{"id":278401,"date":"2026-04-21T11:14:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/278401\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:14:21","slug":"l-a-barn-explodes-with-colorful-thrifted-finds-and-maximalist-flair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/278401\/","title":{"rendered":"L.A. \u2018barn\u2019 explodes with colorful thrifted finds and maximalist flair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cGambrel roofed Barnhaus,\u201d the listing read, \u201cnext door to the best burritos in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Its photos revealed something unusual for Inglewood, which is famous for its mix of architectural styles, including Midcentury Modern homes by R.M. Schindler<\/a> and Googie-style coffee shops<\/a>: a brick-red barn-style house on a large corner lot, listed at $449,000.<\/p>\n

When Meeshie Fahmy and her husband, Aaron Snyder, toured the house, they learned that the burrito claim was true. The photos, however, had clearly been touched up to make the house, located just a few miles from the Kia Forum and SoFi Stadium, look better than it actually was.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Outside, the former dirt lot is now a lush garden with towers of colorful black-eyed susans on arches, planters full of nasturtiums and vegetables, a firepit and pergola. <\/p>\n

Inside, the house had \u201cwall-to-wall carpets on both floors that were heavily stained and worn, dated wood paneling on the walls, holes in the walls,\u201d Fahmy says. <\/p>\n

Despite these flaws, the couple saw the home\u2019s potential and decided to buy it, even though a leaning retaining wall nearly derailed their escrow. \u201cIt was a blank canvas for us to play and experiment,\u201d she recalls a decade later.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n

After they moved in, neighbors revealed the house was not original to the site. Years earlier, the original Craftsman had been torn down; the current house, a sweepstakes prize, arrived in two pieces by crane. \u201cOur neighbors recalled it was quite a sight,\u201d Fahmy says.<\/p>\n

At the time, Fahmy, 44, worked as an event planner at the Getty Museum. As renovations started and she followed her passion for interior design, Snyder proudly introduced her to staff at the local Carniceria as \u201can interior designer.\u201d She replied, \u201cThat\u2019s not what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her, \u2018If you don\u2019t start saying it, it\u2019s not going to happen,\u2019\u201d says Snyder<\/a>, 49, who pursued his own dream of becoming a professional skateboarder before moving into video editing. \u201cSpeak it to existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finishing the house took years, patience and a lot of DIY projects because of their budget. But Fahmy didn\u2019t just dream \u2014 she made it happen. In 2018, she started working for interior designer Willa Ford, who mentored her at WFord Interiors<\/a>. By 2020, Fahmy launched her own design firm, Haus of Meeshie<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been a progressive layering of colors, furniture, reupholstering, adding art, wallpaper, lighting,\u201d she says. \u201cLow and slow; the flavor is richer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Meeshie <\/p>\n

Meeshie Fahmy and Aaron Snyder\u2019s family room is a colorful maximalist dream with thrifted furnishings, art and layered textures and patterns.<\/p>\n

\"A \"A <\/p>\n

Ninety percent of the furnishings are thrifted. \u201cNothing is too precious,\u201d Fahmy says. <\/p>\n

Today, their home reflects Fahmy\u2019s fearless approach \u2014 it\u2019s a true \u201cpetri dish for experimentation.\u201d The vibrant, layered four-bedroom house is a maximalist fever dream, packed with furniture, accessories and art sourced from Facebook Marketplace, vintage shops, flea markets (Long Beach flea is a favorite), estate sales and secondhand stores in L.A. and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

She estimates about 90% of the furnishings and accessories in her home are thrifted, antiques or things she found on the side of the road, and nothing is too precious, reaffirming her playful approach to decor.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A Jonathan Adler dining table, found on sale, sits in front of a wall filled with art arranged salon-style. Among the pieces is Fahmy\u2019s favorite: a wedding portrait her father, Walter Fahmy, painted of her.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

The speakeasy features a vintage standing bar from Craigslist, barstools and a Geo pendant light by Los Angeles designer Jason Koharik and a mirror Fahmy found at a neighborhood estate sale.<\/p>\n

She likes to refer to her decorating style as \u201ccreatively unhinged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all flows,\u201d she says, curled up with her dogs on a CB2 couch she found on Craigslist. \u201cThere\u2019s a rhythm. Every piece tells a story. Pick one \u2014 I\u2019ll share it.\u201d She recalls throwing herself on a vintage Baker sideboard at a Florida Goodwill without knowing how she\u2019d get it back to Los Angeles and laughs when Snyder discovers a tiny Jack Black-as-Jesus portrait tucked into a gilded dining-room oil painting. <\/p>\n

The sink and vanity in the guest bathroom? That used to be a dresser she found on Craigslist.<\/p>\n

Although others have questioned their home purchase, Fahmy never doubted they could transform the space into something special.<\/p>\n

\"A \"A \"A \"A <\/p>\n

Color ties the house together. The powder room is purple, the entry hall is red, the kitchen has blue cabinets and the hallway is painted pink. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first saw the house, when they bought it, I thought she was crazy,\u201d Meeshie\u2019s friend and former colleague, Talene Kanian, says in an email. \u201cOther than keeping the \u2018barn\u2019 shape, she completely transformed the interior. Now, when you step inside, you\u2019re welcomed into a home full of color, pattern and playfulness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snyder adds: \u201cMeeshie is able to visualize things 10 steps ahead of everyone else, even things that seem like a complete mess.\u201c<\/p>\n

Working together, the couple removed the shag carpeting and wood paneling from the first floor and the stairway, installing drywall in their place.<\/p>\n

