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“It just so happened that the homeowner is the closest thing I have to a sister,” says Los Angeles designer Sapna Aggarwal. “It was amazing, [she and her partner] were buying and renovating a home, and it was obvious I was going to be the one to help them.”
Sapna’s relationship with the homeowner meant she was intimately acquainted with her personality, tastes, and aesthetic, which added depth and meaning to her overall vision. In particular, the kitchen was inspired by a many-years-long dream. “She was always really attracted to green kitchens. I wanted to create something that would be unique and have personality but also be timeless,” Sapna says. She chose what she calls an “earthy green” and paired it with equally earthy neutrals, creating a tapestry of tones and textures that is cohesively soothing, fresh, unique, and modern all at once.
“I really like mixing a bunch of materials in a space, and then having it all come together where it looks intentional,” Sapna says. “I want people to stop being scared of bringing character and personality into spaces and thinking it’s going to be loud. [A room] can be beautiful and zen and have personality, texture, and character.”
The before: “It was just stuck in a different time,” Sapna says. She notes the house was built in the 1950s, and it may or may not have been remodeled in the 1980s. “The kitchen was very outdated and very closed off. I’m not opposed to each room having its own space—it doesn’t always have to be an open concept—but it just felt really secluded, there wasn’t much light coming in. It really needed some modern love.”
The inspiration: Sapna says the homeowner was drawn to a range of styles, from Japanese minimalism to Scandinavian modernism. The designer was able to take those bits of inspiration and come up with a cohesive aesthetic. “It was really inspired by how intimately I know the homeowner and what I felt like would be evergreen in her life without being boring,” she says. “The answer to that was heavy texture. The space doesn’t scream minimal, but they’re all neutral and highly textural elements.”
Square footage: 136 square feet
The budget: $75,000
Main ingredients:
Paints: Benjamin Moore Rolling Hills for the cabinets, Benjamin Moore Cedar Key and Mushroom for the kitchen island and interior doors, and Benjamin Moore Mountain Retreat for the primary bathroom
Lighting: Marz Designs sconces and Anthropologie lighting fixtures
Hardware: CB2 cabinet hardware and wall fixtures
Appliances: Thermador
Plumbing: Rohl fixtures
Most insane splurge and sneakiest save: “The splurge and save were the same thing in different materials,” Sapna says. “We splurged on the neutral quartzite countertop, but the black granite you see on the hood and island is actually leather granite and was very, very reasonable. They offset each other in a really nice way. It was all about texture and making things work together while not being the same.”
What I’ll never do again: The thing that makes this project special to Sapna is also the thing that she isn’t sure she’ll do again: working with someone who is very close to her. “I knew that our relationship is so strong that we would never let anything affect our sisterhood,” she says, but warmly adds that the construction process “did test it.” Sapna continues, “There were some trying times. But we are closer on the other side of it.”
Final bill: $75,000
