More so than specific notes or genres, it is the culture surrounding music that is so integral to every part of singer, songwriter, and multidisciplinary artist Chase Cohl's life. "It informs the way I dress, the way I decorate, the books I read, the things I'm inspired by, the people I spend my time with, the way that we connect to one another through a great song or the things that we remember about a good night and what we were listening to." The way we bring beauty into our homes and share it with those around us is central to our new Sense of Home campaign. Chase is one of five makers and creatives we are partnering with as we examine how we experience our spaces through each of our five senses: smell, sight, sound, taste, and touch. For a recording artist like Chase, the sounds and the silences of her Laurel Canyon home make her feel most at ease.
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Aimee Mohair Throw
$198.00 -
Bouclé Ball Pillow by Sarah Sherman Samuel
$64.00 -
Arlo Linen Pillow
$46.40 -
Brisa Burl Wood Coffee Table
$1,118.00
The singer-songwriter's Laurel Canyon home is a testament to her life in and around the music world and all the influences she has gathered over time. The daughter of a prolific music manager, the Toronto-born artist grew up on tour. Cohl, her parents, and her siblings would spend up to nine months a year traveling. Her high school years spent at a boarding school in Switzerland deepened her internationalist and world traveler perspective. The last twelve years have seen Cohl become bi-coastal, splitting her time between New York City and Los Angeles. Reflecting on how she has come to curate her West Coast home, Chase notes that the influences are wide and varied, with "a little bit of the sixties, a little bit of the seventies, a little bit of Europe, a little bit of America." That appreciation of 60s and 70s aesthetics drew her to Laurel Canyon. "The fact that you can have this balance between a rural life and a metropolitan life, is such a beautiful part of, I think, why California has a special place in my heart."
"Music should enhance the moment. So, you know, blues on a rainy day, folk on a sunny one, reggae when you feel like turning up a little bit. There's something for every mood and every company."
We could see the influence those decades have on Chase's interior styling during our recent shoot. The mid-century bungalow-style residence feels tucked away and intimate, with a warm wooden interior complemented by vintage-inspired patterned rugs, striking accents, an earth-toned palette, and lots and lots of vinyl records. Time spent in Jamaica has also played a significant role for the singer-songwriter, if not in her home's interior design—then in its soundtrack. Her all-time favorite music is reggae and dub, especially from the sixties and seventies. Augustus Pablo's Born to Dub You played in the background throughout our visit. Chase states that she usually gets ready for company by choosing a record. "Music should enhance the moment. So, you know, blues on a rainy day, folk on a sunny one, reggae when you feel like turning up a little bit. There's something for every mood and every company."
When the music is off—and that is most of the time when she is home and creating—Chase takes comfort in the different sounds of her older house. The chirping of the birds, the constant whistling of her tea kettle, the way it "sounds like someone is walking around when the wind blows." During these quiet sonic moments, the singer-songwriter can be her most creative. As she notes, she's "picking from the wellspring of inspiration that surrounds my life, taking an idea, and deciding what medium it would thrive best in. It's like therapy. It's so nurturing."
When we thought about the stories we wanted to tell in our Sense of Home campaign, we wanted to explore how people share their homes' beauty and reclaim their spaces for themselves. For an artist who wants her work—whether music or poetry or fashion—to resonate and connect with people, Chase needs to take time for herself and just enjoy "the sounds you hear in your home when you just sit with yourself. It's a beautiful thing."