When Safna and Karan Agarwal found out that an uninhabitable house on Mount Angelus Drive in Los Angeles was for sale, they jumped at the chance.
The couple, who run the interior design and real estate investment firm Bungalow, live nearby and know how coveted the location is in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood. The property was on the market for $399,000, but the Agarwals beat out 30 other bidders for $710,000.
The two-bedroom home is 1,069 square feet, and much of the 3,330-square-foot lot was designed to be used as indoor-outdoor living space. They converted the carport into a pergola, and it’s surrounded by lush landscaping, perfect for dining al fresco with guests.
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From the curb, the green trim of the white, textured Spanish-style home stands out. Safa took inspiration from recent travels; for example, the home’s exterior mimics that of the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, California, where she and Curran celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.
On the same theme, Safa reminisced about relaxing with friends in Oaxaca, Mexico, where she stayed at Grana B&B, which features striking emerald tiles throughout.
The team decided to use handmade Moroccan zellige tiles from Zia Tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. The handmade, hand-painted decorative tiles from Old Mexico adorn the accent walls in the living room and main suite and, most surprisingly, are also used as baseboards.
“It wasn’t cheap. It was a design statement, but we felt the house needed it,” Safa said.
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Instead of drywall cabinets, Sapna and Karan opted for custom built-in storage in their bedroom, which not only saved valuable floor space but also made the room appear larger and more intentional.
Other details added character to the project, including a fluted marble sink, a striking onyx sink, raw wood planks in the bathroom, and oil-finished bronze flush-mount lighting. Sapna hired a floral stylist for the final touches.
“I wanted to use dried flowers to evoke the charm of the old Mexican world,” Safa says.
In all, the renovations were completed in just six months. The couple put the home on the market in May and it sold quickly, finding a buyer within two weeks for $1.6 million, according to property records, hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the original asking price.
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“The enthusiasm at the open house was really gratifying, we could see that people appreciated it as much as we wanted it to happen,” Safa said.
Our aesthetic is… “Whatever style the home calls for, it’s warm, cozy and has a rustic touch,” says Sapna.
Our advice to anyone renovating: “Don’t live in the place while construction is going on. Get out. Rent it. Move somewhere else,” Curran says.
The biggest surprise for us was “how beautifully they landscaped this home,” says Curran.
Her favorite part about the renovation was… “The process was amazing and fun. The momentum was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before,” says Sapna.
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Her favorite material used in this process… “The green zellige tile, it’s the star of the show,” Safa says.
The only expense they didn’t anticipate was “converting our existing carport into a pergola,” but it was worth it, says Safa.
The renovation ended up costing $350,000.