You’ve likely seen Liz Simmons’ outrageous display of yard art every December. Maybe you’ve wandered by her funny/scary Halloween scene in her front yard in the fall. But few know that the inside of her home is just as interesting year-round. Step inside the front door to a world of color, quirk and creativity. Welcome to Liz’s World.
Her modest, older home of almost 20 years in the Hollywood/Santa Monica neighborhood hides cool objects of art and family history. It’s a collection cobbled together over many years; some were gifts, some she inherited, some she made herself, and some were rescued from the trash.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Well, not an elephant. But you will find in her house a bear, oryx, kudu, coyote, raccoon, deer, owls, squirrel, bobcats, duck, crane and the elusive jackalope. Simmons is a bit in love with taxidermy.
It wasn’t always this way. Ironically, in fact, she says she was “creeped out” by stuffed and mounted animals until friends gave her the deer head hanging on her living room wall about 12 years ago.
Since then, Simmons has collected dozens of preserved animals, finding most at estate sales and at a quirky neighborhood antiques store, Curiosities. She prefers old, somewhat tattered taxidermy, the kind you might find in a cobwebbed corner of grandpa’s attic.
Never lacking a sense of humor, Simmons has adorned several of the animals. The deer above the fireplace wears a pink party hat and has holiday lights draped across its antlers. The hooves, mounted below the head, hold a shotgun, a Simmons touch.
Another deer, this one in the kitchen and christened “Steve,” is fabulous in a fluffy pink boa and Steampunk glasses. Steve’s friend, The Bear, stands by a vintage O’Keefe & Merritt stove, a cowboy hat atop his furry head and a festive red scarf keeping his neck warm.
Apparently, there’s no dignity in taxidermy. But there’s no denying they all have the appearance of having a good time.
Simmons has fun with the pieces, but, even more, she sees the beauty in the animals and enjoys having them around. Plus, she gives these dusty old animals a home.
A big fan of the holidays, Simmons keeps Christmas — and Halloween — in her heart and in her house year-round. Skull imagery abounds, and a giant spider hangs from the ceiling. In fact, at her annual Halloween party, she says it’s common that someone who’s never been inside before will comment on her awesome Halloween decorations inside. Nope; that’s normal in LizWorld.
A stocking is hung by the spider with care. Santa pops up in every room, from a large cut-out affixed to the bright pink wall in the kitchen to small figurines perched on the stove. Glass ornaments dangle merrily from taxidermy.
Simmons says she’s never been one to buy décor, preferring the creative route and making her own. When she had the perfect space for a small table in her living room, she broke out her buzz saw and produced a Dr. Seuss-ish swirly orange piece with giant green dots.
In the kitchen, she painted a boring white refrigerator with cobalt blue chalkboard paint. The cabinet doors are covered with giant portraits of her two cats. The floor’s red, pink and green tiles add even more color.
Nearby in the den area, she painted a storage room door with an image of The Guardian Rat, a giant gray halo-topped rodent glowing with goodwill. Or maybe the glow is the result of the martini Guardian Rat holds in his rat hand. The door is framed with a few dozen plastic skulls. Because Liz.
The creativity is a bit mind-blowing, but not so surprising when you see other art in the home, much of it courtesy of her family. Paintings of landscapes, seascapes and florals hang on several walls in the house, most painted long ago by Simmons’ mother or grandmother.
A curio cabinet holds pottery created by her sister, and on a wall in the next room is a wood carving of a fish, carved by her father.
The spirit of family is also evident in the dozens of old black-and-white photos around the house. Here’s one of her father in his younger days at his ranch. There’s mom as a toddler, playing on the beach. And a wonderful old-framed image of great-great (“I don’t know how many greats”) Uncle Harold shares a wall with a ranch photo, a goat skull and an antique non-working clock labeled “SantaTime.” A stuffed sandhill crane keeps a wary eye on them close by.
Simmons loves it all, but she says her favorite room is the living room at the front of the house, where Simmons painted each wall a different color: orange, neon green, yellow and blue. She points out a wooden ship on a shelf, a ship dear to her because her father made it. Next to it is a santo carved and painted by her long-gone great aunt Malcolm, who was an artist in Santa Fe.
Simmons’ first piece of taxidermy is mounted over the sofa, where she enjoys hanging out with her menagerie: a white and yellow ball python named Crackers; leopard gecko known as Miss Agnes; nine blue death-feigning beetles (which gamely played possum for a visitor); and several fish.
How would she describe her style? “It’s just me,” Simmons says. “I see things I like, and I find a place for it.” So what’s missing? What’s the next quirky object to grace her home?
“I’ll know it when I see it,” Simmons says.
