The Most-Liked Homes on Our Instagram in 2021

Look to the spaces our followers loved most for an idea of the design trends that will likely stick around in the year ahead.

Jan 4, 2022 - 00:00
The Most-Liked Homes on Our Instagram in 2021

Look to the spaces our followers loved most for an idea of the design trends that will likely stick around in the year ahead.

Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. For a young married couple, it came in the form of this rare find: a 19th-century, three-story, single-family home in the heart of Paris. The building was a charmer with good bones, but was in need of some serious care. In a vibrant retrofit by architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier that includes structural reinforcements, the reimagined design is set off with a new floor plan. The lower level now serves as a space for the couple’s children, with the public areas—including an open-plan living/dining room and kitchen—on the floor above. Upstairs, the attic has been transformed into a very large primary bedroom with a green-and-white bathroom suite. The living room (pictured) showcases the firm’s bespoke carpentry work with a beautiful, mossy-green built-in bookcase that frames a new fireplace, and a staircase surrounded by arched doorways that hold hidden storage.

From careful renovations that preserve original details and reuse existing materials to interiors that incorporate clever circular openings to frame natural surrounds, these homes garnered the most "double-taps" from our Instagram followers in 2021. Take a look through the most popular posts we shared last year to get a sense of which design trends might stick around in the months to come.

An 11-Year Renovation Helps a Couple Grow Simpatico With the Original Homeowner’s Quirky Vision

In 2009 on a quiet Los Angeles corner, Mel Elias found a severely water-damaged, crumbling 5,000-square-foot house hidden behind a tangle of overgrown vegetation. Its former owner, the late Hollywood acting coach Milton Katselas, had filled his property with industrial skylights and enormous, wood-burning fireplaces. The glass-and-concrete construction was framed by high ceilings, rusted steel beams, and varied elevations across the single-story plan. Thanks to an 11-year long, multiphase renovation by designer Carter Bradley, the home—with all of its quirks and character—shines again.

In 2009 on a quiet Los Angeles corner, Mel Elias found a severely water-damaged, crumbling 5,000-square-foot house hidden behind a tangle of overgrown vegetation. Its former owner, the late Hollywood acting coach Milton Katselas, had filled his property with industrial skylights and enormous, wood-burning fireplaces. The glass-and-concrete construction was framed by high ceilings, rusted steel beams, and varied elevations across the single-story plan. Thanks to an 11-year, multiphase renovation by designer Carter Bradley, the home—with all of its quirks and character—shines again. 

Photo by Manolo Langis

Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (a feature deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed via a bridge that leads to a new lap pool—perhaps the biggest intervention on the property.

Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees—and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (an element deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed by a bridge that leads to a new lap pool, which is perhaps the biggest intervention on the property. 

Photo by Joe Fletcher

In Malinalco, Mexico, Casa Mague by <span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;">Mauricio Ceballos X Architects </span><span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;">draws inspiration from the region’s Aztec heritage.

Casa Mague by Mauricio Ceballos X Architects draws inspiration from the Aztec heritage of Malinalco, Mexico. "Piramide de Malinalco, one of only three carved pyramids in the world, is part of the town’s daily life," explains Mauricio Ceballos Pressler, the firm’s director and founder. "The inhabitants feel proud of their Aztec roots." To honor them—and in direct reference to the nearby pyramid—an exterior living area adjacent to the pool features a curved and stepped wood wall. To more broadly echo a Mesoamerican worldview, Pressler designed each room of the 2,906-square-foot home to feel as if it’s woven into the landscape. "Trees have ritual meaning," he explains. "The roots symbolize the connection to the underworld, the trunks symbolize the earthly human life, and the branches symbolize the connection with the Gods."

Photo by Brenda Gabriela Islas Camarena

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