At first, the goals were clear. When designer Nick Olsen initially talked to his longtime client, “a yard, a pool, and plenty of space” were at the top of his list. But his priorities soon shifted: “I realized I needed to live where I could walk out my door to get a coffee,” the homeowner says. The Atwater Village neighborhood fit the bill, but available homes were small, and the one he liked—a 1,200-square-foot raised cottage—had a tiny yard sans pool.
But the 100-year-old home undeniably appealed. Recently renovated, it had a new kitchen, bathrooms, and floors, plus vaulted ceilings, skylights, and stained-glass windows that gave it a tree house feel. The client was sold.
The designer worked to imbue the interiors with a lived-in look that said “California” without forgoing his client’s maximalist aesthetic or East Coast roots. First, Olsen sourced botanical wallpapers, then patterned rugs to bring out the walls’ vibrant hues. For balance, he left the ceilings white and added earthy elements in jute and bamboo.
“With all this boldness, you need relief,” Olsen explains. To that end, he had his client purchase large-scale furniture and hang his art collection. “It adds dimension and grounds the rooms,” Olsen says. “When in doubt, take up space.”
In the yard, they did just that with a slender pool. “It’s my version of Santa Barbara meets Fire Island,” the client says. “A home is only as small as your love for it.”
Kitchen
Since the narrow kitchen opens into every other room, designer Nick Olsen swapped an island for a round table that “flows better and doesn’t have sharp edges,” he explains. Wallpaper: Cole & Son. Pendant: Design Within Reach. Table: vintage, DeKor. Chairs: Modernica.
Primary Bedroom
“It takes confidence to let things not match,” Olsen says of the different crimson hues in the wallpaper, rug, and vintage leather sofa. Wallpaper: Schumacher. Bed: Pottery Barn. Coffee table: West Elm. Dresser: CB2. Rug: vintage, DeKor. Throw pillow: Block Shop.
Office
An existing garage became a WFH space. Lamp: CB2. Wallpaper: Morris & Co. Paint: Sunrise, Sherwin-Williams. Rugs: vintage, Merchant Modern. Chairs, table, and art: vintage, DeKor.
Deck
“In a narrow outdoor space like this, simplicity is key,” Olsen says.
