This story was originally published September 1, 2015.Camille Eddera is a jeweler by trade and an aesthete at heart, a combination that proved useful when tackling her own home renovation — completely alone. "Had I known at the beginning how hard it would end up being, I wouldn't have done it!" Eddera says, with a laugh.
The property, a charming bungalow in the Hollywood Hills, needed a lot of love. The previous owners hadn't made many updates to the home — it needed serious structural upgrades, and some serious freshening-up. Despite having no formal design training, Eddera could see the potential in the space, and was determined to make it work.
Inspired by homes she'd seen on the popular design blog Remodelista— and in spite of the advice of her friends — Eddera found a contractor (and then another contractor), and after a seven-and-a-half month renovation, she made it her own home. Click through to see the entire transformation.
"There were only so many neighborhoods I wanted to look at, and I wanted to live somewhere I could walk to places," says L.A. transplant Eddera, whose new home is nestled in the Hollywood Hills. Those simple criteria proved a hefty challenge. "I was really starting to lose my mind," she says, of her eight months of house-hunting.
"I remember thinking, 'Oh my god! What did you just do?'' It was January, and there was no ceiling, no walls, and no floors...it was a dump, but I knew I could have a nice living room looking out onto the yard."
The finished product is a testament to Eddera's unerring eye. "It used to be the kitchen, a dining room, and a living room, but I broke all these walls to create one large room," she explains. The transformed space provides the cozy conversation pit, where guests can take in the view from newly-installed bifold doors.
"I would have told you I'll never have a green couch, [but] it's stunning, it's beautiful," Eddera says. "And then I had this mid-century piece, the orange sofa, and in a really weird way they work together."
"It was actually difficult to create this layout, there were just two dirty little windows looking out onto the yard," Eddera says. "The living room was at the front of the home, and the bedroom faced the backyard."
A vintage typewriter gets repurposed as makeshift storage for sunglasses.
"My mother is a painter and a sculptor, so I was never lacking for art," Eddera says. "I actually have way too much art, so I have to rotate pieces."
"One of the reasons the house was affordable was because you entered through the really ugly kitchen," Eddera says. Before the renovation, it was blocked off from the rest of the downstairs living space by a wall.
Now, the kitchen is a focal point, and natural gathering place, with sleek, hardware-less mint green cabinetry, and a marble backsplash. "I like to cook dinners, so I wanted a really large kitchen. And I really wanted the marble, but it stains so easily that I basically am cutting with one hand, and wiping up with the other...but, it is so beautiful, and I love it so much."
"I had an extensive Pinterest board for the house," she admits. "Pictures were so helpful because I realized I was only pinning stuff with white hardwood floors, so I was like, 'Okay, we're going to do white hardwood floors' "
Color-coordinated baskets and knife handles, why not?
The staircase leads up to the second floor master suite.
A stenciled mural on the bedroom's back wall nods to Eddera's French heritage, and passion for the outdoors.
Mid-century modern details ground the space in the decorative zeitgeist.
"I've always loved decorating," says Eddera, who moved to the U.S. 16 years ago. "Even when I was a student, I had a tiny, tiny little one-bedroom in Paris, and it was just so adorable."
Eddera introduced pops of color into the whitewashed space with furniture and decorative accessories.
Eddera and her dog, Dudu, pose at the bottom of the stairs. "This house is great because I really like canyons, but when you're too high up, it's annoying, because you have to use your car. [From here], it takes 10 minutes to be at a restaurant — and I walk a lot, so it's fine!"
Built-in bookshelves create a dedicated reading corner that looks out onto the backyard and patio. Swoon much?
Quirky vintage finds speak to Eddera's love of color and nature, themes that inspire her work.
"My new boyfriend is super anti-social, and it's a nightmare," Eddera says, with a laugh. "I love to have people over. I mean, if it were me, we would entertain for the entire week. We just started work on the patio this weekend, actually. It's cute right now, but it's going to be gorgeous."
The home's bifold doors were the most expensive new feature Eddera added — but, it was worth it. "I wanted to constantly have these doors open so I could be outside most of the time," she says. Who could blame her?
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