When Shanty Wijaya of Allprace Properties decided to take on her latest project—a modern farmhouse in L.A.’s historic Jefferson Park neighborhood—she wanted to create a calming atmosphere with an intrinsic outdoor-indoor living situation inspired by the California-cool neighborhood it was built in.

“This neighborhood is known for its Craftsman-style homes, filled with character and history,” says Shanty. “The layout was very closed off and the finishes were uninspiring. The landscaping was completely bare, unappealing, and empty. Our goal was to transform this standard new build into a character-filled Craftsman-style home that blended nicely into the charming neighborhood.” Working with a theme of modern farmhouse and Craftsman style, she completely restored the newly built 2,000-square-foot home, which includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms on a 5,076-square-foot lot.

BEFORE: Shanty says that landscaping was one of the most difficult tasks of the transformation. “When we designed and landscaped the project, it was winter and most of the plants were still dormant. It was difficult to find tall, mature plants that had a full appearance, which is the look we were going for. We wanted to make sure that the homeowner could enjoy an outdoor, private oasis , and we were able to get the desired look for the landscaping, which I am very proud of.”

AFTER: Artificial turf and new grasses were added, as well as custom pathways around the yards. The pathway continues to the front of the decking and “she shed” and can be used as a space for alfresco dining.

To start the transformation, Shanty added detailed custom woodwork and paneling throughout the space to give it a crafty farmhouse feel. “We wanted the spaces to blend together cohesively, and we didn’t want any of the rooms to feel redundant,” she explains. To make the home feel more up-to-date, she added a bold splash of color and pattern ranging from deep navy bookcases to printed accent wallpaper by Farrow & Ball. “We also created a sense of warmth and coziness in the home with a cohesive color palette and plenty of room for entertaining and relaxing. The entire property is drenched in bold colors and patterns and an abundance of textures, yet the design elements are still subtle and not overpowering,” she adds.

For the designer, one of the biggest challengers was to infuse a sense of personality and character in a new construction home that had neither. Typically, Shanty builds a home from the ground up or extensively restores or remodels older homes, so this was a new venture for her. “Older homes are full of intricate details, built-ins, and mature landscaping, and our biggest challenge here was to emulate these traits in this project,” she adds.