Subdued Glamour. That’s how designer Katie Hodges envisioned the first home she bought, in October 2020, with her producer-director husband, Timothy Bathurst. Inspired by the location near Los Angeles’s historic Whitley Heights enclave, she was picturing the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. But she didn’t want to strong-arm her client (i.e., her husband) into going along with her plan. They agreed that each of them would give every design decision their personal stamp of approval.
And so began two-and-a-half years of work on their 1,927-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath Spanish cottage. The tweaks started small (“A coat of paint!” Hodges says) and quickly ballooned into a full-blown renovation that she designed and Bathurst managed. They replaced all the windows and doors except for the French doors in the living room, opened up walls between the kitchen and dining room, gutted the cooking space, and created a Jack-and-Jill bath between two bedrooms, one of which is now an office. The house had only one closet, in the primary bedroom, so the pair built wardrobes (finished in the same color as the walls) into the rooms and sneaked a laundry nook into the kitchen. They also replaced all the floors. As soon as the really dusty stuff was done, they moved in.
“Our real qualifier was a working bathroom,” Hodges says. “We didn’t have a kitchen for a year and a half!” The last furniture arrived six months before their daughter, Mila, did. Today, the family’s home looks, feels, and lives much larger than its floor plan implies. Walls and ceilings covered in hand-troweled raw plaster give the living spaces a cozy yet open atmosphere. “We call it a small big house,” Hodges says. It’s also one that’s been customized to suit their needs. The kitchen, with its new layout and 60-inch Wolf range, has a “scale that might not match the square footage, but we knew we’d spend a lot of time in there,” Hodges says. It’s proof that, apparently, you can go big and go home.
Entryway
The pouf is upholstered in fabric the couple bought in Laos, with trim from Décor de Paris. Wine-tasting table and mirror: vintage, Round Top Antiques Fair. Wall lamp: vintage, Ponce Berga.
Living Room
Pictured above.
Brutalist-style Blackman Cruz sconces establish an aesthetic that’s “soft with a masculine edge,” says Katie Hodges. Art: Joel Stanulonis. Curtains: custom, in Colefax and Fowler fabric. Sofa: Katie Hodges Design in Designs of the Time fabric. Chairs: vintage Guillerme et Chambron.
Kitchen
Woka brass lights with glass crystals and Borghini marble countertops and backsplash add elegance. Vented cabinets hide laundry appliances. Cabinetry: Katie Hodges Design, in Mouse’s Back, Farrow & Ball paint. Barstools: Thomas Hayes Studio, in Pierre Frey fabric.
Dining Area
A vintage Guillerme et Chambron sideboard holds supplies beneath Picasso prints. Pendant: 1001lights. Table and chairs: Katie Hodges Design. Cushions: custom, in Loro Piana fabric.
Primary Bedroom
A butterscotch-and-saffron color palette is “rich and soothing,” Hodges says. Paint: Roman Clay in Patagonia, Portola Paints. Lamp: vintage Charles Dudouyt, Orange Furniture. Bed: custom, in Stroheim fabric. Coverlet: Nickey Kehoe.
Nursery
The bookshelf is a prototype for Hodges’s upcoming furniture collaboration. Mural: Christopher Canullo. Pendant: Two Enlighten. Paint: Roman Clay in Oatmeal, Portola Paints. Crib: Stokke. Curtains: custom, in World Linen fabric. Rug: Marc Phillips.
Office
The Pierre Frey fabric on the Madsen and Schubell lounge chair is the design equivalent of wearing a fun shirt with a suit. Paint: custom, Roman Clay in Story Teller, Portola Paints. Pendant: Jason Koharik. Desk: vintage, 1stDibs. Rug: Woven Accents.
Main Bathroom
Hodges designed the floating vanity for maximum storage and hung a mirror in front of the window “to capitalize on light.” Tile: Tabarka Studio. Mirror: custom, Cooper Reynolds Gross. Countertop: Stoneland USA.
Bathroom
Back Patio
Daybeds at Marrakech’s El Fenn Hotel inspired this outdoor sofa, in Jim Thompson fabric. Bolster: Dedar. Chairs: Luteca. Table: Katie Hodges Design. Paint: Crystal Haze, Dunn- Edwards. Patio: Eco Outdoor. Sconce: ADG Lighting.
