The Small DIYs The Transformed My LA Bungalow’s Kitchen

Photography by Sara Tramp

I’ve had sort of a complicated relationship to my cute little LA Bungalow. On the one hand, I love this house and am so glad I found it. On the other, it’s been a BIG task trying to keep up with the expenses and logistics of two houses. I feel a little bit like I’m in a Catch 22 with my living situation – it feels like whatever I do to solve my problems (mainly financial anxiety) will result in something terrible. When I look at myself from an outside perspective, which I often have to do due to the fact that I have thousands of people ready to comment on my life daily, the answer seems clear: Just get rid of the LA place so you can keep up with Londo Lodge. But when I lived full time at Londo Lodge, I got severely depressed, gained fifty pounds, and a number of health problems stemmed from that. Add to that that the goal is to get my cabin’s kitchen done by summer so I can rent out my cabin on Airbnb and at that point I’ll need a place to sleep. Add to that the fact that I have a pit bull and finding an apartment that will allow them is next to impossible. Add to that that the LA rental market has continued to get more expensive despite the fact that everyone I know seems to be making less money. Add to that I’m not sure my income would qualify me for the same apartment now. And finally, part of my job involves needing a place to create content. When I was simulteaously DIY renovating two houses in 2021 so I’d have places to shoot stuff, I nearly lost my mind because of how much physical/logistical labor it was so I’m not necessarily trying to do that again. If I give this place up, I risk not being able to find another one. If I keep it, I’ll stay in this pattern of money worry until I can get my cabin rented out. So, you get the picture, it’s a more difficult problem to solve than it may seem from the outside.

I’ve been trying to write more openly about my financial situation as a means of advocating for people to be more transparent financially. There’s far too much shame about money (and not having enough of it) so I think it would just be better for everyone if people said things like “I can’t afford that” or “I’m not making very much money right now” as a means of challenging the sense the there is something inherently virtuous about having money. There isn’t. And there’s also no shame in struggling financially, regardless of where on the wealth spectrum you are. Especially right now when it seems so many people are reeling financially. I genuinely believe thing are going to get better for us but in the meantime it’s important to be mindful about the fact that people are still struggling.

I had kind of a fuck it moment at the end of last year where I realized I needed to stop being so hard on myself about the money. Sure, I’ve been scraping by with very scary “Am I going to be able to pay my rent?” moments happening almost every month. But I’ve also done it. I’ve paid to have two full-ass houses. And I did it myself. So at the end of the day while I wish things were more stable, I also need to give myself some credit for just getting through this rough patch. I’m hoping that summer, when hopefully my cabin’s kitchen will be done and I can rent it out, will finally bring the relief I’ve been waiting for since I bought the house and started prepping it to rent out. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, but quite frankly I’m not sure how I’ll have enough gas to drive through the tunnel because at this point it’s looking less and less likely I’ll have the funds to finish the kitchen before spring. While this is obviously stressful, I also remind myself that financial stress is a very unique kind of stress. When you’re in the depths of financial anxiety, it’s an all encompassing feeling. But six months later it’s rare you actually remember exactly what you were worried about.

I’ve also found that it can be hard for people to have full empathy for the financial worries of their friends. When it’s yourself, worrying how you’re going to pay your bills is fucking scary. When it’s someone else it just seems like a passing, meaningless worry. Probably because money itself is passing and meaningless. But my point in bringing it up here is this – if you have people in your life telling you they are stressed about money, be sure to listen to them, practice active listening, and validate their worries while trying to let them know it’s going to be fine. People seem to be seeking a lot more reassurance than normal lately.

Anyway, now that I’ve started from that lighthearted, carefree intro, let’s move on to why we’re actually here – to chat about the simple edits I made to my kitchen to make it all the more charming. I love my little kitchen and it was already nice when I moved in. But doing a few key things (mostly paint, lighting, and hardware) leveled it up even further.

GOOD BONES

When I moved in one of the first things I noticed was that the landlord [GASP!] had actually done a really nice job of renovating the kitchen. Anyone who’s looked at rentals in LA or NYC (or anywhere else probably, those are just the two cities I have lived in extensively) knows that landlords have the tendency to do TERRIBLE kitchen renovations. This one was tastefully done. Do I wish the floor tiles weren’t faux marble? Sure. But overall the style is nice and feels classic enough for this cute little Spanish bungalow. I actually really liked the style of cabinets, however they’re performed pretty poorly and a lot of them are failing already. So I have the sense that they probably were pretty cheap or that they were improperly installed. The trash pull-out failed and so my trash cans have been sitting on the floor next to the washing machine for three months. So while I’m happy with how pretty and relatively well designed the kitchen is, I’m also a little frustrated that I’m stuck either dealing with its shortcomings or bugging my landlord constantly to fix things.

FIRST THINGS FIRST, PAINT!

