Gut renovation of a 1920’s Spanish Colonial House.

“My challenge was to transform a run-down building into a modern take on a Spanish Colonial home. The house hadn’t been lived in for years and the layout was limiting. The flow of the house was broken up by a number of ‘Jack and Jill’ bathrooms and small bedrooms.

I love designing an open plan entertaining area that flows from the interior of the house to the outside especially in Los Angeles where the weather and lack of insects allows that experience so well. The inspiration for this renovation actually came from the idea of a Spanish Colonial house meets a Moroccan Riad. A Riad is a type of traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. I had visited Morocco years before and had always wanted to design a house with a central communal area that was private and open. With the finishing and interiors I brought in lots of color and texture into the house with fabrics, textiles and tiles to add a beautiful layer.

I also redesigned the landscaping in front and back of the house to be a modern take on a drought tolerant Spanish Colonial garden.”
James Houston