When interior designer Kirsten Blazek (of A 1000xBetter ) and her family purchased a “traditional on the outside and dated on the inside” four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in the charming Linda Vista neighborhood of Pasadena, California-the home is located less than a block from the Arroyo overlooking the Rosebowl and Brookfield Golf Course-all Blazek saw was potential. “The house was previously owned by one family since it was custom-built for them in the mid-1940s,” she tells us. “I loved that the home was a beautiful, classic California ranch house. The board and batten on the front exterior reminded me of the houses I loved in Ojai, California, which is one of my favorite towns.”
With the help of contractor group Bayside Builders (who executed a remodel in under five months!), Blazek tackled the major elements of the renovation first; the kitchen was gutted and redesigned and ceilings were raised. “Afterwards, I started layering and adding things like light fixtures and wallpaper, which added extra charm and character to the home,” she shares.
But before she worked in those finishing touches (the most impactful of which is undeniably the nuanced bold wall coverings, seen in virtually every room), she dreamed up a cohesive color story. “For this home, I started out by using Benjamin Moore’s White Dove as our main shade and Black Fox as the trim for the windows,” she says. “I tend to gravitate towards greens and earth tones and the colors I picked were a reflection of what was happening on the exterior of the home, which is surrounded by nature.” Ahead, step inside this comfortable, nuanced space, which married mid-century pieces and maximalist patterns with contemporary black-and-white touches.
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