For years, the family room in Christy and Link Neal’s Los Angeles home was designed around family life, with a foosball table, a large television and a durable sofa. As two of their children grew older and the youngest turned 16, the couple decided to reclaim the room as a more grown-up space.
Interior designer Jessie McLaughlin of Jessie Lane Interiors led the renovation. Her long friendship with Christy helped shape a room tailored to the family, while Link’s growing interest in vinyl collecting and DJing provided the central idea: a Japanese-inspired listening lounge that could also accommodate friends, family and Christy’s weekly reality-TV viewing.
The defining material is Carpathian elm burl, applied across the walls, curved soffit and the partition surrounding the sofa. Its irregular, swirling grain gives the room a distinctly ’70s-inspired character. The veneer arrived in thin sheets with varying colors, knots and patterns, making the installation a detailed matching exercise.
The burl also helped define the room’s layout. Rather than lowering the floor to create a traditional sunken conversation pit, McLaughlin framed the existing RH Cloud Sofa with a low, wraparound partition. The structure creates a separate lounging area while flowing into the DJ booth. New upholstery in Kravet’s King’s Road velvet in Amber adds another layer of color and texture.
Link’s DJ station was designed as a curved, floating island in the center of the room instead of a booth isolated from guests. The arrangement allows visitors to browse records, request songs and talk with him while he plays. After consulting Los Angeles audio-design firm Common Wave, the couple integrated the speakers into built-ins behind the booth and planned the millwork around Link’s record collection, which includes classic country, yacht rock and ’90s hip-hop.
The room’s design is also influenced by Gold Line, a Japanese-inspired listening bar in Los Angeles’s Highland Park neighborhood. Separate lighting options can highlight the speakers, records and architectural features. The record nooks are lined with the same amber velvet used on the sofa, a detail that has reportedly attracted the family cat as a preferred napping spot.
The space remains practical for family use. Motorized blackout curtains from Fabrica can be controlled from Link’s phone, allowing the lounge to become a screening room without anyone leaving the sofa. A bar with a red travertine top provides space for drinks, while the stone’s natural pitting contributes to the room’s tactile finish.
Some elements came together at the last minute. When only the tabletop of a coffee table ordered through a vendor in Mexico had arrived two days before a photo shoot, McLaughlin found a vintage 1970s burl-wood base on Facebook Marketplace. The unexpected addition continued the room’s dominant material theme. Two teal ceramic pieces on the table add a personal touch; they were made by the Neals’ youngest son.
The finished room has become popular with every member of the household. The children use it to meet friends, Christy wants it for entertaining and television, and Link sometimes plans solo listening sessions. Although the family has considered creating a sign-up system, Wednesday nights remain reserved for Survivor.
Sources: Domino.