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Houzz Tour: Modern Updates for a Midcentury Home in Los Angeles
Additions include a family room and a second-story master suite, but many other spots got some redesign love too
Houzz Contributor. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I found myself utterly unprepared for the real world and at a loss as to what I should do next. Luckily, one day I stumbled through the doors of Architectural Digest and was taken under the wing of legendary editor Paige Rense. She had the vision to look past my uninspiring sociology degree and my general lack of experience—an unlikely journalism career was born. After AD, with my magazine karma still intact, I was hired by yet another publishing legend, the food critic and writer Ruth Reichl. I currently ply my trade as a freelance writer and editor and live in stylish Mid-Century-Modern comfort with my dog, Mike.
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The connection between interior and exterior is a common feature in the design of many midcentury modern houses. But sometimes you can have a little too much of a good thing — in this case an entry courtyard that was more than 300 square feet. Designer Greg Crawford of Bilden reclaimed most of that space for a new family room while simultaneously reinforcing the indoor-outdoor connection.
One way he accomplished this was by extending the first floor's 12- by 24-inch porcelain tiles out to the entry and the rear terrace. And for the second-floor master suite addition, the bedroom's hardwood floors continue onto the terrace as decking. "We also recessed the glass walls into the floor and the ceiling to provide as seamless a transition as possible between the inside and outside," says Crawford.
He also managed to integrate the new second floor in a way that makes sense with the original structure. "I had to balance the strong horizontal of the house with this new bump on top that has a more vertical thrust," he says.
Here's how he did all of that while maintaining the 1953 home's basic footprint.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, one of them a composer and musician, and their 2 kids
Location: Rustic Canyon (between Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades), California
Size: 3,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, music studio
That's interesting: The canyon is so temperate that, despite being in Southern California, the house has no air conditioning.
One way he accomplished this was by extending the first floor's 12- by 24-inch porcelain tiles out to the entry and the rear terrace. And for the second-floor master suite addition, the bedroom's hardwood floors continue onto the terrace as decking. "We also recessed the glass walls into the floor and the ceiling to provide as seamless a transition as possible between the inside and outside," says Crawford.
He also managed to integrate the new second floor in a way that makes sense with the original structure. "I had to balance the strong horizontal of the house with this new bump on top that has a more vertical thrust," he says.
Here's how he did all of that while maintaining the 1953 home's basic footprint.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, one of them a composer and musician, and their 2 kids
Location: Rustic Canyon (between Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades), California
Size: 3,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, music studio
That's interesting: The canyon is so temperate that, despite being in Southern California, the house has no air conditioning.
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by Bilden Corp
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| The home's perimeter is composed of 4- by 16-inch concrete blocks. "It's almost like a walled city," says Crawford. He added a gate made from reclaimed redwood to enclose the new entry courtyard. The second-floor master suite addition, seen on the right, was deliberately stepped back from the courtyard, as well as the rear and sides of the home. "I wanted to respect the boundaries of the house," says Crawford. "So I kept it rather diminutive in scale, in both plan and elevation, so that it made sense and looked like it had always been there." |
by Bilden Corp
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The entry courtyard's roof, also made of reclaimed redwood, features an oculus that allows in light and provides a view of the pine trees.
by Bilden Corp
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A medium-textured stucco surrounds the front door. "This created a neutral playing field between the redwood and concrete blocks and made it easier to integrate the upstairs and downstairs," says Crawford
While midcentury in feeling, the front door is new. The designer explains that the carpenter "did surgery" on a typical wood slab door and then inserted the glass panels; these panels are from Crestview in Austin, Texas.
While midcentury in feeling, the front door is new. The designer explains that the carpenter "did surgery" on a typical wood slab door and then inserted the glass panels; these panels are from Crestview in Austin, Texas.
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by Bilden Corp
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| While the clerestory windows feel original to the house, they were added when a large portion of this family room–dining area was reclaimed from the former entry courtyard. A variety of items — books, records, CDs and speakers — are concealed in the walnut unit, which has a ventless gel fireplace covered in a piece of rolled steel. "We sanded and patinated the steel a bit to make it fade into the wood a little more rather than standing out as cold, gray steel," says Crawford. When you open the sliding doors on each side of the interior courtyard, seen in the rear, you can walk from the family room to the outside and then into the living room. |
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The walnut used in the family room continues in the kitchen. The tall appliances — a freezer, refrigerator and full-height wine refrigerator — are covered in walnut Thermador columns. Crawford installed an undercounter microwave drawer, so the only appliance exposed is the Thermador range with its hood. "It gives the feeling that you're in a family room more than a kitchen," says Crawford.
The stairs lead up to the second-floor master suite.
The stairs lead up to the second-floor master suite.
by Bilden Corp
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"The stairs are kind of a lantern that draws light into that side of the house, pouring it into the kitchen, and makes the upstairs and downstairs feel more connected," says the designer. The frosted glass goes to a height of 5 feet so the homeowners don't feel exposed to the street.
The lantern has LED lights that change color at night. "It's very subtle," says Crawford, "and allows you to experience the space as a transitional piece between the two levels of the house."
The stair treads are mengaris, a type of red mahogany.
The lantern has LED lights that change color at night. "It's very subtle," says Crawford, "and allows you to experience the space as a transitional piece between the two levels of the house."
The stair treads are mengaris, a type of red mahogany.
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by Bilden Corp
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| The living room has glass on two sides — a big advantage, Crawford says. "The most important thing here was to be quiet and well detailed, and allow the space to extrude into the courtyard on one side and onto the backyard terrace on the other," he says. He also paid close attention to details like how the draperies are recessed into the ceiling and how the glass is recessed into the floor and walls. "We also gave consideration to how the lighting was handled," says Crawford. "At night when you turn on the lights in the room, the terrace lights also come on. It really reduces the impact of the glass at night and reinforces the transparency." In addition, all of the downlights are flush with the ceiling and don't have trim. "The ceiling is part of the experience of the space," says Crawford. "It again makes the room as quiet as possible and reinforces the exterior connection." |
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| The master bedroom overlooks the backyard. Crawford says the wood on the ceiling and behind the bed ties the house in with the naturalist tenets of midcentury architecture. He also thought that because the house is located in such a verdant, overgrown canyon, a certain amount of "cabin-ness" was appropriate. "To some people's eyes, the downstairs might be too clean and austere, although we tried to keep an eye on that, so the master bedroom has a retreat feel," says Crawford. "We didn't want it to all be dipped in redwood, so the cabinetry is white lacquer and the master bathroom is very light and bright." |
by Bilden Corp
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The master bathroom features a limestone floor and floating lacquer vanity. The window above the tub overlooks the lantern, which allows light to flow in from the outside.
Tub: Wetstyle; tub fixtures: cabinet: Rojas Fabrications
Tub: Wetstyle; tub fixtures: cabinet: Rojas Fabrications
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by Bilden Corp
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| The pool was replastered and renovated. Previously it had 5 feet of concrete around it on all four sides. Crawford cut up the slabs and used them for garden walls throughout the backyard. The interior's porcelain tiles carry out to the deck and steps. Orange tiles provide a color punch against the stucco. |
Ideabook updated on Feb. 26, 2013.
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Beautiful renovation!