Next, they painted the walls \u2014 no beige here. The deep green living room sets a bold scene: a clock worthy of Dal\u00ed, leopard prints, pink Persian rugs, a snake ottoman and a thrifted tufted chair with Art Deco vibes from CB2.<\/p>\n

\"Designer <\/p>\n

\u201cI did not venture into interior design formally,\u201d Fahmy says. \u201cI feel very lucky to have found this passion.\u201d <\/p>\n

The color story flows through the house: The powder room is purple, the entry hall red and the dining room walls pink, with one wall in a bold 1970s-style mushroom-pattern wallpaper from Londubh Studio<\/a>. The speakeasy features a vintage standing bar from Craigslist that Snyder squeezed into his car, barstools and a Geo pendant light by Los Angeles designer Jason Koharik<\/a> and a mirror Fahmy found at a nearby estate sale.<\/p>\n

In the kitchen, they removed the 1970s-era wooden cabinets and Formica countertops, replacing them with more pink walls, Moroccan-style tile flooring and blue cupboard fronts from Semihandmade<\/a>, which creates cabinet doors for IKEA cabinets.<\/p>\n

Fahmy painted a Keith Haring-style black-and-white mural at the top of the stairs and continued onto the second-floor walls using a paintbrush taped to a broomstick. She finished by painting the handrail bright blue and wrapping each stair with a Persian-style runner.<\/p>\n

Outside, the couple leveled the once-dirt backyard, added pea gravel, built a pergola with a handyman and installed a firepit where they enjoy entertaining their friends.<\/p>\n

\"A \"A <\/p>\n

The main bedroom features burgundy walls, while the bathroom next to it has Persian rug-patterned wallpaper from House of Hackney. <\/p>\n

Now the once-empty backyard is a lush garden: towers of colorful black-eyed susans on arches, planters of nasturtiums and homegrown vegetables. A trickling fountain greets visitors as they walk through the French doors. Snyder, an avid cook, can easily step out to cut fresh herbs mid-simmer, making the outdoors a true extension of the home.<\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s home is full of memories, and as you walk through, you can sense how much their stories matter to them. In the downstairs hallway, Snyder smiles as he points out photos of his family in Wisconsin. Similarly, Fahmy proudly shows a photo of her great-great-grandmother Theresa \u201cTessie\u201d Cooke Haskins, a noted harpist whose daughter Maud Haskins was the first harpist to perform with the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n

Art is everywhere, from the Polaroids pinned to the walls in the powder room to the ceramics and masks hanging throughout the house. Yet Fahmy\u2019s favorite possession is deeply personal: a portrait of her on her wedding day, painted by her father, Walter Fahmy<\/a>, who studied art in Egypt before coming to America.<\/p>\n

\"A \"Upstairs <\/p>\n

Upstairs, Fahmy created a black-and-white mural inspired by Keith Haring at the top of the stairs, then kept going along the second-floor walls using a paintbrush taped to a broomstick. She finished by painting the handrail a bright blue and wrapping each stair with a Persian-style runner. <\/p>\n

\"View <\/p>\n

French doors connect the house to the garden, so the backyard feels like a natural part of the home.<\/p>\n

For Fahmy, these details matter. \u201cI feel like our home is a love letter to my upbringing,\u201d she says, referring to her parents, who were both pharmacists. \u201cIt\u2019s an ode to them and the sacrifices they made for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visitors feel the same way. \u201cTheir house is a true labor of love, apparent the second you enter,\u201d Kanian adds. \u201cIt radiates warmth and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snyder feels it too. \u201cI feel an immense amount of pride when I walk into our house,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Like a barn raising that brings people together, their house has become a welcome part of the neighborhood with its blue siding, bright yellow front door and a playful mural by Venice artist and skateboarder Sebo Walker<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve had neighbors knock on our door and tell us, \u2018We love what you\u2019re doing,\u2019\u201d says Snyder.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

\u201cI love color,\u201d Fahmy says. \u201cI love to experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the main house finished for now, Fahmy hopes to turn the garage into an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, in the style of Mexican architect Luis Barrag\u00e1n: bold with color and texture. \u201cI\u2019m envisioning a mini boutique hotel,\u201d she says. \u201cSimple to execute, yet unique in L.A. I\u2019d love a pink building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like the possibility of a pink building \u2014 or not \u2014 Fahmy\u2019s freewheeling style proves it\u2019s OK to experiment and make mistakes. (She wants to demo the kitchen next for a fresh look.)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not tattooing your face. You\u2019re painting your walls,\u201d she says as a way to encourage others to experiment. \u201cYour home should be a reflection of who you are. I hope our home inspires others to live how they want to live.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cGambrel roofed Barnhaus,\u201d the listing read, \u201cnext door to the best burritos in town.\u201d Its photos revealed something…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[120101,120102,2308,65795,9952,2798,94561,1073,9172,48,52,51,47,50,49,47921,120100,16280,2824,4610,1290],"class_list":{"0":"post-278401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-aaron-snyder","9":"tag-architectural-style","10":"tag-art","11":"tag-barn","12":"tag-color","13":"tag-couple","14":"tag-craigslist","15":"tag-home","16":"tag-house","17":"tag-la","18":"tag-la-headlines","19":"tag-la-news","20":"tag-los-angeles","21":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","22":"tag-los-angeles-news","23":"tag-love-letter","24":"tag-meeshie-fahmy","25":"tag-neighbor","26":"tag-photo","27":"tag-thing","28":"tag-wall"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}