This “Plain Jane” 1950s LA House Was Transformed into a Japandi-Style Dream Home
This 1614-square-foot house in the Lake Balboa neighborhood of San Fernando Valley was built in 1952, and was in good shape with lots of potential when Yassi and Jason Yarger purchased it in 2022. But its style was “just a total late ’80s plain Jane,” the couple explains.
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“The layout was pretty closed off as well, with a separate kitchen away from the living space. We tried our best to open things up and play with the space as much as possible,“ Yassi writes.
The couple began the renovations in the spring of 2023, and say their home was very informed by wabi-sabi/Japandi style. “When we moved into this home, we felt much more established and confident in our design philosophies and interests. I think the house now properly reflects where we are at,” Yassi writes.
“It feels cool and modern, but also calm and warm, and we hope it feels comfortable to our friends and family that come over. The design choices we made feel right and timeless, and we stayed true to ourselves and our personal style,” Yassi continues.
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“It was really important to us to furnish and decorate the home slowly so we could find the right pieces for each space. We think we did that.”
The couple also worked with good people. “We are lucky that we got to work with a contractor who we consider a friend — it made the process so much more enjoyable. We actually joke how we miss ‘hanging out with Greg’ since he was over here every day for a year-and-a-half working on the house,” Yassi explains.
Yassi and Jason also got help from Hannah Go, the founder and principal designer of Studio Hanego, who was brought on to aid the couple in bringing their Japandi vision to life with material and layout, particularly in the bathrooms, where “Japanese and Scandinavian design” meets a “minimal and calming” vibe, but they’re also spaces that are “playful, lived-in, and full of personal details,” she writes. “They’re both so easygoing and fun to collaborate with, and the whole process had this relaxed, creative energy from start to finish,” Hannah writes.
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Resources
PAINT & COLORS
- Entry/Living Room/Dining Room — Portola Paints “Roman Clay”
- Bedroom — Backdrop “Sentimental Reasons”
- Powder Room — Backdrop “Negroni”
- Guest Bath — Backdrop “Road to Todos Santos”
- Primary Bath — Backdrop “Mojave”
LIVING ROOM & DINING ROOM
- Couch — Crate and Barrel
- Coffee Table — Sunday Company
- Credenza — Kathy Kuo Home
- Floor Lamp — Noguchi
- Leather Armchair — Vintage find from Facebook Marketplace; the couple took it to a “local leather guy in the valley and he cleaned it up and re-did the seat.”
- 3-Leg Side Table — West Elm
- Jute Rug — Rugs Direct
- Swing Arm Wall Sconce — Ping
- Painting — Jason Yarger
- Curtains — Two Pages
- Dining Table — Burke Decor
- Cushions — Amazon
BEDROOM
- Curtains — Two Pages
- Rug — All Modern
POWDER ROOM
GUEST BATH
- Sconce — RBW
- Tile — Daltile
- Vanity — DIY
- Floor Tiles — Floor and Decor
- Quartz Countertops — T&L Tile in East Los Angeles
- Toilet Paper Holder — Garza Marfa
PRIMARY BATH
- Tile — Bedrosians
- Floor Tiles — Floor and Decor
- Sconce — Lumens
- Vanity — The Home Depot
- Shower Control System — Ferguson Home
- Shower Head #1 — Ferguson Home
- Faucet — Ferguson Home
- Medicine Cabinet — The Home Depot
- Vases — Gifted or Thrifted
- Vintage Cowboy Painting — Pasadena Antique Mart
- Countertops and Integrated Sink — T&L Tile in East Los Angeles
- Hooks — Etsy
- Toilet Paper Holder — Ferm Living
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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