A Designer’s Own Spanish Colonial Dream Home (House Tour)

First bought as an investment project, Casa Moderna is a dream home that now forms the primary residence of designer Olga Doykhen. Developing Spanish Colonial-style architecture through the considered use of traditional stone, Doykhen creates her ideal living environment.

Located in South Orange County, between Los Angeles and San Diego, Casa Moderna is just a five-minute walk from the harbour and beach. In response to the warm climate, the dream home champions Spanish Colonial-style architecture with white walls, red clay roof tiles and arches. “Unfortunately, a lot of houses in suburban areas use foam or fake architectural features,” says Doykhen, “but I was inspired by that and thought ‘Why not transition this house into a real Spanish Colonial-style house with real architectural features?’” The modern iteration of Casa Moderna is the only type in which vital stylistic elements are thoroughly integrated. In terms of function, the dream home offers places to rest, entertain visitors and focus on family.

On the edge of Casa Moderna, the fence has no gate; instead, the site entrance is marked by minimal Flos lights. Having first passed through a modest wooden door, residents enter the dream home through a glass front door integrated into a rotunda. Inside, a hallway leads to a dining room, butler’s pantry and kitchen. Pocket doors in the kitchen open to an alfresco dining area, fire pit and outdoor kitchen – adjacent is a cold plunge pool, outdoor shower and sauna. While the ground floor of Casa Moderna is mostly dedicated to communal areas – with the exception being an office – the first floor is split into two private bedroom wings. “One [wing] is my daughter's wing where her bedroom is located with her extra living room and a guest bedroom,” explains Doykhen. “Both bedrooms have their own bathroom.” The other wing comprises a primary suite joined to two closets and a primary bathroom.

“In this particular house, I used a lot of natural materials, a lot of timber, stone, wool, leather, as well as limewash on all of our bathrooms,” says Doykhen. Travertine supplied by Ollin Stone is employed across the first floor to reinforce the European character of the dream home. “Olga came to our team looking for authentic natural stone,” says Scott Foster, creative director at Ollin Stone. “We worked with her to find the most authentic Italian travertine for her to signify different rooms.” The resulting product is durable, vein-cut, silver crystal with contemporary expression. On the ground floor, ocean-silver-coloured stone visually unites the kitchen, outdoor kitchen and external water feature.

Some of the biggest challenges in creating Casa Moderna came from the fact that, on some of the many occasions when Doykhen fed ideas to her subcontractors, their answer was ‘No.’ “Those challenges, they made me a better designer,” says Doykhen, “[the challenges made me work] to communicate my ideas and to show the examples from Europe, how it's actually been made and, in the end, we actually succeeded.” The seamless application of natural stone across Casa Moderna solidifies not only its character, but also its status as an established family home.

00:00 - Introduction to the Dream Home
01:11 - The Original House
01:44 - Key Design Considerations
02:11 - Walkthrough of the Home
03:58 - Material Palette
04:18 - A Focus on Stone
06:16 - Design Challenges
07:15 - Favourite Aspects and Proud Moments

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Photography by Pablo Veiga.
Architecture and interior design by Olga Doykhen.
Stone by Ollin Stone.
Filmed and edited by O&Co. Homes.
Production by The Local Production.

Location: Orange County, California, US

The Local Project acknowledges the traditional territories and homelands of the Indigenous peoples in the United States. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our respective countries and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

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