My Favorite Room: Thomas Schoos’ live/work space is a natural fit

Thomas Schoos likes to think, dine, read and work outdoors. So last year the interior designer and artist, whose clients include Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Simpson and Will Smith, transformed an empty lot into what has become his favorite room.

Schoos’ West Hollywood design studio is a few blocks away from his apartment. Because he spends most of his time at the studio, typically from dawn until late at night, he wanted to create an indoor-outdoor live/work/entertainment space that felt like a home away from home.

The space is now a lush, leafy retreat filled with antiques, fish ponds, tropical birds and sound-proofed glass-enclosed rooms where Schoos can have meetings, spend the night or watch TV. A wood-burning pizza oven and bar are perfect for hosting cocktail parties alfresco.

Why is this your favorite room?

Most of my creative thoughts come from interacting with nature. I love being out here. I’m more productive and creative.

What are some of the special pieces you have acquired?

I have a 17th century statue of [Hindu deity] Ganesh made of green granite. I found it at a Los Angeles importer 15 years ago. It was still in the box. I fell in love with it. It’s heavy as heck — it takes two people to move it. Now it marks the place where my two beloved bulldogs are buried.

So you were going for a very exotic feel overall?

I have temple ceilings, antique doorways, statues and stones from Indonesia, Israel, Morocco. We’ve planted papaya and mango trees, and there are frangipanis and candy-striped and white orchids from Samoa. At night, we have lights in the trees and can host 24 people at a long table for dinner. But it feels very intimate and soft.

But you didn’t really have a design plan for it?

No. I just put pieces from around the world together. Hemispherically, they may not fit. Sometimes I don’t care if something doesn’t look right. I ask myself if it feels right. I might take the texture from a stone and imprint it onto leather.

And what about the birds and fish?

I have piranhas, catfish, about 55 koi and macaws. The birds will come and sit on my shoulder while I work. I’ve created little pockets of spaces: rooms to take a nap, an area under a tree to sit and have a glass of wine. I like the idea of corners being tucked away. You can disappear out here.

hotproperty@latimes.com