When Robert Vannewkirk and Angel Roberts outgrew their small bungalow in the Hollywood Hills, they knocked it down and replaced it with a home that's the epitome of laid-back living.
Remember those old-fashioned sweet shops, filled with an enticing array of multicoloured treats? Well, taking a walk around Angel and Robert's vibrant home is a pretty similar experience. Colourful striped walls, multihued furniture and eclectic accessories are all key to their way of decorating. And you can't help but feel that it must be an incredibly fun way to live.
Getting this fabulous family home for their two girls, eight-year-old Georgia and three-year-old Hazel, has taken some serious work, however. Occupying the plot in the Hollywood Hills where their three-bedroom house now stands used to be a compact two-bedroom bungalow. 'At the time it was perfect for us,' recalls Robert. 'We lived in an apartment not far from here and we loved the area. It's sort of a hidden neighbourhood but still within easy walking distance of all the main attractions.' The small bungalow was ideal for the young family of three, but when Angel fell pregnant with Hazel they realised it was time to move on.
Decorated with leftover paint from other rooms, the hallway offers a taste of what's to come in the rest of the house. You can buy the RAR rocking chair by Charles Eames from twentytwentyone. Available in a range of colours, it costs £329.
'We'd already decided that we liked the idea of building our own home so it was just a matter of finding the right plot,' adds Robert. 'Or so we thought!' That seemingly small matter proved to be more difficult than they'd anticipated, and when the sale of a nearby plot fell through, they turned their attention to their existing home. 'After talking with our architect, we realised that we could knock down the small bungalow and, with some clever planning, build a two-storey, three bedroom home in its place,' he adds.
With no home to speak of, the family moved back into their old apartment for a year and a half while the old bungalow was demolished and the construction of their new home got under way. 'Lots of people have completed similar projects in the area, but they've often sacrificed outdoor space for a bigger home,' explains Robert. 'But with two young children, that wasn't something we were prepared to do.'
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