When television producer Jed Weisman embarked on the massive renovation of his just-purchased West Hollywood apartment in a legendary building he hesitated at hiring his boyfriend, interior designer Ross Cassidy, for the job. (Cassidy’s clients include model-actress Amber Valletta and musician Sia.) “I had been dating Ross for maybe a year and a half at that point and I really loved his eye, and we knew we agreed about a lot, but I was worried about working with him because of how it could possibly change our dynamic,” says Weisman, who had moved from a New York apartment he hoped to replicate here. “Ross was adamant that he should do it and that it wouldn’t be weird, and it proved to be a great experience getting to see him doing what he does,” says Weisman, who was as impressed with Cassidy’s design talents as his boyfriend was of his extensive art knowledge.
The 1,800-square-foot total gut job was in the first luxury high-rise in Los Angeles, a favorite of Old Hollywood stars such as Suzanne Pleshette, who designed the lobby in the 1960s. Weisman had looked at a handful of apartments in it over a year, and ultimately fell in love with the open space and northern exposure of the one he chose. It was stuffed with antiques, wallpaper, and paneling. “The woman who had lived there a long time and died had made it really ornate with molding and wainscoting and heavy wallpaper everywhere—you could barely walk. But I could see past that for what was a great big, open space,” says Weisman. The vision was of a neutral gallery-like home where art could be changed out regularly. (“My art installer is literally on my speed dial,” says Cassidy.)
A painting by Silke Otto-Knapp hangs in the dining room, above a collection of silver Art Deco boxes (“we’re both big Deco junkies, and it’s like a little nod back to his New York apartment), a Danish bowl, and a torso sculpture found in a little antique shop.
After the yearlong renovation, Weisman thought the decorating part would be wrapped up in a few months, says Cassidy. “I was like, ‘Nope, it’s going to take a year.’ I don’t believe in racing through things. I said, ‘Let’s take our time.’” They went to auctions (online and in person) to find not only midcentury furniture but an eclectic mix of all different periods to avoid being cliché. (“There’s a tendency in L.A.—where everyone’s obsessed with midcentury right now—to become kind of one note. It’s so boring,” Cassidy says.) Still, it’s evolving. “I think we’ve rehung the art seven times,” says Cassidy, who detests prints and describes himself as “a solids and neutrals kind of guy.” Weisman is an art lover whose collection is ever growing. The process included placing some of his existing works in the right places, but also buying new ones. A visit to the studio of L.A. artist Anthony Pearson begot one of the pair’s favorites, a white plaster piece that hangs in the living room and “adds incredible texture to the room.”
Weisman and Cassidy's shared goal was to make sure the place didn’t look overdecorated or fussy. “Every decision was to simplify and simplify and simplify,” says Weisman. “We wanted minimal without being modern or cold.” Adds Cassidy, “I think doing less is more powerful.” Ultimately it has a clear through-line with the producer’s New York apartment. But it also features a few fun surprises, such as a vintage tiger rug, an Andy Warhol "Cowboys and Indians" series print, and a commissioned Yves Klein coffee table that provides a major pop of color in the living room. “I always think you can’t take yourself too seriously, especially when things are as clean as I like to have them,” says Cassidy. “You’ve gotta have moments where there’s a little smile.”
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