After a decade of living and renting in (now prohibitively expensive) Los Angeles, Ren von Hasseln and her husband, Kyle, set their sights on buying a home in Ojai—a small town two hours north of the city, where New Age sensibilities meet the foot of the Topatopa Mountains.

When they closed on their 1956, three-bedroom ranch house, the property was worse for wear, with threadbare carpeting, an overgrown yard, and an inexplicable hole in the kitchen ceiling. Ren, a ceramicist with a degree in architecture, took the lead in the overhaul, intent on designing a home that would include a studio for her wares, as she explains here.

Closing the Deal

When we bought the house in 2018, it was really beat up. But what drew me to it were the oaks on the property and the irregular footprint—the house is two feet wider on one end. As soon as I saw it, I pictured this masonry feature going from the exterior to the interior, and I started to get excited.

The oil painting over the living room sofa is Labyrinth Garden, by Darby Milbrath." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

Making Room

We broke ground in January of 2019, and one of our main goals was to create an open floor plan. There were seven rooms with a teeny corridor running down the middle, and two of the three bedrooms were really small. The front door and the foundation are the only things about the layout I kept; at one point or another, the roof and every single wall were removed. I reoriented the house to the north, toward the huge shading oaks and the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest. Most of the glass is on that facade, where a big bifold door opens to the deck.

In the dining room, the table is by Sebastian Wrong for Hay, and the rope pendant is by Doug Johnston." layout="bleed" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>The house features cast porcelain Carrière Namur tiles and accents by Ren, including the planter." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

Handmade Touches

Early on in my ceramics career, I designed architectural spaces that defined the world where I wanted my pieces to live. Those spaces were a lot like this house, and now I consider a piece successful if it works here. My studio is in an accessory dwelling unit, where I’ve made most of our dinnerware and mugs, the kitchen backsplash, and the tile hearth for our hanging wood stove.

Small Setbacks

Originally, I wanted more glazing—glass walls and clerestory windows everywhere—but seismic code necessitated a different approach, which resulted in the yellow masonry feature. I wanted the house to feel high craft and really textural and colorful—which is interesting, because I don’t use a lot of color in my ceramics. The primary color palette of the masonry is a bit out there, but I think it’s grounded by a lot of rich woods and the almost-black porcelain floor tiles.

Best Seat in the House

We spend a lot of time sitting on the deck, especially at night, when we get these nice breezes flowing with the scent of jasmine. It’s really lovely. You can hear frogs and crickets, and you can see the stars.

Project Credits:

Ceramic Materials: Ren von Hasseln

Construction: L-D Construction

Structural Engineer: VEng Inc.

Landscape Design: Molly Sedlacek, OR.CA / @orcaliving

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