Houzz Tour: The Revival of a Classic Mid-Century Home
A mid-century house by the noted builder – designed by A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons – comes back to life
A plaque near the front door denotes that the house is on the National Register of Historic Places. The exterior of the house received a fresh coat of custom grey paint for the bricks and bright orange for the steel beams. “We scraped the old paint off the beams to get a chip of the original orange paint, and then we had it matched,” Glessner says.
The circular slabs of stone aggregate in the entryway are original to the house, as are the planters built into the ground. Beyond the stone aggregate, the design team replaced the original cork floors that were beyond repair with new black vinyl flooring.
Here’s a guide to vinyl flooring
Here’s a guide to vinyl flooring
At some point over the years, the original wood-burning fireplace in the living area was replaced with a wood-burning stove, so Glessner worked with the team at Malm Fireplaces to create a new wood-burning fireplace that features a classic midcentury look.
The mobile hanging in front of the frosted window is a new piece made of painted copper by artist Scott Haycock of MODmobiles. All the ceiling lights are original to the house.
The mobile hanging in front of the frosted window is a new piece made of painted copper by artist Scott Haycock of MODmobiles. All the ceiling lights are original to the house.
The living room features a mix of vintage and new mid-century-inspired furniture, such as the reproduction Papa Bear chair and ottoman designed by Hans Wegner. “We didn’t want the house to feel like a dusty time capsule,” Glessner says. “When it was appropriate, we added new pieces to ensure the house felt fresh.”
Do you know what mid-century modern decor style is?
Do you know what mid-century modern decor style is?
The original kitchen cabinets had been repainted multiple times over the years, so just as it did with the steel beams, the design team scraped away the old layers of paint until it reached the original coat. The cabinets then received a fresh coat of paint in the original shades of yellow and grey.
The intercom radio on the backsplash and a blender built into the countertop are also original to the kitchen, and both items were brought back to working order. Not all appliances are original, however: The induction stovetop, refrigerator and dishwasher are new.
The intercom radio on the backsplash and a blender built into the countertop are also original to the kitchen, and both items were brought back to working order. Not all appliances are original, however: The induction stovetop, refrigerator and dishwasher are new.
The centre island is still topped with its original white Formica. The top of the island pulls apart to reveal two original electric burners inside. Four midcentury-inspired wire side chairs surround the island.
At the far end of the kitchen, a pair of orange swivel chairs and a vintage glass coffee table designed by Adrian Pearsall create a second seating area. Camila Baum, owner of the staging company Modernism for the Masses, helped locate vintage pieces for the home.
Behind this seating area is the master bedroom, which is open to the living area to take advantage of the views out the wall of windows that face the pool and mountains beyond.
Behind this seating area is the master bedroom, which is open to the living area to take advantage of the views out the wall of windows that face the pool and mountains beyond.
The master bedroom features a wood platform bed with bedding from Marimekko. The vintage African mask on the wall is a piece previously bought by the homeowner.
Learn to lay out a serene master bedroom
Learn to lay out a serene master bedroom
The design team replaced the fabric curtains that used to conceal the master bedroom with a curtain that Glessner designed. The new curtain is made of powder-coated chain link. “Now you can lie in bed at night and see the beautiful views through the chain link,” she says.
The master bathroom features original tile, cabinets and fixtures. Glessner says that the remodeling crew spent a long time re-grouting the tile, painting the cabinets in their original color and restoring the sheen to the brass hardware.
JC Miller and his landscape team restored the original backyard patio and pool, and it constructed a new glass fence to take advantage of the unobstructed mountain views beyond.
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What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
Read more:
Actress Kangana Ranaut’s Home is Dreamy & on Top of the World
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Marty Arbunich, director of the Eichler Network
Location: California, United States
Size: 139 square metres (about 1,500 square feet)
Designer: Lucile Glessner Design
Restoration rather than renovation was at the heart of the design process to bring a 1956 steel-framed house designed by architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons and built by developer Joseph Eichler in San Mateo, California, back to its original mid-century splendour. Homeowner Marty Arbunich, who is the publisher of CA-Modern Magazine and the director of the Eichler Network, brought in builder Craig Smollen and interior designer Lucile Glessner to help him restore, and at times replicate, many of the home’s original features, including flooring, lighting and appliances.
The front yard, designed by landscape architect JC Miller of Vallier Design Associates, features rows of native grasses meant to replicate the original landscape discovered in photos from when the house was built. The design team also removed a garage door added during the intervening years to bring back the original carport design.