The walls were a blank canvas when I moved in just like the walls throughout the house (I’m pretty sure nothing was painted before I moved in, just touched up where there were major marks). So the first thing I knew I wanted to do was add some color to the walls. I went with a color that I’ve used over and over again at Londo Lodge and that apparently I cannot get enough of. The color is Grayish by Clare and that particular gray/green/blue vibe has been soothing me since I moved to the woods.

It will surprise absolutely no one that I did my go-to paint trick in here. One of my favorite things to do in rooms that don’t have crown moulding is to add a border using the ceiling color. In this space, I based the size of the border on the proportion of the trim above the cabinets. So it’s about 3 3/4″ high. It’s a relatively easy process, just mark off every 12″ or so, use blue painters tape, and there you have it – a beautiful painted crown moulding that helps create more structure, provides a natural stop for the wall color, and avoids the paint line being at the corner where the wall meets the ceiling. I find that a lot of homes, especially older ones like mine, aren’t level. And the seam where the ceiling and wall meet isn’t always a straight line. So a painted moulding is a good way to avoid accentuating the curve of your walls/ceiling by completely ignoring that seam.

A renter’s hack I learned from my mom growing up (we lived in a rented cabin in Yosemite my whole childhood) was swapping out faucets. it’s a pretty approachable project you can do yourself if you’re handy (or hire a handyman if you’re not). The faucet that was here when I moved in was a little worse for the wear. So adding this (much higher quality) faucet upgraded not only the look of everything but the function. The old faucet was loose and sprayed all over the place so the more sturdily built pull-down faucet has been a welcome change.

ORGANIZATION

As you can probably tell, organization was one of the major themes of this kitchen update. I’ve always loved the look of an eclectic kitchen but tend to be keep my own kitchens pretty sparse because I don’t love a kitchen that’s too visually chaotic. That being said, I have a lot of beautiful kitchen stuff I wanted to display so my goal here was to figure out systems to showcase things while keeping the look orderly. I lucked out and found this really affordable hanger from H&M Home. My original plan was to get leather rope and steel hooks so that all the cutting boards were easy to store and take off. I haven’t gotten to that yet so for the shoot I just used twine. It’s actually held up decently well and I have forgotten to do the leather/hook part but that’s still on my agenda. I love looking at this vignette more than I actually use it, though I will say I love knowing where twine is at all times and always knowing where my scissors are. The triangle spice rack is about eight years old from CB2 and they don’t sell it anymore which is really a shame. Let this be a lesson to all of us that if we see something cool at a big box retailer, grab it. You never know how long they’re going to keep making things.

Unfortunately for me the landlord decided to install this washer/dryer set. I am not a fan of top loaders and this machine has already destroyed multiple expensive hoodies. I can’t afford to replace these machines so I just decided to go with it. If the landlord had installed front loaders, it would have been easier to just get a countertop cut and put on top of them to create a nice work surface. But that wasn’t an option so I decided to install super deep shelving above the washer and dryer using big brackets I got on Amazon. The brackets and the shelving together left me with a bit of a bouncy shelving issue. So I added reinforcement cables anchored into the ceiling. I styled this area out with laundry supplies and baskets (which I actually use). I guess my tip for most people would be only do this if you have a lot of cute laundry stuff or if you plan on investing in a bunch. This area would definitely not look as cute with big bottles of laundry detergent and bleach on the shelves.

Another goal here was to mask the tankless water heater. I actually bought that abstract painting to go there but it ended up being too big so I moved a vintage painting I bought in Sonoma with my mom to the space I’d saved for the abstract. Overall, I love that I was able to engage that space and add some storage without blocking the pretty diffused light that pours in that window.

If this year has been about anything it’s been about gratitude. I cannot believe we’ve been in this pandemic mess for three years but as I’ve started to settle into it, I’m feeling a need to reassess things I’ve previously taken for granted. I’m feeling the need to repair relationships that have quieted due to me being far away at Londo Lodge and the general anxiety of the past three years. And this kitchen has played a small role, allowing me to cook for LA friends and have them over for dinner. And just allowing me a comfy place to make my coffee in the morning and spend hours cooking for Satie. She’s currently on a diet to cure her skin issues/allergies that consists of salmon, rice, and vegetables from Whole Foods. One time I tried making the recipe NOT from Whole Foods and it immediately upset her stomach. She’s a diva.

The most dramatic changes in this room are all reversible. So for renters, I think the general take away is that paint makes a huge difference (and can be painted back when you move). The most affordable way to give a space more gravitas is a fresh coat of paint. I also think it’s important and necessary paint a place when you move in if it hasn’t been freshly painted. I learned this at Londo Lodge as soon as I’d painted the majority of the house. I realized that it just felt too “lived in” (by someone else) before I painted. Paint is a good way to start over as well as a great way to rid the house of smells leftover from the previous occupants.

The rest of the makeover was really about organization, layering, and not being afraid to try some key DIYs. The open shelving by the counter wasn’t the easiest to install (these lathe and plaster houses make mounting things inside a challenge). But I’ve learned over the years not to be afraid of making a few holes in the wall. That’s why spackle was created.