Seeing potential. Not everyone has this gift to see beyond an aged surface, weathered finishes, a far from perfect interior space, or even damaged furnishings. But Greg and Alexandra certainly do, (no big surprise considering the couple operate home renovation specialty service, ModOp Design, while Alexandra is also a notable textile designer and interior stylist) extending their talents to make a Los Angeles house their very own home...
Owners Greg and Alexandra share some insight about the history of the home and their renovation:
Lots of interesting history on this house. It was built in 1926 and we are the third owners. The original owner lived here for over 40 years and gave the house to his caretaker who lived here for another 40+ years. She had inherited some of the original furniture. So, when we bought the house from her children, I asked for some of the original pieces.The mahogany post bed and dresser in the guest bedroom for example. I refinished it myself and found a photo of the original owners laundry business in the bottom drawer!
I reupholstered the wingback chair that was in the living room with my own textile design, printed on upholstery weight cotton. And I had the original wood desk in the office painted and refinished by Jessica at 'Disregarden' who I found at the Fairfax flea market. I re-painted and re-wired the dining room and breakfast room chandeliers and moved them to the bedrooms.
As far as the house goes, we restored all the original wood work - the beamed ceiling in the living room and dining room, the built in book cases and the front door were all stripped of the antique faux finish they had and were carefully stained. We restored the original windows which was a ton of work and put in new oak floors (the original floors were too far gone).
We used Heath accent tile and Granada floor tiles in the bathrooms and had our carpenter built custom kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. We had to widen the original doorways to bring them up to code, so we took the original doors to a salvage yard and traded them for wider doors from the same time period. And we restored the door hardware that had been covered with paint.
Thanks to Alexandra and Greg Becket
Images: Charmaine David for ModOp Design
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Beautiful! I dream of having such a wonderful old (updated) house one day! Good job!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
The swirly pattern on the chair alongside the whimsical shape of the window is simply inspired. This place is a gem.
Wow, that is fantastic.
:packing bags: I hope they need a long-term house guest. This house is gorgeous and exactly what I see in my mind's eye whenever I picture my dream house.
Should this be a house tour? The layout is odd.
MY DREAM HOUSE!
Absolutely beautiful.
Absolutely love this. It's always nice to see a renovation that doesn't involve stripping away all the original charm. I enjoyed reading a little about the history of the house, and I think it's cool that they were able to reuse some of the original furniture.
Beautiful home but this format is super inconvenient! I had to scroll between the image icons and the image view field over and over!
Love all the reds against the white and woods. Kind of feel like this was the kind of architecture my house was modeled after... Pretty strange to be transplanted to rural KS :)
I was ready to say that the large living room carpet deserves some kind of floor-covering Oscar -- but then I saw the bathroom floor! Both provide a wealth of interest and detail without being overwhelming. I didn't like the mod dinette at first; it was so out of place that I didn't even see the lantern overhead. But I've come to appreciate the blend of contemporary touches amid the ageless vibe, and I may still warm up to the vagina chair.
Wow!!
Why on earth is this not a House Tour? This beautiful home deserves to be navigated in a less agitated manner...
Stellar renovation. Lovely updating and reuse.
Stunning! It just screams Los Angeles.
Zillow has it for sale: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/751-N-Ogden-Dr-Los-Angeles-CA-90046/20786006_zpid/
@MANDALA123 and guess what? They are trying to sell it for more than $400,000 more than they paid for it....6 months ago.
Good luck with that, guys. I don't think there's a remodel that exists that justifies a $300,000+ markup over the estimated value of the property.
Simply beautiful!
I am in love with this carpet! Where did you find it?
THANK YOU for staying true to this house's nature. Gorgeous. I don't like the fact that the lampshade matches the chair though. But I'm so glad you kept those beams.
That ceiling is amazing.
Houseofthebonestorm.blogspot.com
Phew! I was terrified when I saw the before photo, thinking that they might have covered up that beautiful ceiling. I am so pleased to see that they took the steps to actually refurbish rather than destroy their house's past.
why the super annoying thumbnail/photo layout, AT?
It's totally awesome, but I'm sad to see it's basically just an ad for a house flip. Perhaps a moratorium on houses for sale unless that's indicated right away? Having owned the place for six months doesn't indicate anything about the owners or what they love as much as it does that they are catering to the market. I want to see places that people are making, renovating for themselves and not as a business venture.
Positively stunning renovation, but anyone who couldn't recognize the potential in the "before" has to have a hole in his head.
So incredibly jealous!
Wow, AT. Is the site getting a cut from the markup? This is a lovely home, but so weird that the post is basically a real estate ad. Not revealing that info up front is a turnoff.
alright...I had a long well worded response but I lost it so here's the gist of it.
Who cares if it's a flip. Isn't AT supposed to be about great design, seeing the potential and making it happen? Sorry it wasn't some poor "artistic" hipster couple with a dog who will live there in bliss until they die of old age.
It's a great house, who knows if they'll sell it with a mark up like that and if they do good for them. There's a lot of time, money, effort and risk that goes into a renovation/flip.
And to whomever purchases that house, I hope they enjoy it!
Great house
DELICIOUS!
bathroom tiles!!! are they original? just gave me a fabulous idea for my own bathroom
This is what I'm talking 'bout! The owners/sellers modernized the furnishings, but restored the house. Kudos for preserving a piece of history. There were so many beautiful little cottages built in the twenties, and unfortunately, so many of them have since been "modernized" beyond recognition. Congrats to the lucky buyer who scores this gem.
