirdly. Is it? I don’t know,” she said about moving. “These are my last few moments in this house; this is the last time you’re going to see me walk down these steps.”
Now, after a stint in a rental — where Chamberlain narrated videos on soup-making and a bout with tonsil stones — she’s showing off her new Los Angeles abode in a different format, in the November print issue of Architectural Digest.
“I work from home, so I wanted to create something completely personal and comfortable,” Chamberlain is quoted as saying. “I brought in references from many decades and design eras, and I tried to meld them into something that feels not only cohesive but new. It wasn’t about following the rules or sticking to one aesthetic. I tried to approach it all with a lightheartedness and an open mind.”
That approach has translated into an alpine retreat-meets-bohemian haven with plenty of eclectic touches, thanks to the interior design work of Ashley Drost and Marie Trohman from Proem Studio. The newly updated house, built in 1955, features cedar shingles and panels and sun-drenched skylit rooms surrounded by a wooded pool area and meditative garden. Each room features unique materials, surfaces and hues, from a green-tiled and marble kitchen and cork-lined bathroom to a wall covered with braided banana-tree bark and a custom plaster fireplace with sculptural form.
“I want the materials to make a statement. I like things that feel like an art piece, like a painting, in and of themselves,” Chamberlain said.
Trohman says it’s “not a perfect house,” but that’s what gives it its charm. “It has tons of personality and great energy, and the imperfections only add to the narrative we developed with Emma.”
The vlogger has become known for her keen sense of style — even more so as she’s nabbed high-profile ambassadorships with Louis Vuitton and Cartier — and in this new home, she flexes her versatile tastes through the furnishings. In the dining room, a chandelier of globe-shaped lights hang on chains, poolside corncob tables line the patio, and a wooden chair with humanoid hands and feet resides in the guest bath.
“I’m a mood board type of girl. I scoured every corner on the internet, every weird, deep hole on Pinterest,” she said. “I find inspiration for the home everywhere, the same as fashion. It’s all one in my mind.”
Though the house exudes a sense of coziness, Chamberlain’s magnetic personality is reflected in the details.
“My brain moves very fast. I’m kind of loud, and I have a lot to say. Even if my ideas were all over the place, in the end it all feels connected, one story,” she said. “I don’t really care if people don’t like it. I’m the one who lives here, so I have to love it. And I do.”