Inside the Treasure-Filled Home of Ragdoll's Lisa Larson

Swedish designer Lisa Larson launched her label, Ragdoll, in 2013 and it immediately took off. Featuring sweats, knits, and cotton basics that are made to look like you’ve had them for years, in a muted palette you can wear with anything, the pieces are irresistible. Lisa’s Los Angeles home reflects her point of view as a designer; she favors furniture and decorative objects that have a rare, vintage charm you can’t find just anywhere. If you love the idea of bringing old and new together, whether in your home or your wardrobe, you’ll appreciate Lisa’s eclectic but beautifully edited taste.

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Rip & Tan: What do you like most about living in Los Angeles? How does it compare to Sweden?

Lisa Larson: The weather and the people. The weather is probably the biggest difference. In Sweden it is dark at 2pm in the winter. I love the fact that LA is a big city and you can be anonymous. You meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world. The social scene in Sweden is much smaller and everybody knows each other.

Rip & Tan: How would you describe the interior design of your home?

LL: Eclectic, French, midcentury modern with some elements of art deco. I love antique shopping, so most of the pieces are old in our house. I also like to mix old Swedish antiques from the 1500s with midcentury modern. Lately, I am very interested in Italian midcentury modern design. I always add to the pieces that I have and almost never get rid of things; that’s why it is a big mix of all these elements to make my home personal and not dated.

Rip & Tan: What’s your favorite room or space in your house? Where do you spend the most time?

LL: Our living room. The fire place is from Bourgogne and the previous owner of the house brought it back to LA and installed it. It is from the 1500s. It looks like it was made for that room, which is pretty special. The living room is a place where everybody can sit in front of the fire place. You can also enter the room from the front and back yard so it is a very central place.

Rip & Tan: What piece of furniture or object in your home do you love and cherish? 

LL: I really like the leather sofa in the living room. It is Morgensen piece and I found it at an auction. I also love the French tufted chairs. The Serge Mouille lamp is also one of my favorites. Too many are my favorites!

Rip & Tan: How do you tend to entertain at home? What kind of gatherings do you host?

LL: We are very spontaneous and usually we end up with a lot of people for dinner. I love to cook. Usually I make a few vegetarian dishes from Ottolenghi and then we BBQ meat or fish. We sometimes have bigger dinners with a chef preparing the food, which is amazing and I can be more social instead of being stuck in the kitchen. 

Rip & Tan: What is your background in fashion?

LL: I studied finance and my first job was as a stock broker. I studied fashion, pattern making in the evenings and then I switched to the fashion world. I started as an assistant buyer at Sweden’s biggest department store, Ahlens.

Rip & Tan: What inspired you to start Ragdoll? 

LL: I love the mix of fashion you get in LA. You can dress anyway you like. Sweden is so much more uniform. In LA there were a lot of different loungewear lines, but they were all very colorful with a lot of prints, I couldn’t find a chic lounge wear line with a European vibe. Where would the Acne girl buy her sweatpants? I was also always on the hunt for the perfect vintage tee. That tee that you usually only have one of and when you lose it or it gets ruined; you are devastated. I wanted to make that tee so you can buy multiples in different colors.

Rip & Tan: How has the label grown over the last couple of years?

LL: We started Ragdoll 3 years ago. Initially the idea was to only sell online on our own website, but after two weeks Ron Herman contacted us so we started selling to other boutiques. We now have agents in 11 countries and sell all over the world. We opened our first retail store last year in LA and we just opened our second store in NY.

Rip & Tan: What piece in the line is your best-seller and why? 

LL: Our mesh tee and our track pants. I think our mesh tee is a perfect essential tee with something extra. The track pants you can use the same way as you use jeans, but they are more casual. We also do really well with our silk slip and kimono. I love pieces you can wear anytime, anywhere.

Rip & Tan: What are your goals for the business in the future? 

LL: We want to open one more store in Venice and become the go-to brand for essentials.  

Rip & Tan: What beauty brands or products do you swear by?

LL: Giorgio Armani foundation, Shu Eumura mascara, Tom Ford lipstick and Sisely rose oil serum. I love Davines hair products.

Rip & Tan: What beauty or wellness ritual do you cherish?

LL: I do micro-current fascial at Carasoin Spa with Lena. She is amazing!

Rip & Tan: How does your Swedish background influence your style? 

LL: My Swedish background influences my style a lot. There is a very simple aesthetic that I really appreciate from Swedish design. I think I wear a lot more color since I moved to LA. In Sweden everything is very black and monochrome. Maybe that’s why the collection is usually black, grey and army green!

Rip & Tan: Where do you shop for vintage clothes? 

LL: What Goes Around Comes Around, eBay, The RealReal, and the Flea markets at Long Beach and Melrose.

Rip & Tan: What’s your everyday uniform?

LL: Vintage Levi’s that I alter to fit me and our Ragdoll rib tee. I usually add some fun jewelry and crazy shoes. Celine and Chanel are my favorites at the moment!

Rip & Tan: What do you wear when you want to feel glamorous?  

LL: High heels and lace in any form.