Subdued Glamour. That’s how designer Katie Hodges envisioned the first home she bought, in October 2020, with her producer-director husband, Timothy Bathurst. Inspired by the location near Los Angeles’s historic Whitley Heights enclave, the former Next Wave designer was picturing the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, but she didn’t want to strong-arm her client (i.e., her husband) into going along with her plan. They agreed that each of them would give every design decision their personal stamp of approval.
And so began two-and-a-half years of work on their 1,927-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath Spanish cottage. The tweaks started small (“A coat of paint!” Hodges says) and quickly ballooned into a full-blown renovation that she designed and Bathurst managed. They replaced all the windows and doors except for the French doors in the living room, opened up walls between the kitchen and dining room, gutted the cooking space, and created a Jack-and-Jill bath between two bedrooms, one of which is now an office. The house had only one closet, in the primary bedroom, so the pair built wardrobes into the rooms and sneaked a laundry nook into the kitchen. They also replaced all the floors. As soon as the really dusty stuff was done, they moved in.
“Our real qualifier was a working bathroom,” Hodges says. “We didn’t have a kitchen for a year and a half!” The last piece of furniture arrived six months before their daughter, Mila, did. Today, the family’s home looks, feels, and lives much larger than its floor plan implies.
Walls and ceilings covered in hand-troweled raw plaster give the living spaces a cozy yet open atmosphere. “We call it a small big house,” Hodges says. It’s also one that’s been customized to suit their needs. The kitchen, with its new layout and 60-inch Wolf range, has a “scale that might not match the square footage, but we knew we’d spend a lot of time in there,” Hodges says. It’s proof that, apparently, you can go big and go home.
FAST FACTS
Designer: Katie Hodges
Location: Los Angeles, California
The Space: A three-bedroom, two-bathroom Spanish cottage across 1,927 square feet.
ENTRYWAY
Plaster-covered walls convey a sense of patina from the start.
Wine-tasting table and mirror: vintage, Round Top Antiques Fair. Wall lamp: vintage, Ponce Berga.
In the entryway, an oversized mirror expands the space and bounces light around the room. The pouf is upholstered in fabric the couple bought in Laos, with trim from Décor de Paris.
KITCHEN
Hodges skipped upper cabinetry to ensure the small space felt open.
Cabinetry paint: Mouse’s Back, Farrow & Ball. Barstools: Thomas Hayes Studio, in Pierre Frey fabric.
Woka brass lights with glass crystals and Borghini marble countertops and backsplash add elegance. Vented cabinets hide laundry appliances, packing a ton of function into a snug space.
LIVING ROOM
Antique beams lend structure and age.
Art: Joel Stanulonis. Curtains: custom, in Colefax and Fowler fabric. Sofa: custom, in Designs of the Time fabric. Chairs: vintage Guillerme et Chambron.
Brutalist-style Blackman Cruz sconces establish an aesthetic that’s “soft with a masculine edge,” says Katie Hodges of the scene, which she designed to satisfy both her own and her husband’s sensibilities.
DINING ROOM
Pendant: 1001lights. Dining table: custom. Chairs: custom, with cushions in Loro Piana fabric.
Located off the kitchen, the dining nook feels like a room unto itself, thanks to unified materiality and a soft neutral palette. A vintage Guillerme et Chambron sideboard holds supplies beneath a gallery wall of Picasso prints.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Gauzy drapery adds privacy while filtering light beautifully.
Paint: Roman Clay in Patagonia, Portola Paints. Lamp: vintage Charles Dudouyt, Orange Furniture. Bed: custom, in Stroheim fabric. Coverlet: Nickey Kehoe.
In the primary bedroom, a butterscotch and saffron color palette is “rich and soothing,” Hodges says. Roman clay-covered walls bring a sense of movement, like a cozy hug.
NURSERY
A custom mural lends sweetness.
Mural: Christopher Canullo. Pendant: Two Enlighten. Paint: Roman Clay in Oatmeal, Portola Paints. Crib: Stokke. Curtains: custom, in World Linen fabric. Rug: Marc Phillips.
Muddy shades of peach and blush helped to keep Hodges’ daughter’s bedroom sweet but timeless. The bookshelf was a prototype for Hodges’s furniture collaboration with Anthropologie.
OFFICE
An inky color drench is a dramatic backdrop for inspiration.
Paint: Roman Clay in Story Teller, Portola Paints. Pendant: Jason Koharik. Desk: vintage, 1stDibs. Rug: Woven Accents.
Decidedly more tailored and masculine than the rest of the home, Hodges’ office is a study in contrast. The Pierre Frey fabric on the Madsen and Schubell lounge chair is the design equivalent of wearing a fun shirt with a suit.
PRIMARY BATHROOM
Hodges made the most of a snug layout by hanging the mirror in front of the windows.
Floor tile: Tabarka Studio. Mirror: custom, Cooper Reynolds Gross. Countertop: Stoneland USA.
Hodges designed the floating vanity for maximum storage and hung a mirror in front of the window “to capitalize on light.”
PATIO
Tall hedges and ample foliage create a private, transportive retreat.
Bolster: Dedar. Chairs: Luteca. Exterior paint: Crystal Haze, Dunn- Edwards. Patio floor: Eco Outdoor. Sconce: ADG Lighting.
Daybeds at Marrakech’s El Fenn Hotel inspired this outdoor sofa, covered in Jim Thompson fabric.
