Alisha Agrellas of Honné Studio was tasked with updating a charming Los Angeles bungalow for a young couple. The house had classic California charm, so they aimed to hold onto some of the originality—yet it needed to function for modern living as well. They renovated the kitchen, bathroom, and powder bath—taking it down to bare bones before building it back up. The end result is California Modern with a bit of boho-eclectic detail sprinkled throughout. Alisha tells us more:

Tell us about your clients. What were their needs in the renovation?

Our clients purchased the property in 2021, and were looking to approach the space as a steppingstone property, rather than their forever home. This goal was coupled with their need for a timeline-friendly turnaround in order for the space to be move-in ready within a roughly four-to-six-month time span. Aesthetically, they wanted modern, sleek finishes that simultaneously felt warm, inviting, and texturally diverse.

Where exactly is the house located, and did the neighborhood influence the design plans? 

The home is nestled in the coveted Franklin Hills district of Los Feliz, which pulls a lot of similarities in terms of feel to the Hollywood Hills. It’s a 1,100 square-foot historic hillside bungalow, built in 1955, and embodies the epitome of quintessential Los Angeles charm. Our clients approached us as the space needed a rebirth, yet they still wanted to retain a feeling of originality when and where possible. We kept and repurposed some of the original aged brass hardware and opted for more whimsical-feeling touches when and where possible to pay homage to its roots. 

The house also gets fantastic natural light, so that inspired some of our design decisions as well so we could play off of the light as much as possible.

The timeline sounds challenging—how did you work around this?

We were very strategic with our vendors and ensured any route we went down in terms of sourcing met our tight turnaround. For example, we opted for local DTLA vendor, Zia Tile, when it came to the primary bathroom shower and the kitchen backsplash. 

This also impacted our decision to opt away from exploring a more involved custom cabinetry build-out in the kitchen and primary bathroom. We couldn’t have been happier with our decision to go with Sarah Sherman Samuel’s BOXI by Semihandmade for our semi-custom kitchen cabinetry. The team over there really makes the design process so collaborative and interactive which almost made it feel like we were going a custom route to be honest. 

We were also so pleased with our primary bathroom vanity from Signature Hardware, which we finished with a Carrara marble top and our own customized plumbing fixtures.

How long did the project take, and what did the client say when they saw the finished space?

In total, from our client’s purchase date to move-in date, the project took just under six months. I believe one of our client’s first reactions was how they couldn’t wait to officially test out the primary bathroom shower!

They were pleased with the balance of both feminine and masculine elements and how they played off of each other, as that was something we paid close attention to making sure we nailed with this space.