Inside the French Farmhouse-Meets-California Beach Shack Home of the Olive Ateliers Founders

Some homes achieve beauty through the expertise of a talented architect; others show off stunning interiors prepared by professional decorators. Yet, there are special homes that gain their allure from the personal touches and visions of the people who have called them home.

Among the latter is the picturesque Venice, California residence of Kendall and Ben Knox. Built in 1914, this Craftsman home emerged during the initial expansion of Los Angeles, when the film industry sought refuge in the welcoming Southern California environment during the 1920s. While luxurious mansions dotted Beverly Hills and opulent chateaus rose on Sunset Boulevard, the Knoxes suspect that a young couple might have assembled their own home from a Sears Catalogue. Fast forward over a century, and Kendall and Ben moved in immediately after their honeymoon in France.

While the house featured many charming elements (like a welcoming front porch and a cozy wood-burning fireplace), it also had its share of less desirable aspects (such as veneer wood and lackluster landscaping). This prompted them to take action. They repainted the walls without hiding the original dings, which Kendall believes adds to the home’s character: “People might’ve nicked their surfboard coming through,” she explains, gesturing expressively. “We want it to embody that California vibe.” They elevated the ceiling, replaced the flooring, and scoured for unique furniture from various locations, including Indonesia, Greece, France, and even Facebook Marketplace. Over time, they made the house distinctly theirs.

“I envision it as a blend of a French maison with a hint of a beach shack,” Kendall states as I enjoy breakfast at her rustic wood dining table. Today’s meal includes yogurt and granola, cold brew coffee with oat milk, and fresh strawberries complemented by croissants from Gjelina. Unsurprisingly, Kendall doesn’t believe in coasters: “We don’t use coasters because I want to see the stories each ring tells, the people who’ve shared moments at this table. The more marks, the more memories,” she says.

Kendall’s taste is definitive, a trait reflected in her work. She co-founded the Los Angeles-based Olive Ateliers alongside Ben and Laura Sotelo in 2021. Defined broadly, Olive Ateliers is a lifestyle brand that specializes in sourcing vintage and antique treasures from across the globe, many of which are showcased in their expansive Downtown warehouse. Yet, the brand is known for its selectivity: every single piece, be it a treasured oil painting or a rustic limestone trough converted into a fountain, is chosen with a distinct lens of Southern California charm meeting the elegance of the South of France, radiating an old-world aura. The palette embraces calming neutral tones, and the textiles are light and airy, while the furniture resonates a weathered charm. “We advocate for an indoor-outdoor lifestyle,” Ben explains. In late September, they debuted a self-designed furniture line called Lieu De Vie. “It’s inspired by French farmhouse aesthetics, which is very much integral to our brand identity,” Kendall reveals. “Our designs are curated for living; they arrive with a sense that they’ve already shared a life with someone, so you aren’t hesitant to use them in your home.”

While it would take considerable space to list all their celebrity clientele, some notable mentions include Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco, Sofia Richie, Margot Robbie, many Kardashian-Jenner family members, and Jeremy Allen White, who once asked to smoke while browsing their outdoor furniture collection.

While these names are impressive, Kendall and Ben confess that they occasionally indulge in their own finest finds from their collection. In their porch, you’ll notice a stunning Italian church bench, and their garden features unique Willie Guhl planters. Inside, vintage French armoires are prominent in the bedrooms.

Exhibiting a youthful vigor and stylish charm, their home holds treasured stories: the baby books stacked in their son Rhodes’s nursery are actually from Ben’s childhood. The charming toile wallpaper is a clever illusion: Kendall discovered a $5 stamp on Etsy, painted it with Stiffkey Blue by Farrow and Ball, and diligently applied it to the wall herself. She also sourced a unique 1940s Swedish floor lamp, making it a quirky addition to the living space.

A standout feature is their butter yellow kitchen. Inspired by casual south French styles, they intentionally left some cabinet doors off: “Every charming kitchen we admired simply had pots and pans concealed by curtains. I thought, ‘That’s such an endearing, accessible idea!’ It doesn’t require a complete redesign,” she explains. Instead, they creatively hung vintage French linens using Soviet-era hospital clips. When I express surprise at finding such a clever solution, Ben casually replies, “You can find countless of them if you know where to look.”

Among other striking accents, they have sourced intriguing items like a vintage piano keyboard reminiscent of a Prohibition-era dive bar, an Alice Palmer and Co. pendant lamp, and an antique Jenny Lind bassinet. Each object tells a story here. It makes their home feel more aspirational than many larger spaces crowded with high-end furnishings: you find yourself considering not only “where did you find that?” but also “can I have something like that too?”