A 1926 Home Got Its Spanish Bungalow Flavor Back, Plus a Statement Shower Door
Photography by Michael P. H. Clifford
Kirsten Blazek would never pick favorites. In the years since she became the founder and creative director of a1000xbetter, she’s worked with many clients to transform their homes into a shared vision. But the owners of this Ojai, California, property said something at the beginning of their renovation that made this partnership a highlight of Blazek’s career. “They said, ‘If you like it, we like it,” she remembers. “Basically, there were no questions asked.”
Their 1926 Spanish-style bungalow is situated in the quiet town between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and serves as a warm escape from their home base in Canada. The owners liked that it was close to the main drag and had two bedrooms and two garages—one attached and another out back. And while they didn’t exactly love the myriad of unpermitted DIYs that complicated the layout and its materials, the couple trusted Blazek to simplify it all. And she did, down to the studs.
