A Coastal California Cottage

Home to a family with four little girls, this happy bungalow incorporates modern farmhouse style with bold patterns to create an easy, breezy home that’s perfect for entertaining.

- By Lauren Hofer

When the new owners of this 1975 bungalow enlisted the help of interior designer Michelle Lisac of Michelle Lisac Interior Design to help them craft their dream home, the house was still decked out in its original finishes. “It was a very swanky and groovy 1970s house,” Michelle says, “There was lots of dark wood everywhere.”

The now four-bedroom and four-bathroom home is located in the hills of Aptos, California, near Santa Cruz. To accommodate both their immediate family and frequent guests, the homeowners wanted plenty of space for entertaining, a bright and airy feel and a separate space for their daughters to play. “We basically took the whole house down to the studs, reconfigured the layout and rebuilt,” Michelle says.

MAKING BIG CHANGES