Categorically, a house flood is a bad thing. However, for one California family, they saw it as a blessing in disguise. They purchased their Santa Monica home in 2015 and realized it was finally an opportunity to renovate the right way. They hired designer Carly Waters to bring new life to the space. They hoped for Carly to add a cohesive look to the home and elevate the space–their children were finally out of the baby/toddler stage, and they were ready to invest in new decor and furniture pieces. Their only requirement was to include their art in the new design, leaving Waters with a blank slate for the overhaul. She tells us more:

Tell us about this home. What is the neighborhood like?
This home is located in Santa Monica near Montana Street so there is great walkability. Santa Monica is known for its bungalows and luckily has maintained a lot of its charm. The particular home is actually a three-story town house that was built in 1980. The architects were clearly inspired by the original Spanish homes in the neighborhood.

What was the jumping off point for the project?
With every new client project, the very first step we take is providing our clients with Pinterest homework. We want to dig deeper into we want it to feel cozy. Once our clients provide the images and feedback, we cross check that vibe with the architecture of the home. Here, the architecture leaned Spanish, and the inspo provided by our clients was sophisticated interiors with lots of rich colors. The very first item we sourced were the Spanish tiles for the powder bath from Tabarka Studio. Everything we pulled from that point forwarded aligned with those floor tiles to provide a cohesive modern Spanish aesthetic. 

We’d love to know a bit more about the clients. What were their hopes & dreams for the space?
They had never worked with designers before and we spent the time at the beginning discussing our process, budgeting & making sure everyone was comfortable with the timelines. I have learned that it’s better to under promise and overdeliver, than the other way around. Luckily, these were our ideal clients – they completely trusted us and allowed us to do our thing. The project could have been a disaster. It started right as Covid hit and between everyone being home, the delays, the backorders… they still took everything in stride. As soon as the project wrapped, they were asking when we could start the remodel of the upstairs bathrooms. 

How long did the project take, and what did the family say when they saw the finished space?
We were hired by our clients in January 2020, and wrapped the project in mid-October. Honestly, there is truly nothing better than doing a full reveal to clients after months of renovation. These clients had the luxury of living at a family member’s house during most of the renovation, so this was really a full reveal. They could not believe it was the same house- it had been completely transformed. They gushed and gushed, and were so thrilled to get to move back into a home that they truly loved. 

Learn more about the design in the slideshow.