Houzz Tour: 2 Weeks to an Apartment Transformation
Designer Kimba Hills of Santa Monica, California, likes to work fast. Really fast. She spends anywhere from a few weeks to just a few days completely overhauling homes and apartments. "This is a great alternative for people with a tight deadline — corporate housing, rentals and even vacation homes," Hills says.
So when an international jet-setting couple who spends half of their year in Washington, D.C., and the other half in Los Angeles didn't want to spend all their West Coast time redecorating their new apartment, they found Hills. They gave her complete freedom to turn their dark, gloomy residence in the historic ocean-facing Sovereign building into something sleek, cheerful and worth spending time in.
Hills decided on furniture placement in 20 minutes, then began crafting a list of what would stay and what would go — often the hardest thing for clients to do, she says. Swift color fixes and smart furniture purchases finalized the transformation, which took just two weeks total.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A former ambassador and a writer
Location: Santa Monica, California
Size: 1,200 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
The Sovereign building, where the one-bedroom unit is located, is a former hotel designed by architect Kurt Meyer-Radon in 1928. A Spanish colonial revival, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
The former living space was dark and had too many pieces of furniture (left by the previous homeowner), making the room seem smaller than it was.
Remove furniture pieces one at a time for a quick change of perspective. Return only the pieces you love. This is a fast, organized way to make decisions.
AFTER: This custom contemporary sectional from Hills' shop, Rumba, added seating and created the feeling of more space. A vintage bright orange Bertoia chair, Noguchi-inspired coffee table and red area rug brought in color and warmth.
Dark artwork, upholstered chairs and an oversize plant jammed into a corner all came out.
AFTER: A vintage Saarinen-style tulip table with small upholstered stools now refreshes the small breakfast room. The vintage Paul McCobb chair moves gracefully from the living area to the eating area for flexible seating.
White paint is always a fast, easy fix, Hills says. It eliminates the time-consuming color-choice battles and additional hours painting walls, trim and ceilings in different tones. "I like white paint in an apartment," Hills says. "If there are dark cabinets, bathroom built-ins or dark built-in shelving, whitewash away. It immediately cleans up a space, freshens and makes any room seem bigger. My current favorite is Benjamin Moore's Cotton Balls in an eggshell finish."
One of Hills' main design moves was switching the furniture from big, bulky pieces that overwhelmed the space to sleeker, airier pieces.
AFTER: A Hans Wegner desk lightens the load, for example. It also acts as a formal dining table when the couple has friends over for dinner. "A piece of furniture that can do double duty is always a space saver and tends to be much more practical," Hills says.
She removed the tropical headboard, artwork and chairs from the bedroom.
AFTER: A classic white bed with a subtle flax linen headboard makes for a cozy, comfortable space. A low-slung bench replaced the dowdy pair of chairs by the window, while a bright Suzani throw adds a cheerful splash of color.
The homeowners wanted to stop wasting this room, with its junk-accumulating desk.
AFTER: Low, horizontal midcentury sofas turned the space into an extra living room and sleeping quarters for guests.
The homeowners didn't think their dark, narrow entry hall had room for furniture to throw keys or a bag on.
AFTER: But a skinny console table delivers just the right amount of surface area without cramping the space.
A sea grass runner was a quick and inexpensive way to modernize the hallway. "Especially in a rental where you can't remove dull wall-to-wall carpeting, it quickly makes a room seem more stylish," Hills says. "Be sure to choose a rug that's heavy enough to lay flat and not buckle on top of the carpet."
