Modern & Fully Renovated Los Angeles House Tour

Shanty Wijaya, an LA designer and founder of ALLPRACE Homes, started out as a molecular biologist.

But then she decided to fly from Jakarta, Indonesia to Los Angeles to start a new career in interior design.

After the 2008 housing market crisis, many homes were abandoned. Shanty and her team came in and began to restore these homes.

Her mission was to see that everyone could enjoy a custom renovated home regardless of socioeconomic status.

An Open Living Space & Kitchen:

They found this home in the historic Jefferson Park neighborhood of LA and saw the potential. They completely renovated it, also adding an additional bedroom and bathroom. As well as a custom she-shed in the backyard.

Below was the house before they began.

It lacked personality and needed love. Just a gray concrete house and empty yard that had almost nothing going for it.

Enter Shanty and her team.

The Porch Was Painted Blue & Given Some Love:

This is the front of the home once they got to work. They painted the outside a deep blue and added cozy elements to the front porch.

Now it is inviting.

The entry is all about neutrals and textures. A sort of Scandinavian look mixed with bohemian style.

The house designed is an open plan. The living room, kitchen and dining space shares the same square footage.

One could move the furniture and change the order of the spaces up. That’s what I like about an open plan design. The possibilities are endless.

The deep blue color chosen for the lower cabinets ground the area. Also allowing the space to appear distinguished and separate.

The yellow and white patterned wallpaper on the wall of the dining space helps to separate these spaces.

They decided not to add upper cabinets. Instead they built one shelf along two walls for storage.

An Additional Living Space:

Another living space with a fireplace was designed as a getaway for reading and conversation with built-in bookshelves.

I can imagine sitting there listening to music or the chirping of birds outside while perusing a book.

The bedrooms are spare. More utilitarian than decorative. Not a lot of furniture was used. There’s lots of open space.

I like the shelf above the door that leads out to the back.

Black & White Elegance:

This bathroom is a mixture of black and white, which always makes an elegant statement in any home.

I’ve always read that you should add a bit of black to any room.

The color black is dramatic, stylish, and provides a grounding effect. Black enhances the colors and shapes around it.

This bathroom’s tub is surrounded by brick. Which gives the room a bit of texture and architectural interest.

Another bedroom with shutters on the lower part of the window. The eye is drawn to the wallpaper on the wall behind the bed.

Opening The Bedrooms To The Back Yard:

The bedrooms open up to new decks in the backyard, where a plain and empty terrain was turned into a stylish outdoor living space.

An Empty Unloved Square Of Back Yard:

The back of the home was just one large expanse of dirt when they began renovating this piece of real estate. It was empty and had nothing going for it.

They added decks, grass and landscaping. Cement squares were strategically placed to provide walkways and an element of design.

The she-shed sits in one corner of the yard.

The Addition Of A Deck, Landscaping & She-Shed:

The crew made the most of the square footage of this home and yard. They have created a welcoming home for someone else to love.

This is the back of the house now. It is stylish and opens up to various outdoor seating areas.

The she-shed isn’t a large structure. But it provides a small sitting area and a place for a desk, which might come in handy for home schooling. Or a quiet getaway for a teenager to study in.

With an eye toward landscaping, greenery was added around the she-shed to give it more personality and soften corners.

A small window box with flowers gives the shed a cozy look.

The dark painted ceiling is interesting.

The chair invites you to come on in and sit awhile. Maybe put an album on the turn table and listen to music.

This home was once just a cement structure and a flat empty yard. But Shanty and her crew came in and gave it some love.

With their skills, it became a home boasting lovely and well thought out rooms. As well as a new yard serving as another living space.

What do you think about the bedrooms opening up to the backyard?

{Photographs from The Everygirl)