Granny Chic Meets Topanga Canyon Cool In This Colorful Eagle Rock Bungalow
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."
Small spaces require extra creativity to squeeze in the most function possible. But they also paradoxically provide space to take bigger design risks since bold colors and patterns are less intimidating to implement when contained. It also helps to have an adventurous client! Such was the case in designer Leah Ring of Another Human's latest project in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.
Known for its up-and-coming eateries and quirky boutiques, the hilly North East L.A. neighborhood—nestled between polished Pasadena and hip Highland Park—has a vibrant but low-key energy, attracting artists, creatives, and families alike. Ring's client was no exception. The owner of a high-end pet supply store lives with her German Shepherd-Doberman Pinscher mix and Bulldog-Shih Tzu mix in a 1923 bungalow on a citrus tree-lined street. While she knew the two-bedroom house could be a picture-perfect home for her and her pets, she needed Ring's help bringing the interiors to life.
It was "pretty much a white box when we started, and my client has a house in Joshua Tree that is much larger in scale and has a lot more white," Ring tells HB. Adding color and personality became her goal. The scope didn't include any construction or gut-renovating, so they leaned on custom furnishings, rugs, lighting, wallpaper, paint, and a creative eye to transform the space. The small footprint actually worked to their advantage: "Because of the scale, you get to enjoy the colors of several rooms at a time, so thinking about how all of the rooms related to one-another palette-wise was really important," Ring says. "She asked for a vibe that was east-coast granny chic meets Topanga canyon hippie in the '70s." See where they landed (someplace magical!) ahead.
Living and Dining Room
All the colors play off of the existing stained glass. Instead of removing or hiding the existing quirk, Ring decided to enhance it. "The cheerful lavender tone (Benjamin Moore's Grape Ice) and bright rug greet you as you step through the front door," setting a happy tone for all who enter, Ring says. The goal was to create a layered, collected, and loveably eccentric atmosphere. Mission accomplished.
"The client had some vintage pieces of furniture that she wanted to use but otherwise it was white and sparse," Ring says. So she added plenty of colorful furnishing and a wild shade of purple to set the scene, saying, "The custom upholstered bench was super fun to design" (especially because the client was game to experiment with pattern mixing). They decided to add a skirt because it enhanced the general whimsy, but it's situated right by the front door and could provide out-of-sight storage for shoes and dog leashes.
Table: Waka Waka; lamp: Entler. sofa: Sixpenny; rug: Etsy; chairs, coffee table, side tables, pendant, floor lamp, and media console: vintage.
Kitchen
The design team kept the kitchen the same, embracing its retro charm but polishing some of the details for an updated feel. New lighting and a fun runner add personality.
Bedroom
"The bedroom gets great light throughout the day, so we wanted to go for a peachy color on the walls that would give it a nice glow with the sunlight," Ring explains. Like the living room, the bedroom "feels layered in a comfortable way but not too busy—[you] feel very serene when you’re in the room," Ring says. She also wove some of the client's existing pieces into the design. The pillow, for example, was custom-made out of one of her old vintage quilts.
Headboard and pillow: custom; nightstands, lamps, and pendant: vintage. rug: from Etsy; paint color: Juno Peach by Benjamin Moore.
Dressing Room
Ring's client decided to turn the second bedroom into her personal dressing room. "We designed a wall-to-wall storage piece and tapped our friend Objects for Objects to bring it to life." Though it looks and feels like a built-in piece, it was actually designed in free-standing sections so that the client can bring it with her if she ever moves somewhere else. Still, it was the most involved part of the design project due to the installation: "It was a process that took several people several hours and it seemed miraculous but they got the piece into the house" given the narrow staircase and doorway.
Rug and light fixture: vintage from Etsy; curtain panel: sarong from Lisa Corti; paint color: Citrus Burst by Benjamin Moore.
Office
"I had been wanting to use this particular color-way of the House of Hackney’s Artemis wallpaper for years and when I showed it to the client in our first meeting and she said yes, I knew it was going to be a fun project," says Ring. The occupant spends a lot of time catching up on work here when she isn't in her shop, so it was important to create a space that was inspiring and comfortable.
Desk, chair, and table lamp: vintage; wainscotting paint: Adriatic Sea by Benjamin Moore.
Bathroom
As seen throughout the home, incorporating plenty of textiles was essential to achieving that bohemian, lived-in feel. In the bathroom, a kilim covers a built-in ledge to beautify it while a glass top ensures that it can be functional and house toiletries and decorative objects.
Explore More Details Inside This Fun House
Q & A
House Beautiful: How would you describe your client's personality? The home’s personality feels whimsical and bold, is the same true about her?
Leah Ring: She is totally adventurous! The client has a real eye for unique vintage pieces and was very bold in her decisions - she approved items quickly and confidently which is such a treat as a designer.
HB: How long has she been in the LA area? What brought her to the specific neighborhood?
LR: She's been in L.A. for quite some time and was previously living in a loft downtown, so she wanted a change of pace and liked this little bungalow in a quiet tree-lined street. The fenced yard was a huge draw so her dogs would have space to play.
HB: You mentioned that the client has a larger space elsewhere and that it has a totally different vibe. Any words of wisdom to encourage people not to box themselves into one particular aesthetic?
LR: I would tell people to think of a scene from a movie, a song, a fashion campaign, or a particular travel memory they love, and to then try to think about what makes that moment so special. Then you can work to build the colors, materials, and forms around that memory and apply them in an interior space for a result that is truly unique and not just a replication of something from Pinterest.
HB: It sounds like a lot of the furnishings in the home were custom and vintage—what draws you to those kinds of pieces?
LR: I love vintage furnishings for a variety of reasons. For one, I love that there is an eco-friendly result of giving old objects a new life and not purchasing new mass-produced goods. I also think that there should be vintage pieces in every room of a project to give the space more character and to make spaces more unique. It's so special to be surrounded by objects that no one else has, and that have lived often on different continents in different eras - there's something powerful about the stories these objects tell.
HM: Do you have any advice for people who are still “figuring out their style”?
LR: When we're working with new clients, we start by pulling a broad range of references to visually communicate a feeling more than anything else. Then we work on narrowing in on what it is about the vibe that makes a client excited and how can we channel that in the space and with the resources available. Oftentimes cinematic or music references help. We aim to distill the intangible into a very tangible representation of the client.
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
You Might Also Like
