Nickey Kehoe and AAHA Studio Totally Rethought This 1920s Spanish Home Without Adding a Single Square Foot
Working within the original footprint of this 1920s home, the design teams reconfigured the home's layout, revived its Spanish character, and found clever new ways to make every space work harder
Some homes need more space – others just need a rethink. When a home isn't working quite as it should, the obvious answer is often to build out, but in this 1920s Spanish-style home in Brentwood, the dream team managed to make this 5,200-plus square feet property work harder for the family who had loved it for more than a decade – without adding a single square foot.
'The existing layout didn't necessarily need more space; it needed to work better,' explain Harper Halprin and Aaron Leshtz of AAHA Studio, who spent two years reimagining the home alongside Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe of interior design studio Nickey Kehoe. The result is a house that feels refreshed without losing its time-worn character, pairing terracotta floors and revived Spanish architectural details with relaxed, layered interiors. There are clever solutions tucked throughout this 'highly surgical renovation', too, including a unique space that the designers have affectionately dubbed a 'mudler'.
Living Room: Arched openings connect the home's living spaces, where in the formal living room a sculptural fireplace, deep blue upholstery, and collected wooden furniture balance the Spanish architecture with contemporary comfort.
The transformation is all in the details. Rather than treating each room as a separate project, AAHA Studio took a more holistic approach, looking at how the home's spaces connected and where small adjustments could make a meaningful difference. Doorways and windows were refined, millwork reconfigured, and the flow between rooms reconsidered, all with the aim of making everyday life feel a little better.
It was a balancing act, too: the aim was to open up the main living areas without sacrificing the sense of intimacy that makes a family home feel welcoming. The result isn't one cavernous, open-plan space, but a series of rooms designed to reconnect this family home.
Just as carefully considered was what not to change. The team wanted to preserve the home's original identity rather than impose an entirely new personality upon it. 'We didn't want to recreate a Spanish-style home in a literal way,' Harper and Aaron explain. 'Instead, we looked carefully at the architectural elements that gave the house its identity and figured out where they made sense to preserve, restore, or reinterpret.'
That idea extended to the finer details, from the placement of openings to the choice of materials, with the architects working closely with design duo Todd and Amy to ensure the interiors felt like a natural extension of the architecture. As the team puts it, the ambition was never to make this house feel brand new, but like 'a home that had evolved naturally over time'.
Entry (Left) & Office (Right): A sculptural stone table anchors the terracotta-floored entry, while the home office pairs patterned wallpaper with dark wood furniture for an intimate, characterful feel.
But respecting the home's bones didn't mean turning back the clock. Instead, they took a more nuanced approach, identifying the architectural details worth holding onto and those that could benefit from a fresh new look.
'It was really about restraint and intention,' say Harper and Aaron. Terracotta tile and subtle vaulted details help establish the house's heritage, while some of the original arched windows and doors were intentionally squared off to create a cleaner, more contemporary feel. 'The result is a home that still feels rooted in its original architecture, but which functions for a family today,' they add. 'It has a sense of built-in patina, which was intentional from the beginning.'
That balance between old and new continues in the design details, where Todd and Amy brought their signature layered approach. The entry makes a particularly memorable first impression, with a green, wallpaper-backed home bar tucked beneath the staircase that sets the tone for the color scheme of the home. What could easily have been an awkward empty corner is now an unexpected focal point, as well as a practical spot for entertaining. As the architects explain, the bar nook required a surprising amount of coordination to get right; positioned just off the entrance, it now 'acts as a pivot point between the dining room and the more formal living room'.
Kitchen: The kitchen's sage-green island, terracotta floors, leather stools, and roughly textured zellige tiles bring warmth to the open-plan kitchen and family room.
The kitchen, handcrafted by Plain English, was where they made the biggest transformation. Previously divided from the living spaces, it was reimagined to work as the natural gathering point of the home, with an open connection to the family room – but with enough definition to ensure the different areas still feel unique. 'At the same time, we were thoughtful about how the individual areas functioned so that the open plan didn't feel like one large, undifferentiated space,' Harper and Aaron explain. 'Each area still has its own purpose and sense of intimacy.'
At the center is the kitchen island, which was high on the homeowners' wish list. 'One of the client's biggest priorities was creating a kitchen island that could truly serve as the heart of the home – a place where the family could gather comfortably and host large celebrations together,' explain Todd and Amy. It's a space designed to do more than look good: there's room for everyday cooking and dining and more lively get-togethers.
