Tangerine

LOS ANGELES, CA

3,500 SF
1 Story
Interior Design & Architecture & Historic Preservation
Rennovation Construction
Residential

Existing Conditions

Single story, mid century relic that was left untouched since completed.  The house is situated on top of a hill in Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles).  Views across the horizon all the way to the Pacifc, Palos Verdes and LAX.

Mission

Honor the beauty of the original Mid-Century modern home, and lift it to modern day living conditions, all the while incorporating unique touches for Amy and her family.

Amy is a master at her craft, known for invoking a vivid array of colors, and has collected a beautiful array of local, and international art.

Courtyards:  The plan of the house also has a couple of inner courtyards, though neglected, we wanted to emphasis the power of weaving interior with exterior, and how through careful architecture, nature can be uplifted.  One of the courtyards is off of the secondary bedrooms, experienced through the hall, with a custom rug made by local artist, Shelby Drabman.  There’s a strong dialogue between the vibrant weave of the runner rug, and the natural foliage of the tree, within the sky court.

We’re often looking to elevate experiences, at the primary bath room, we’ve taken advantage of the other courtyard, by opening it up to the shower.  A new shower was located fronting the courtyard, taking in the nature and sky, but the real key moment is the sliding glass door.  Not entirely evident upon first look, this door slides completely open, to allow one to shower “outdoors”.  Though covered and protected by the roof of the home, when one slides the door open, you’re completely entrenched in the wonder of the courtyard.

Though the home is defined by its Mid-Century roots, we were also careful to honor the playfulness of the family, and Amy’s unique approach.  There are hints of pastel colors throughout, unique brass hardware, textured vs. smooth materials, and of course terrazzo.

Den: The wet-bar in the living room was retained, though modified.  Here, we worked with our long term partners Concrete Collaborative, using their Trails tiles, in a light pink tone, with beautiful linework.  The wet bar is now more playful, and vibrant, also featuring a terrazzo countertop with large aggregate, also by Concrete Collaborative.  Just to the right, we resurfaced the existing fireplace in smooth plaster, with a new skylight above, punctuating the space with a ribbon of natural sunlight. The rest of the room had its original wood library walls refinished, and is filled with beautiful books and collectibles.

Kitchen:  Now having done a few of these homes, we’ve done our research into materials, and living conditions.  The cabinets pay tribute to the era, with their fine vertical grained woods, and we carefully hid as many of the appliances as possible, to give the space a timeless look.  The overall color tone is neutral.  A connection to the outdoors was paramount, as well as a very livable place for the family to eat.  We designed a new eating nook, with a built in bench and table, flanking the floor to ceiling windows.  The nook is placed alongside one of the sliding glass doors, allowing for al fresco dining, and commanding views of the garden.

The kitchen island is punctuated by a new skylight directly above, and there’s also a carefully added new window, set within the shelving wall, allowing new views to the garden beyond.

Family Room:  Minimal and comfortable were our objectives.  Stated with again cleaning up the existing fireplace, though this time skinned in white plaster.  The tones of the architecture are soft white, with the vibrancy emanating  by the furniture selection.  Fun mustard yellow tones, with some hints of green.  The room opens to the garden, with new sliding glass doors, and frameless corner windows.

Dining Room:  One of the simplest, yet effective alterations to the house was done by the addition of a new skylight.  Situated right at the corner of the room, the light reflects, and showers the room with sunlight, playing off the blue tones of the art and furniture.  The ever changing wash of light is akin to a sundial.

Exterior:  Very careful to honor the structure and rhythm of the existing home, we set out to make the changes as minimal and seamless as we saw fit.  Form the front, the existing brick wall was skinned in a smooth plaster, reducing the material palette and emphasizing the beautiful geometric proportions.  This also allows for the front yard landscaping to really make a statement.

One enters the house through a procession, under a floating roof, on axis with the front door.  The floating roof is free of the structure on either side, with natural light flanking each side.  It’s almost a signifier to the inner courtyards yet to be discovered.

On the opposite side of the house, we maintained the rhythm of the post and beam structure, by updating and correcting some of the deterioration over the years.  The entire window system was redone with the aid of Western Windows.  It’s a seamless indoor . outdoor look, with new frameless glass corner windows.  The awning affords elongated views onto the horizon.

In addition to the home, a new pool and hardscape was added, along the rim of the property, right before the land slopes downhill.  Beyond the fun of the family pool activity, the body of water also reflects the sunsets, which are visible also within the home.