ABOUT us

Laura & Strader, owners of The Blanco Bungalow at their Portugal seaside farm, stand with their son and two shetland ponies in a fenced outdoor area with straw on the ground and green bushes in the background.
Woman in a wide-brimmed white hat and a long denim dress walking near two small horses in a fenced outdoor enclosure with dry straw ground, green trees, and houses in the background.
A man and woman stand outdoors with a small brown pony, smiling. The man wears a white t-shirt, light-colored pants, sandals, and a cap. The woman wears a wide-brimmed hat, a sleeveless long denim dress, and boots. They are in an enclosed area with a wooden fence and greenery in the background.

The Blanco Bungalow

It all started as a blog. Documenting the design and restoration of our first home, a 1920’s, 1200-square-foot Spanish Bungalow, in Long Beach, California. However, after ripping off my first tile, I knew this was going to be much more.

We moved to Long Beach in October 2018 from Venice Beach, CA. After giving birth to my son, Coyote in 2017, we both decided it was time to purchase our first home. My dream was always a little Spanish Bungalow loaded with charm and history. We looked and looked for months in Los Angeles, but couldn’t afford anything. Not wanting to leave LA, but both still needing to be in close proximity for work, we started expanding our search and found an adorable little up-and-coming neighborhood called Wrigley in Long Beach that we could afford. I found a listing that didn’t look too promising (our realtor seemed shocked when I said I wanted to look at it), but I saw the red tile Spanish roof and arches, and I knew we had to take a look. There was purple carpet, brown walls, no sunlight, and it needed some serious love, but we saw good bones and all the potential. We restored it step by step, project by project, taking us exactly four years. having zero previous experience, We learned everything as we went (mostly from youtube videos:), and some projects didn’t go quite as planned, but we loved every minute of it.

In January 2022, we went on a surf trip to Portugal, and on that trip, something in us changed. we decided that the “American dream” was no longer our dream. we went home and decided we to sell our beloved blanco bungalow. We planned on keeping our house forever and never selling. However, after the pandemic, we decided it was time to shake things up and try something new. in december 2022, we sold our original spanish bungalow, the blanco bungalow, and moved to portugal.

After a year of searching for our dream home, we finally found it, a serene seaside ranch in a coastal village, in february 2024, we got the keys , and immediately began renovating. in July 2024, we opened our doors and started hosting guests.

we continue to tackle projects and come up with new creative ideas for this space.

I hope you’ll continue to follow along, and book a stay with us next time you’re in portugal.

♥

With Gratitude,

Laura, Strader & Coyote

The Blanco Bungalow