What the Restoration is For

The unprecedented times of 2020 caused millions of people to reassess their lives and in many cases, pursue something they’ve always been passionate about. That’s what I did after my writing career was idled by the pandemic. I had always straddled the design and writing worlds but it took the great shutdown coupled with the overpriced Los Angeles housing market for me to put new emphasis on interior design.

After saving my own historic Craftsman home in Los Angeles, a personal journey that I documented on social media, people started contacting me about their own remodels.

Which bring me to the interesting hybrid life I have today. I still write every day. (I just finished a mystery novel about a decorator who accidentally starts solving crimes.) And in between, I take clients calls, visit job sites, and scout for homes that would otherwise get bought up by shitty flippers to gut and de-soul.

In writing my own next chapter, I’m on a mission to hype, love, cherish, save, and showcase the beauty of California’s historic vernacular housing and write its next chapter too.

The RESTORE in Restoration Ryann isn’t just about homes. It’s about me. (And you!) It’s about restoring a sense of confidence in myself (and communal confidence) that had been eroding over years in the arts. I think a lot of people found themselves feeling that way when the simultaneous stillness and upheaval of the pandemic set in. What can we do in our immediate environment that will make life feel meaningful? The opening frames of this slo-mo video that Cole Curtis shot last summer are the opening shot (and also part of a cool gif!) of a very fun project I’ve been working on with the first professional kindred spirit I’ve met in a long time. An exciting few weeks ahead leading into a very gulpy-age birthday. Hoping to have some big professional things to look forward to this spring. Looking forward to sharing them with this community I feel so fortunate to have built over the last year. What a year it’s been. Daisy agrees. #restorationryann #historicpreservation #craftsmanhome #craftsman #craftsmanbungalow