Cozy With Character

A homeowner finds creative ways to update her 1950s home on a budget.

- BY MERYL SCHOENBAUM

Deema Lopez is a self-described "obsessive redecorator" who had a stressful career in politics before her personal compass led her to finding herself more at home writing about her home. She shares the journey of her home's renovation in her blog Pretty on Fridays (prettyonfridays.​com) and on her Instagram page of the same name. Her weekly email newsletter, Merci Ktir-which hits recipients' inboxes on Fridays, of course includes her personal musings. "It's usually whatever awkward scenario I found myself in that week, books and shows I'm loving, podcasts that made me think and things that made me laugh. It's my most popular content," she says.

When Deema was house hunting with her husband and two children, she knew a cozy home with character would make her heart happy. "I wanted an older home, and I fell in love with the character of this one," she says. "I loved the wainscoting, the vaulted ceilings, the dormer windows-it had so many cozy features."

The house was built in a Los Angeles beach community in 1950. The family moved into the four-bedroom home in 2019, and Deema began the journey of reimagining it.

RENOVATIONS AND REDESIGNS

Deema fell in love with the home at first sight. "I love all the original architecture, from the vaulted ceilings to the doors, some of which are super-thin and abnormally small-I love the juxtaposition in sizes; the tiny windows to the wainscotting," she says. "I loved how cozy the home was."

Tips on Transitioning to a New Career

Deema's firsthand advice on how to feel at home in a new field.

My tips on a transition: Don't wait—there's never a good time to do it. Don't waste your life in a career that doesn't make you happy.