1920s Southern California Bungalow

This 1923 bungalow was rather bland when purchased by the current owners; it was painted light tan, with a typical suburban grass landscaped lot.  The owners had a much grander vision; they wanted a place of calm, a place to practice yoga, and a place that fit their near Pacific Ocean historic neighborhood in Santa Monica. This house appeared in an article I wrote for “Cottages and Bungalows” in July 2009.

Fitting in everywhere

The idea behind the entire color scheme was to set the stage for an environment that would include a major landscaping change. Working with landscape architect Chuck Stopherd, the entire lot was transformed into a microcosm of the California foothills. The house colors were selected from a 1920 paint catalogue and applied in period fashion.

Goal & Solution

Goal

The owners of this early 20th century bungalow had a grand vision; they wanted a place of calm, a place to practice yoga, and a place that fit their near Pacific Ocean historic neighborhood in Santa Monica.  And they wanted it to look different!

Solution

Through various color tests, the owners and I came up with a blue green color based on several historic period color charts for the house body. We then added a soft suede tan as the trim color, along with Indian Red window sashes.  An off-white was chosen for the massive porch columns.  The side pergola was colored in the tan to keep its appearance soft against the house.