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Paul Zaloom in West Hollywood: wall to wall art (and a sense of humor) - Los Angeles Times
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Paul Zaloom in West Hollywood: wall to wall art (and a sense of humor)

By Lisa Boone Paul Zaloom — an Obie-winning puppeteer, filmmaker and actor probably best known as a wacky scientist on the children's TV series "Beakman's World" — lives in a one-bedroom guesthouse in West Hollywood, where his obsessive collecting instinct is on full display along with an infectious wit. The living room's midcentury modern furnishings largely came from the Rose Bowl and Pasadena City College flea markets. The centerpiece of the room is a striking 1960s earthworm chart credited to Jung-Koch-Quentell that Zaloom bought at a Paris flea market, where it was hidden from view because "the owner couldn't stand to look at it," he says. "It was so weird and gross and juicy and really odd that I had to have it."

By Lisa Boone

Paul Zaloom — an Obie-winning puppeteer, filmmaker and actor probably best known as a wacky scientist on the children’s TV series “Beakman’s World” — lives in a one-bedroom guesthouse in West Hollywood, where his obsessive collecting instinct is on full display along with an infectious wit. The living room’s midcentury modern furnishings largely came from the Rose Bowl and Pasadena City College flea markets. The centerpiece of the room is a striking 1960s earthworm chart credited to Jung-Koch-Quentell that Zaloom bought at a Paris flea market, where it was hidden from view because “the owner couldn’t stand to look at it,” he says. “It was so weird and gross and juicy and really odd that I had to have it.”  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Zaloom mixes high and low, resulting in a wildly disparate collection of the odd, the ironic and the grotesque. A 1980s businessman-angel made in Bali is backed by “El Conquistador,” a painting by Mark Dancey purchased at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. The nurse doll with a melted face was a gift from Betsey Potter, costume designer from “Beakman’s World.” “The doll melted when Betsey’s house in Hollywood burned down,” Zaloom says. “As soon as she saw the mutilated doll, she decided that I had to have it.”  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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A vintage toy is part of Zaloom’s collection of “inappropriate representations of firearms.”  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Among the pieces set atop a Brown-Saltman blonde mahogany tri-level kidney table: a yellow plastic plate from the estate of one of L.A.’s great architects, Richard Neutra.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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A sculpture by Los Angeles artist and lighting designer Sean Forrester sits on a speaker in Zaloom’s living room, surrounded by vintage toys and more inappropriate representations of firearms.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Zaloom grabs a cup of coffee in the kitchen, which is filled with more artwork and ephemera.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Even the area behind the sink gets a splash of art, including the green painting with red eyes by Sean Forrester.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Pictured on top of the refrigerator: Jesus, a red papier-mache car made in Cuba, a green Danish modern pot and figurines from Germany. On the wall: an auto part that Zaloom found at a dump in Vermont.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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With space at a premium, a wall in the living area becomes a mini-gallery, filled with images and knickknacks.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Zaloom in the nook he turned into an office.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Nearly every square foot is decorated in Zaloom’s bedroom. He bought the handmade knit clown for his two granddaughters at an antique store in Woodbury, Vt., but then decided to keep it for himself. “The kids have enough dolls,” he says. “I needed another one.”  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Even the bathroom is decorated with art.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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Welcome? The front door of Zaloom’s home offers guests a bit of irony in the form of a sign from a chemical supply company. “These are the things that I find beautiful,” Zaloom says of his curiosities. “That is what is so funny about our culture. People don’t find things that are grotesque to be beautiful.” You’ll find more small wonders in our Homes of The Times gallery.  (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)

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