Maggie Bohlman turned to the cleverest ends of the color spectrum to update her 1927 Spanish-style fixer-upper. Eye-popping blue, green, pink and yellow substituted beige and brown, covering nearly every wall and floor. Summers at New Jersey’s Jersey Shore and time spent as a teen in some of New York City’s neon-filled clubs, including Danceteria, motivated the overhaul overhaul. “These items all in a way helped shape my love for bright colours,” she says.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Maggie Bohlman, son Charlie, Spanish Water Dog Bernie Williams, Jr., and cat Halibut
Location: Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles
Size:1,830 square feet; 3 bedrooms, two baths
Madison Modern Home
Peacock-blue walls and magenta accents enliven the family room. The handmade marquee sign is by Ventura artist Scott Coppersmith. Bohlman’s former neighbor, an art instructor, helped her narrow her down wall colours. “We introduced her a color swatch book and went room by room,” Bohlman says. “The space and light really helped make the choices clear.”
Wall paint: Peacock Blue, Glidden; suzani pillows: Located Object, Joss and Main; sofa: Crate & Barrel
Madison Modern Home
Custom reclaimed wood shelves with magenta shirts span the room; they exhibit Mexican bits found on Olvera Street in downtown L.A.
Shelves: Scott Coppersmith
Before Photo
This was the condition of the living area when Bohlman and boy Charlie first transferred in. “I am gradually adding back some Spanish revival touches to the house it seems were lost through a 1957 remodel,” Bohlman says.
Madison Modern Home
Madison Modern Home
AFTER: After ripping out the carpet, Bohlman discovered red bamboo flooring, which she refinished. She added a small arch to the door frame. A deep purple rug now dominates the distance, and Eva Zeisel sconces cast a gentle glow. Bohlman found the Room & Board Jasper sofa for $200 on Craigslist and had it slipcovered. Vintage family photos hang above a piano painted in exactly the exact same soft aqua color as the walls.
A pair of designer lounge seats was Bohlman’s first “grown-up” purchase; she had them reupholstered in a green retro fabric. She scored the apothecary chest at a salvage yard in Berkeley, California.
Wall paint: Windswept, Dunn-Edwards; embroidered bench: Pallavi Bench, Joss and Main
Madison Modern Home
A print of John F. Kennedy which Bohlman spotted online inspired a collection of memorabilia.
Madison Modern Home
Against the advice of all her friends, Bohlman purchased and installed this owl-patterned Catalina Estrada wallpaper. It is now the star of the display in the miniature dining area.
Bubbles Globe Pendant: Lumens; wallpaper: Bloom Papers
Madison Modern Home
Bohlman stores family heirloom dishes in a corner hutch she found at a salvage yard. Family friend Deborah Wian White’s photography and silhouettes of all Bohlman’s son, dog and cat decorate the walls.
Wall paint: Windswept, Dunn-Edwards
Madison Modern Home
A classic floral chandelier, subway signs and vivid yellow walls energizes an eating area.
Wall paint: Egg Yolk 13A6, True Worth; table: Laguna, James Devlin Studio; hints: Going Underground
When to make use of yellow in the dining area
Madison Modern Home
Apple-green walls and floral-pattern bedding amp up the main bedroom. “It is bright, fun and comfy, and the backyard is right there — my puppy snuggles with me and my son to the mattress,” Bohlman says. She took the photograph hanging over her bed during a trip to Thailand.
After fawning over her friend’s Marianna Kennedy lamp for years, Bohlman finally splurged on a magenta one of her own, which is currently on the nightstand.
Interior paint: Granny Smith Apple, Glidden; suzani blanket: Black Fig Designs; cushion: CasaOtomi
Madison Modern Home
A lively fuchsia wall mural from Viktoria Begg, also from Bloom Papers, and a matching pink console increase the playfulness of this room.
Madison Modern Home
The bed in the guest area includes a coverlet stitched with a grid of the city of Los Angeles from Haptic Lab.
Wall paint: Granny Smith Apple, Glidden; bookcase: Sapien, Design Within Reach
Madison Modern Home
A chalkboard paint border decorates Charlie’s room, which also includes geography-theme bits, like a map-covered toy chest, and handmade letters.
Chest: Drift Studio, Fab; letters: EcoHaus Project, Etsy; bookcase: Expedit, Ikea
decorate your child’s room with chalkboard paint
Before Photo
The home came with exactly what Bohlman explains as “awful 1950s aluminum windows” She worked with Brett Taylor at Taylor Brothers to find a more appropriate version that could honor the home’s original Spanish style.
AFTER: The new windows improve the front facade and provide better insulation. Bohlman also substituted the outside light fixtures and additional potted olive and fig trees.
“When we got here, the lawn hadn’t any trees, a half cinder block wall for no apparent reason about the terrace, an old metal drop and vulnerable chain link fence,” says Bohlman. “It was rather depressing.” She implanted privet and bougainvillea, and honeysuckle and black bamboo in planters, to conceal an unsightly fence.
She subsequently installed a 130-inch outdoor screen and a projector to watch films, like The Thin Man and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Contractor: Edwin Vides; shade sails: Amazon; chairs: Woodard Sculptura in powder-coated orange; planters: Potted in Atwater Village; succulents: Home Depot
Madison Modern Home
“My house is my castle,” says Bohlman, revealed here with Charlie. “It may not be as big or as swanky as other people’s houses, but it’s mine, and I’ve made it a place for our small family to grow, flourish, laugh and be motivated.”
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