Casa Maya

This Atwater Village property arrived as a blank slate in the truest sense — a post-war California home largely void of architectural character or decorative detail. That absence, rather than a limitation, became an invitation: to build something warm, considered, and deeply intentional from the ground up.

The home was taken down to the studs and comprehensively reimagined, both inside and out. A rear addition was designed to house a generous primary bedroom and en suite, while the garage was thoughtfully converted into a functional artist's studio — expanding the life of the property in ways that felt both practical and inspired.

The design direction was guided by soft neutrals and a Japandi-inspired minimalism — a quiet aesthetic that values warmth over austerity and character over ornamentation. Ceilings were lifted throughout the kitchen and primary bedroom addition, opening these spaces to light and air and giving the home a sense of ease and openness it had never previously known.

The kitchen became the true heart of the home — anchored by a large center island and crowned with custom pendant lighting, it draws the surrounding rooms naturally into its orbit, each space flowing from the next with its own distinct function and intention. The primary and guest bathrooms were finished in warm cream stucco, designed as fully open wet rooms without shower doors — intimate, spa-like sanctuaries that feel both elemental and indulgent.

The primary bedroom, as part of the new addition, became one of the most special spaces in the house — quietly luxurious and opening directly onto the private rear garden and studio beyond. Outside, the landscaping was conceived to evoke a natural California garden, grounded by European hardscaping and brought to life with considered decorative elements including boulders and a beautifully weathered antique vessel serving as a water feature.

The finished property is a home that wears its warmth and character as though they were always there — calm, natural, and entirely its own.