Before & After: A Tudor Goes Modern

Overhauling an old home is a daunting project, especially when you have the twin goals of maximize space and adding a more modern style to the interior and exterior spaces. There’s always the pressure to stay era-appropriate, but also the temptation to completely transform every square inch of the structure (because hey, you’re already remodeling anyway) and ending up with a McMansion-type melange of additions. But this interesting remodel by June Street Architecture (JSA) gracefully walks the line between old and new, with bold changes that pay homage to the original circa-1927 home but also giving it a unique character all its own.

The homeowners approached the West Hollywood-based architecture studio with the request to make the Tudor-style property fit the needs of a family. Though the house had plenty of charm to spare, it had a cramped kitchen, lacked a family room and needed another bedroom.

NOTE: The “Before” graphic was covering up a lot of the photo for the kitchen and dining room —let me know if you’d like me to add it back!

Here’s a look at the old kitchen and entry hall. Again, it’s undoubtedly cute, but wasn’t quite right for the homeowner’s needs. It also lacked natural light and had a very dark feeling that wasn’t remedied by the overhead lighting.

The new kitchen and hall bears little resemblance to the old structure. Once two distinct areas of the home, these two spaces were unified to maximize space and to create a new family room (off the kitchen). From the sleek French doors to the four new windows (not to mention the skylight), natural light floods the space. The kitchen has an all-white scheme that’s grounded by elements of black, like the pendant lights, hardware and the chairs that now go with the new island.

The dining room didn’t require as much work to give the space an updated feel that complemented the rest of the home.

JSA widened the archways (which have a new pointed shape), added new windows and brought in a more contemporary pendant. The “after” also proves the decluttering a space can also make a huge difference.

But what about that exterior view of the home? Well, get ready for the most impressive transformation of all.

JSA kept the interesting lines of the Tudor-style home, along with the original color scheme. The new bedroom presented an opportunity to add an interesting architectural element, a modern addition that brings one-of-a-kind character to the exterior.