Before, During, AfterJul 23, 2019

Client Canyon Cool

Written by Amber Lewis
Photographed by Tessa Neustadt

Here is a fun tidbit of info. Anyone who knows me well, knows my favorite past time is “real-estalking.” I am on Zillow or Redfin no less that 18x a day…stalking any and every new home to hit the market in the Los Angeles area. Well over a year ago, I was perusing a well known Los Angeles canyon community, and this perfect quintessential ranch fixer popped up. I shrieked “BABE CHECK OUT THIS HOUSE” and sent it to Mike immediately. I obsessed over every picture, I google earthed it, hell I even drove by it 10x. I was so pumped on it, and contemplated going to see the inside of it every day. The unrealistic loon in me thought the house should one hundred percent be ours. My pragmatic and realist husband reminded me that this beautiful little home was not right for our little fam. Between location and the fact that we would have had to change schools, move offices, and uproot our comfy little life…not to mention, we had just started construction on my new old house, reality was that it was not a right fit for us. While I had accepted the truth, it didn’t stop me dreaming about this little place for a few months, and mentally redesigning the space in my head over and over again. My dreams were crushed when I checked in on its “status” one day and saw that a sale was pending. Bye bye dream house… I hope your new owners appreciate you as much as I do! Cut to a couple months later and I get an email from some potential clients with an address that looked very very familiar. “HOLY SHIT”… it’s “my” house and the new owners want me to design it! Of course, I JUMPED on the opportunity!

This perfect little canyon family home got a major, major makeover. We changed the layout in a few rooms, replaced the ceilings, replaced the floors, installed new windows and doors, installed new tiles in every bathroom, added lots of marble, lots of fresh paint, you name it … we did it all! This place needed some serious love, and so love is what we gave. Keep scrolling and you’ll see the ‘Before’ photos and you’ll get what I’m talking about.

It was super important for this family who were newish transplants from the east coast, to get that quintessential “Cali vibe,” but making sure to keep a nod to the modern feel they were used to. They wanted a cozy home with layers, but not a lot of clutter, and wanted to rid of the modern all white apartment they had left back in New York. The end result is a welcoming, laid-back house with a mix of modern, moody, but traditional at the same time.

Once again, we worked with Think Martin Construction Company to get every detail of this house to perfection. I’ve said it time and time again, but a good… actually a GREAT contractor will do you wonders, I tell ya!! So here ya have it. I introduce you to Client Canyon Cool!!

before

after
living room

Now this is my kind of living room!! We had to do something about those original ceilings (see above), so we removed the paneling, added beams and painted everything the perfect white for this room: “Milk Glass” by Dunn Edwards. You’ll notice in the “Before” images the doors were on the side and large windows flanked the fireplace. That layout really messed with the flow to the outside, so we flipped the switch and threw the doors next to the fireplace. On a beautiful Los Angeles evening, lighting a fire and opening those doors would be SO magical.

I am a gal who loves some symetrey, and this room called for it! When designing the furniture for the space, we anchored the room with two Billie Sofas in “Haze”, a custom Rectangular George Coffee Table, and of course added in a vintage rug from Shoppe for the layer and the color. These specific larger furniture pieces gave the room a bit of a modern vibe, but we warmed it all up by using a bunch of  Shoppe pillows, throws and vintage cubes.  That gorg monoprint above the fireplace is by our dear friend Louesa Roebuck (check out our interview with her here!!) and you can get her artwork at either of our Shoppes. Even though the space is FULL of windows, we opted out of window coverings because the natural light was so beautiful. Plus they were up in the canyon, and had nothing but privacy…no snappy neighbors. I usually love a window covering, but was quite happy without them in this space. Overall, we kept this room clean, simple and inviting. A special place to either party with the doors open or chill with the fam.