Its muted green cabinetry brings a welcome note of color against the pale cabinets, while the textured tiled range hood, exposed timber ceiling, open shelving and warm terracotta floors add vintage character. It's a kitchen with plenty of presence, but one that feels relaxed rather than too practical. Beyond it, the family room brings a softer touch, with warm caramel cord upholstery, patterned accent chairs, and striped pillows adding layers of texture.
Breakfast Nook (Left) & Dining Room (Right): A relaxed breakfast nook with built-in banquette seating sits alongside the more formal dining room, where scenic wallpaper, paneling and vintage pieces add.
The dining spaces continue the home's balance of practicality and personality. The breakfast nook – a space where the homeowner loves to 'host her children when they come back into town' – is the most relaxed corner of the kitchen, with a generous wooden table, upholstered banquette seating, and artwork bringing a softer note to the terracotta floors that flow throughout. 'It creates its own place within the larger kitchen and family room, while still feeling connected to the way the family uses the space,' adds the architect team. Through the arch, the formal dining room turns up the decorative dial, with a detailed scenic wallpaper wrapping the walls above traditional paneling. The two spaces have their personalities, but both reflect the homeowners' desire for a house that feels warm and lived-in.
Mudler (Left) & Laundry Room (Right): The cleverly conceived 'mudler' combines mudroom and butler's pantry functions, while the laundry room pairs hardworking practicality with pale blue cabinetry, glossy tile and heirloom details.
Sometimes the most exciting spaces aren't often the biggest. Take the 'mudler' – Todd and Amy's ingenious answer to the homeowners' wish for both a mudroom and a butler's pantry, despite the house's existing footprint not quite allowing for two separate spaces.
'We designed what we call the "mudler", a hybrid space that combines the functionality of a mudroom with the utility of a butler's pantry,' explain Todd and Amy. It's a practical room, certainly, but one that feels entirely in keeping with the home's character. Mid blue color drenching gives the entrance a cocooning feel, while a warm wood countertop and a floral door shade soften the hardworking space.
The laundry room carries that same attention to detail, with pale powder blue cabinetry, glossy backsplash tiles, and brass fittings lending a little polish to the boring business of washing and folding. A deep farmhouse sink and open shelving keep everything functional, while the patterned skirt beneath the sink adds a feminine flourish.
Primary Suite: In the primary, a floral upholstered headboard and patterned bedding bring gentle movement to the bedroom, while the adjoining powder room space introduces a bolder tone with moody red marble and pattern drenched walls.
There's a certain confidence to mixing patterns throughout the home's various public and private spaces. In the primary bedroom, a floral upholstered bed is layered up with a vintage-style bedspread, with muted tones keeping the scheme calm beneath that dramatic vaulted ceiling. Deep wood furniture, a natural woven rug, and a sculptural chandelier add to the room's collected feel, while a small seating area makes space for a slower start to the day. Todd and Amy describe the homeowner's appreciation for furnishings and objects that 'carry stories and reflect true craftsmanship' – a sentiment that feels particularly fitting here.
Primary Bathroom: An arched alcove frames the freestanding tub in the bathroom, while dramatic veined marble gives the shower and vanity a sense of grandeur.
The primary bathroom acts as a suite in and of itself, with a series of different rooms and zones that make the most of the home's architectural details. An arched alcove frames the freestanding tub, almost creating a room within a room, dressed with a floral Roman shade and a vintage-style brass chandelier overhead. Beside the tub, a tiny table for candles, a book, or a glass of wine adds to the hotel feel. Pale herringbone flooring and a vintage runner soften the bold stone, veined with deep charcoal and dusky pink, which wraps around the shower and vanity as a striking focal point. Tucked away, a separate water closet and vanity area trades the restrained palette for pattern drenching and moody, deep red marble.
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This reimagined Spanish home is a reminder that a thoughtful renovation doesn't have to mean starting from scratch. By reworking the layout into a 'connected sequence of spaces', embracing the home's Spanish roots and finding inventive ways to make every space work harder, AAHA Studio and Nickey Kehoe have created a house that feels refreshed without losing its story. The clever details may make the day-to-day run more smoothly, but it's the feeling of familiarity that makes the home special. As Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe put it, 'The house now feels entirely renewed while still retaining the comfort and familiarity of the home they've loved for more than a decade.'
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