Okay, I have to ask. That giant half-oval window (1st and 2nd photo) that used to be awkwardly covered by curtains, now has no window covering. It appears that this is a street facing window. How do you feel about your living room being exposed to anyone outside at all times - especially at night when it's impossible not to see inside from the street?
I have mad envy! Especially of the windows. My Spanish Colonial house is subject to winter and the original owners had schlubby replacements put-in after living with the originals for 60 years. Sigh. This post inspires me to investigate painting the exterior window trim dusty turquoise...that might bring back some of the character! No qualms with pro-renovators...they help us amateur folks see the possibilities!
@Simone4 - The patchwork kilim rug in the living room and the vintage Kilim in the office are from Amadi Carpets on Roberston Blvd!
Love the sideboard/locker piece. Where oh where does one find another!
This is an amazing home. For the first time ever I think I'm JEALOUS of a home's owners. This is really stunning and you guys did a fantastic job of keeping true to the home while really making it shine. You should be congratulated heartily and very proud of yourselves!
@jenndevine the locker cabinet is from Rehab Vintage on Beverly Blvd!
a remodel like this could justify a markup in this range in my neighborhood in San Francisco IF the remodeling included new plumbing with tankless on demand units, new electrical upgrades, cable/internet, zoned music and a media hub, new heating, (preferably geothermal/solar/radiant), improved insulation/sealing and seismic upgrades, but if it's all paint and finishes not so much.
love what I see BUT would also love to know exactly what was done to the infrastructure and structure.
I am in awe. Thanks AT for showing and thanks to the owners for sharing.
Absolutely Beautiful!!
PS. I love your site.. BUT.....
this definitely should have been a tour..slideshow..something other than the format used..
Looks like I'm the only naysayer here. Don't get me wrong--it's very well done, and the substance seems to be there, but I was expecting more, style-wise, given the owners' pedigree. For example, why the vast empty space in front of the fireplace? Brown ceiling, floors, leather sofa, AND brown buffet? ...And then, in the middle of all of this, the metal cubby non sequitors from a sports locker room?
That's funny because as I was looking through the pictures, I was thinking it's very nice but looks staged as if for sale. I am so SMRT!
It is lovely though and I hope someone nice gets to live there.
Love the windows!
Gorgeous! I'm especially smitten with the rug and chair in the living room. I was kind of surprised to see some referring to this as a flip. I guess in the sense of having fixed it up just for sale it is. But I've always thought of a "flip" as being a fast-as-possible, cheap-as-you-can process. By that standard this is hardly a flip, but maybe I'm just ignorant about flipping!
Beautiful home!! So what if it is an ad for flip? I still enjoyed seeing it.
Very good job. I especially like the colourful textiles, the living room rug and the bathroom floor tiles.
Why is this not a house tour? Beautiful, though.
Niabassett, that's exactly what I was talking about with a friend of mine when we took my dogs for a long walk last night. We passed so many houses where people feel nothing of having lights on and no coverings on the windows. You can see people sprawling on sofas, feet on the coffee table, sipping beer and watching their hideous 52" TV's or sitting at the dining room table (in my neigbhbourhood, the street-facing windows are either living or dining rooms). I don't quite understand it, I would feel terribly exposed, especially when it is so dark outside that you cannot see out at all.
Don't know, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am an introvert and I can think of nothing better than being curled up on a sofa, a dog by my side, with a good book and not thinking about the rest of the world.
My idea of perfection.
Beautiful. When I saw the "before" living room I was terrified that the "after" would have paint covering the beautiful ceiling. What a relief that the owners didn't fall for the dark=bad mindset most people fall into. Talk about a house full of character.
The way this tour is layed out is WHACK. Great house though.
That is the style of my DREAM HOME!!!! Spanish/Moorish/Mediterraneanish from the 1920's. Growing up in Los Angeles they were and still are - my favorites!
Beautiful work!
that chair has a giant vagina on it!!
This is one fantastic space. To get that many details right, you've gotta be good. Bravo!
Beautiful job. Beautiful home. You must be proud. Love the chair!
I like the bathroom.
Too many white walls for me, though.
What a great renovation. Still staying very true to the style of the house. And that window in the front room, just amazing.
Rich and gorgeous use of pattern and color, really enhances the house. Good riddance to bad curtains.
The intro text to this post makes me laugh. Who on EARTH would have trouble seeing the potential of that living room?
Molly80, I came here to post pretty much the same thing. Yes, you'd need to be a true visionary to see the potential in beautiful, exposed aged beams, white walls, arched windows and an open fireplace. *rolls eyes*
Other than that - yes, lovely. Except the matching armchair and lampshade thingy.
Not everyone has 27" Mac screens AT... Would be nice to have a slideshow.
spanish colonial charm on the outside, and almost old world victorian charm on the inside. loving this.
www.elitehomeremodeling.com
Hmmm, did they run out of money for the front yard garden? The foundation planting is worse than most, and the dark green turf doesn't look very waterwise. A period-appropriate garden adapted to the local climate could look amazing.
Love it. So charming.
Inspirational! I wish I'd see the process in a reality TV! Interesting to know dollar wise what value you added to the property! Keep you in my referral list!
Thanks for this tour. I love this period of houses. Great job on keeping the integrity while keeping it fresh and up to date.
This is a gorgeous home and an inspired renovation. I too was disappointed to learn from a commenter (rather than from AT) that it's a reno for business...but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed by this community.
So I'd vote for keeping it in the before & after section rather than doing it as a house tour, since it's not actually someone's home. But definitely work on improving the navigability of before & after stories that have more than one pic!