Green carpeting, begone—after a revamp by A1000xBetter, this Studio City dwelling glows with white oak detailing and a whole new flow.
Perched on a sloped lot in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, this 1965 home has a striking entryway defined by double-height walls of glass. "It wasn’t designed and built by a notable architect, as far as I know, but it very much has the architecture of a traditional Buff and Hensman home," says lead designer Patrick Maziarski of the Altadena interiors firm A1000xBetter.
Maziarski worked with the firm’s principal, Kirsten Blazek, on a recent top-to-bottom makeover of the house. "Just seeing the home’s structure from the outside, you can tell it had potential," he says.
Before: Front Facade
Before: The 3,254-square-foot home was built in 1965 in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, and had since received a garage addition.
Courtesy of A 1000xBetter
After: Front Facade
A 1000xBetter removed the wrought iron awning and covered the facade in wood, leaving the distinct midcentury elements intact.
Photo: Alex Zarour
At some point an addition had expanded the home’s garage and created an additional staircase, as well as a separate set of rooms upstairs. "There was a lot of square footage, but it was cut up into a lot of small rooms," says Maziarski. This created a choppy floor plan that stood at odds with the grander elements of the architecture—like the tongue-and-groove ceiling on the second floor, and the soaring cement fireplace column in the living room.
"It was just about streamlining what was happening on the interior," says Maziarski of the ensuing makeover. "Connecting the spaces in a thoughtful way, and adding back that architectural integrity."
Before: Living Room
Before: The upper-level landing overlooks the double-height living room, which still had its big windows and fireplace.
Courtesy of A 1000xBetter
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: A Muddled Midcentury Home in L.A. Gets a Showstopping Makeover