Wall Paint Color // Dunn Edwards – Milk Glass

shop living room

The Billie Sofa

FROM $5,700

George Coffee Table

$4,850

Vintage Kilim Cube

$795

Harley Lounge Chair

$1,191

Sutra Woven Throw

$485

Alexis Pillow

$325

Declan Pillow

$365

Fride Pillow

$285

Millow Pillow

$285

Lize Pillow

$235

Adish

$285

Bone Beads in White

$75

ALL-SORTS-OF-SHOPPE-SURF-SHACK

Surf Shack: Laid-back Living by the Water

$35

Vincent Van Gogh: The Lost Arles Sketchbook

$85

White Glazed Jar

$160


kitchen and dining room

To the left of Living Room, was the dining room. We wanted it to feel a little less bright in here, and a little more moody and attitudey. You might be thinking: Why go from a bright white room to dark and moody dining room? Well, a couple of reasons my friends. The natural light in this house is bananas and this room was the perfect spot to go dark. We actually did this in a couple spaces in the house. We wanted to create a real cool ambience here, and have a room that felt connected but different. When you look from the Dining Room into the Kitchen, the combination of the dark dining room into greigey kitchen cabinets are a match made in heaven. Once again, we leaned into a more clean and modern vibe with the addition of the Ozzie Dining Table and mixed it up by adding these vintage Magistretti Chairs and a vintage bench. Moving right along into the kitchen… let’s talk about that marble!! We used Calacatta Marble on both the countertops and the backsplash, and I think it looks pretty sick against the greige cabinets. Add in some antiqued brass hardware and it is giving me so much YES!!! This kitchen is my version of modern while still California cool and super unique space. I am feelin’ it folks.

Kitchen Cabinet Paint Color // Dunn Edwards – Shady

Kitchen Wall Paint Color // Dunn Edwards – Milk Glass

Dining Room Wall Paint Color // Benjamin Moore Amherst Grey

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Delphine Runner

$5,000

Simple Storage Container

From $45

Coupe Tray in Eggshell

From $105

Farmhouse Pitcher

$72

Cylinder Glass Vase

From $45

Heirloom Board III

From $180

Medium Serving Bowl

$110

Brass Pepper Mill

$98

Vermont Colander

From $80

Body Brush

$28

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Ozzie Dining Table

From $7,650

Larkspur Bench

$740

Signal Sconce

$875

Millow Pillow

$285

Lize

$235

Theo Pillow

$195

Coupe Tray in Eggshell

From $105


master bath and powder room

Let’s chat about these two very different bathrooms! I love them both for different reasons, but lets point out some cool factors and talking about what they have in common. DUH… Some prettttty amazing marble moments! The Master Bath is bright and airy with floor to ceiling marble walls with a chevron patterned floor. Then over in the entry Power Room, we have a real dark and moody situation with a floating marble sink that I can’t get enough of. The darker veins in the marble worked perfectly with the dark paint and the brass hardware give the room the perfect pop of brightness.

Master Bath Wall Paint Color // Dunn Edwards – Milk Glass

Powder Room Paint Color // Benjamin Moore – Anchor Grey

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Frama Hand Wash

$45

Tall Woven Basket

$100

Colleen Hennessey Vase

$110

Jenn Kitchen Cloth

$15

Body Brush

$28


study room

And last but not least, this Study Room gives me some serious feels. We went with dark paint again here, and just like in the dining room, it just felt right. We added in some lighter pieces of furniture and grounded the room with a lighter vintage rug that brightened up the space just the right amount. We filled the #shelfie, added in some greenery and Shoppe pillows – and voila! I can’t say I’d get much studying done in here though, because that sofa is real comfy for a nap.

Wall Paint Color // Dunn Edwards – Black Pool

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Vincent Van Gogh: The Lost Arles Sketchbook

$85

Kanan Side Table

From $3,400

White Slim Cylinder

$80

Medium Serving Bowl

$110

Bone Beads in White

$75

Black Leather Wrapped Vase

From $120

Simple Cast Iron Bowl

From $25

And that’s it for now, folks. We are on the move AGAIN and are about to shoot Client Bu Round Two in a couple of weeks. We’ve been waiting just about forever for this to happen and I can’t wait to keep the reveals coming…. Stay tuned!!

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