In this considered restoration of a quintessential Los Angeles mid-century modern house, Woods + Dangaran designs a geometrically striking home that moves into the 21st century while acknowledging its past. “We instantly felt we could improve it but that we could also preserve it,” says Brett Woods, Founding Partner at Woods + Dangaran. Located just west of Beverly Hills, the home is a refreshing departure from the contemporary mansions that line the streets. “Unlike many homes in Los Angeles, it had this courtyard leading up to the entry and the classic hallmarks of a great example of modernist architecture” says Brett. A courtyard leading up to the entrance acts like a decompression zone before one reaches the front door. Upon entering, an intimate, dark and moody den awaits. There is a formal sitting area to the right that is more bright and complete with warm-coloured furniture and retro décor. The dining room has been relocated to be in close proximity to the kitchen, which enables an outdoor connection to the terrace. The interior design of this culinary space also captures a wealth of natural light and features generous proportions. The main bedroom is positioned at the rear of the house and is furnished with custom pieces and cabinetry, imbuing it with beauty. The bathroom makes one feel worlds away with views of the hills, pines and garden beyond, and there is an enhanced visual connection to the outdoors thanks to a large window and skylight above. Each guest bedroom also has a private outdoor space to relax. A narrow, three-foot hallway that leads down to the office space has been restored – typical dimensions of a mid-century modern house – and the experience is elevated by the introduction of a glass wall system and water feature outside. The way Clear Oak interacts with its surroundings is equally as captivating as the interior design. An expansive retaining wall creates an outdoor fireplace area, while a double infinity pool expands the backyard space. The scale and clean lines of the home’s structure take a backseat to the landscape so that the beautiful pine trees and valley remain the focal point. The interior design also incorporates a lot of glass to invite an ample amount of natural light into the home. By preserving the original architecture of the mid-century modern house and adopting a disciplined approach, Woods + Dangaran design a home that seamlessly blends with the landscape it sits upon. “Mid-century homes are such a part of the fabric of Los Angeles. We feel a responsibility when restoring them to ensure they are still around for another 60 or 70 years,” says Brett. 00:00 - Introduction to the Mid-Century Modern House 00:36 - The History and Restoration of the Property 01:16 - A Walkthrough of the House 03:52 - The Era-Specific Material Palette 04:51 - A Powerful Outdoor Connection 05:52 - The Balance of Natural Light and Materials 06:18 - A Responsibility of Restoration
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When we first saw the home eight years ago,
you could feel it had a presence.
It had some great lines,
and unlike many homes in Los Angeles,
it had this courtyard leading up to the entry
and the classic hallmarks of a great example
of modernist architecture.
We instantly felt we could improve it,
but we can also preserve it.
This home was quintessential Los Angeles
mid-century architecture from the 60s.
When the client reached out to us,
he was in escrow for the house
and wanted us to give the stamp of approval.
Some of the mid-century homes,
whether they are of historic value or not,
they are such a mess.
So it's usually black or white for us
as to whether or not it's going to work or it's not.
So the client bought this property
and per the letter of the law,
he could have built a 30,000-square-foot home here.
And as we are in Encino,
which is just west of Beverly Hills,
a lot of people do just that.
For the most part, it's the same house restored,
and I applaud him for it.
Once you get off the street and come inside the courtyard,
you feel like you're in this peaceful area.
It's almost like a decompression zone
before you actually get to the front door.
As you enter immediately to your left,
you see there's a beautiful den.
Originally, this was the dining room.
This room perfectly exemplifies
how special a space can be without a view.
Because there's an intimacy about this space,
there's a handsome, dark, rich feeling in here
that almost takes you back in time.
This is a more formal sitting area.
It's bright and light,
but these pieces of furniture tone it down,
a lot of warm colors and retro patterns.
Unlike today, where the kitchen and dining
generally open up to each other,
homes in the 60s kept them separate.
So the dining room was moved
to give it a closer proximity to the kitchen
and a connection to the outdoor terrace.
It was important for us to make sure
that the kitchen not only captured all the natural light,
but was also generous in its proportions
as the client loves to cook and entertain.
The primary bedroom itself is very simple.
Again, it's the custom furniture, the bed,
the side tables, and the chair and rug
against the backdrop of the pool
gives this room its beauty.
Walking behind the primary suite,
you have a very efficient use of cabinetry for closet space
than a handcrafted island.
You know, in the bathroom,
you feel like you're somewhere other than LA
because you see the hills
and there's a lot of beautiful pines and growth
and this visual connection through the window,
but also a vertical connection
from the skylight down through to the bathtub.
At the opposite end,
we have a couple of guest bedrooms
with their own private little outdoor spaces
to relax and enjoy the view.
A narrow three foot hallway leads down to the office.
So narrow because these old mid-century homes,
often the dimensions were smaller.
To elevate the experience,
we introduced this beautiful glass wall system
and a water feature outside of it.
We designed the furniture and curtains in the office
in keeping with the era.
We are a full service architecture firm.
This means we design not only the home,
but also the interiors, cabinetry,
and some of the actual furniture.
Because of that, we are very connected
to not just the overall form of the house,
but the actual objects inside of the house.
This is a piece that was designed
by the head of our interiors department, Christopher Allen.
He is looking at the details
of these mid-century furniture pieces
and trying to recreate something special.
This space would feel very different
if this cabinet and the dining table weren't designed for it.
When we were first approached to restore this house,
it wasn't just a conversation about the architecture,
it was also about how the house was going to interact
with the landscape.
The site was over an acre with a steep slope
right of the back of the house,
which is common for these types of homes in LA.
One strategy with this home is on the backside of the house,
you'll see a 12-foot retaining wall
to create an outdoor fireplace.
And we used a double infinity edge
cantilater pool to the right side,
again, to expand the vista and also the outdoor space.
So when you're outside
and you're looking back at the pavilion,
you're looking at this beautiful clean line,
it doesn't take away from the beautiful pine trees
that have been here for 60, 70 years
and all the kind of borrowed landscape
that you see around in the valley and the surrounding areas.
So the scale of the home
really takes a backseat to the landscape
and it becomes more powerful if you think about it
because it's not complicated
and it's not fighting with the landscape.
This home in particular has a lot of glass
and so there's a lot of natural light coming through
and it needs to be balanced.
And so the use of natural materials, the travertine,
and having the teak paneling in the house
really adds that richness and depth and warmth
that helps balance or offset
the pavilion-like nature of this home.
It's hard to be this disciplined.
It's not easy, you know,
and I think you have to be a little bit neurotic like we are
because these mid-century homes
are such a part of the fabric of Los Angeles.
We feel a responsibility when restoring them
that they are still going to be around
for the next 60, 70 years.
