Dean Levin is an Los Angeles boy through and through. Raised on the city’s Westside by a fashion designer mother, he spent his youth immersed in the local skateboarding and music cultures. As a teenager, he developed a profound appreciation for Los Angeles’s rich architectural heritage, finding inspiration in the built environment all around him. Growing up in the city, one encounters a remarkable diversity of structural philosophies, from the iconic Neutra and Schindler concepts of modernism and the international style to the visionary works of John Lautner and Ray Kappe. For Levin, this expansive visual vocabulary formed his foundational image of design and architecture.
Since founding his multidisciplinary design firm, 22RE, in 2021, Levin has steadily garnered widespread enthusiasm for his sensual, modernist approach to retail and residential interiors. His work strikes a rare balance between architectural rigor and an inviting, atmospheric warmth. According to Levin’s former boss, the designer and creative director Rafael de Cárdenas, Levin’s projects exude a distinct confidence and swagger, yet they deliver it in a remarkably gentle way. The design is rigorously conceived and the execution is executed with high precision, yet there remains an underlying sensuality that permeates the entire space.
Levin’s path to establishing his distinct, LA-inflected interior design practice took a notable detour through New York City, where he studied architecture at Pratt Institute before cultivating a successful career as a visual artist. Even as late as 2019, he was actively pursuing his art practice when he decided to return to the West Coast. Upon his return, he acquired a 1,500-square-foot home nestled in Laurel Canyon, intending to tackle the renovation entirely on his own.
That single residential project fundamentally shifted Levin’s professional trajectory. The house started it all, setting the stage for his transition into full-scale interior architecture. On the very day escrow officially closed, Levin drove straight to the property to begin work immediately. Armed with a hammer, he launched into the demolition phase in full cowboy style. Technically speaking, the 1950s-era structure leaned toward modernism on paper, but as Levin recalls, the building did not really possess a defined architectural style beyond simply being a concrete cube. The original layout was decidedly awkward, and the interior spaces were overwhelmingly dark, creating a feeling that Levin describes as very subterranean.
The first and most pressing order of business for the young designer was flooding the dark structure with natural light. To achieve this, Levin installed expansive picture windows and dramatically opened up the central staircase. He anchored this architectural intervention by introducing a custom millwork motif that drew direct inspiration from the timeless designs of Alvar Aalto.
Furthermore, Levin had recently returned from a transformative trip to Japan, an experience that inspired him to infuse subtle, ryokan-like influences throughout the Laurel Canyon residence. He took the bold step of demoing the existing ceilings to expose the home’s original wooden structural beams. On the exterior, he treated the redwood cladding with a deep black stain, serving as a direct architectural nod to shou sugi ban, the traditional Japanese wood-burning technique used to preserve and weather-proof timber.
The integration of Japanese aesthetics extended even to the landscaping details. The exterior planters surrounding the home were sourced from Serpentine, a boutique plant design studio owned by actor and comedian Eric Wareheim. Despite these diverse global influences, Levin remained firmly committed to preserving a distinct local character. He wanted to ensure the home retained that classic, California bungalow warmth as well.
Inside, the home’s material palette and furnishings showcase a thoughtful curation of European modernism, featuring iconic pieces by legendary French, Danish, and Italian designers. In the dining room, a striking Bruno Munari pendant light defines Levin’s overarching conceptual vision for the entire house. He notes that he loves the layering of light, and that exact philosophy was what he was trying to achieve with this home: creating architectural blocks that maintain transparency, allowing occupants to see straight through them. The result is a rich interplay of layering and texture rather than flat, uncompromising Cubism.
Levin’s signature design moves are scattered throughout the floor plan, perhaps none more polarizing yet expertly executed than his extensive use of wall-to-wall carpeting. Describing the choice, Levin notes that it is a floor treatment that creates a cohesive monochromatic palette in a remarkably comfortable way. He acknowledges that wall-to-wall carpeting is a feature his own generation often professes to hate, yet when executed with care and precision, it successfully scratches that nostalgic itch that people often find themselves needing.
In the living spaces, the curation of vintage and custom items continues to impress. Nestled in the main living area are nesting tables designed by Frederick Kiesler, a statement floor lamp by Gino Sarfatti, and Poul Kjærholm’s iconic PK91 folding stool, all complemented by soft drapery from Nordic Knots. Meanwhile, in the dedicated TV room, Levin constructed a custom sofa by 22RE specifically engineered to evoke the intimate, communal feeling of a retro conversation pit. This cozy gathering space is illuminated by wall sconces from Robert Mathieu and an overhead pendant by Olivier Mourgue, with a compelling artwork by Daniel Turner completing the room.
The kitchen layout underwent a radical reimagining. Levin installed a sleek galley kitchen in the space that formerly served as the home’s laundry room. He chose to pursue visual uniformity through minimal adornment, relying heavily on white oak cabinetry and matching cladding to create a seamless aesthetic. He expresses a deep fondness for a full wood look, where the kitchen appears as if a solid block of timber was meticulously carved out to form the functional spaces. The streamlined look is further enhanced by durable stainless steel countertops.
As Levin’s personal life evolved, so too did the functionality of the home. What initially began as a tailored retreat for a young couple gradually transformed into a liveable, resilient space capable of accommodating a growing family, which now includes Levin’s three-year-old son and an infant daughter. When asked about the potential hazards of his dramatic, open-staircase design with young children in the house, Levin maintains a pragmatic perspective. Kids are remarkably adaptive, he notes, and his son has simply grown up alongside the architecture.
Levin also leaned heavily into his custom furniture design skills for the children’s spaces, crafting all of the furnishings in the kids’ room by hand. When he originally purchased the property years prior, he admits he certainly did not design it with young children in mind, yet the household has seamlessly adapted to the layout.
The primary bedroom suite serves as another masterclass in Levin’s bespoke craftsmanship. Inside the primary sleeping quarters, he designed a custom bed complete with an integrated bench, matching side tables, and a streamlined wardrobe. Rich architectural details abound, including a fluted plaster treatment applied to the bedroom fireplace. Levin explains that this design choice brings a high desert, Georgia O’Keeffe-inspired Western approach to the hearths. The bedroom is further accented by a chair from Roger Feraud, a lamp by Jacques Adnet, Poul Henningsen sconces that pick up the warm tones of a Studio Woven rug, and an adjacent primary bathroom that stands as one of the home’s purest homages to Japanese modernism.
Other thoughtful vignettes are scattered throughout the residence. In the home’s secondary bathroom, Levin embraced a classic design philosophy rooted in color, noting that to him, a classic bathroom simply has green tile. The space features a stained glass window that serves as an architectural homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, paired with a modern pendant light by Ann Demeulemeester for Serax. In a nearby corner, an iconic Eileen Gray mirror hangs gracefully above a meticulously tiled vanity. Down the hall, a Philippe Starck lamp rests upon a custom console designed by Levin himself, positioned beneath a striking photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe and paired with a chair also designed by Starck.
Levin ultimately took his time with the Laurel Canyon residence, intentionally refusing to rush the process and feeling as though the property was not fully realized until he had spent seven full years immersed in the project. It is a measured, long-term approach to interior architecture that he actively extends to his professional practice with clients today. He frequently advises his design clients that his role is to get them roughly 80 percent of the way there on day one, while trusting that the remaining 20 percent of the home’s character will naturally evolve and unfold over the course of the next decade.
