You Won't Believe the Transformation of This Boho-Chic California Ranch

This four-bedroom ranch in Pasadena, California, looked quite different when Los Angeles interior designer Kirsten Blazek first purchased it. It was built in 1945 and stayed in the same family until she bought it in 2019, barely changing over the decades. Kirsten designed the house for her own family and lived there until selling it recently. She didn’t change many structural elements of the house, but essentially gutted it, including sanding down the front of the home to reveal its redwood siding. "It was a very, very traditional California ranch house," she says. No one else saw through its outdated style to the potential it had, she added, in spite of its amazing location — half a block from an arroyo (dry creek) overlooking the Rose Bowl. It was an incredible transformation that happened pretty fast — about four-and-a-half months in total. We asked Kirsten to walk us through her electric design that pairs bold prints with solids, and mixes vintage furniture with ultra-modern lighting.

Kirsten, who is originally from Scotland, fell in love with Southwestern styles and artwork after moving to the U.S. You'll see quite a few of those influences and accents in her work — like the black-and white kitchen tiles from Clé that were the starting point for her home's design.

When Kirsten originally bought this house, it was painted a cream color. She had it all meticulously sanded off, and it was worth it. “Underneath was this beautiful, original redwood in perfect condition,” she says, which is exactly what you see here around the front door.

Kirsten says she’s always shocked at what she uncovers by accident in people’s older homes. “It’s just crazy what was cool,” she says of outdated trends that mask homes’ natural features, like carpets covering beautiful hardwood floors. “I love working in older homes,” she says, adding that she’s driven by their unique character. “I try to keep as many of the original features that are good as I can.” Here, you can see through the house to the original windows overlooking the backyard — another feature from the original design Kirsten kept.