Genevieve and Maxwell’s Mid Century Perch
Name: Genevieve & Maxwell’s Poorgeoisie Bungalow
Location: Silver Lake
Size: 900 sq. feet
Years lived in: Genevieve – 3 years. Maxwell – 1 year
Who else lives here? Lucy, our Pit-Lab mix.
Sometimes you seek out house tours and sometimes house tours come to you. In the case of Maxwell and Genevieve’s Silver Lake abode, we discovered it when we showed up to buy some mid century chairs we’d spied on craigslist. Walking into their minimal dining room, seeing their great art, peeking into the kitchen we almost didn’t care about the chairs anymore…
Genevieve and Maxwell have an inviting bungalow literally on the side of a hill in Silver Lake. Because they’re on a hill a) they have a great view b)they’re a bit secluded and the house feels very private and c)the house has settled a bit consequently pulling some walls apart and making it difficult to close drawers in the kitchen. But this only makes their place more charming. As you walk through the house you get stories: stories about the friends that made the art hanging in the office, stories about the furniture that came from grandparents (like the killer George Nelson Wall Unit in the living room) and stories about how the house has become what it is today.
Genevieve and her sister bought the house (it’s actually a bit like a modified duplex with a top and bottom unit) and Genevieve started diying her way through it, adding the bonus room that functions as the laundry room and office, painting the bedroom the most perfect color of gray, scavenging for furniture and continuing to collect artwork. When Maxwell moved in a year ago he brought the Nelson wall unit and even more order. As he put it: She is clean and he is organized. This means that even when Maxwell opens the entry way credenza looking for something, the inside is as organized as the rest of the house.
And that is what is most impressive about the bungalow: there is nothing unnecessary in it. Everything Maxwell and Genevieve live with is something that they love and something that they have consciously chosen. Not every wall has artwork on it (though they have plenty they could fill it up with), not every surface has an object on it. Their house is full of treasures, but it’s also full of space.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our style: Cozy modernist.
Inspiration: Being on vacation.
Favorite Element: The way that the view becomes part of our living room when the doors are open.
Biggest Challenge: Living on a hillside, the floors and ceilings have a tendency to move.
What Friends Say: “What’s the next project?”
Biggest Embarrassment: The lack of 90 degree angles. Hands down.
Proudest DIY: When Genevieve bought the house she had the roof redone, and then decided to have it extended over the patio off the bedroom. The French windows were already in place, so she dry-walled the ceiling over what was once the exterior of the house, and installed tile flooring. Now it’s a bonus room.
Biggest Indulgence: Everything’s kind of an indulgence, when you’re fixing up a house on a budget. Especially the gigantic framed photograph over our couch.
Best Advice: Get friends excited about it, and get them to help. Pay in pizza and beer. Our house has sort of become everyone who hangs out here’s project.
Dream Source: We like finding things by chance, be it at a flea market or CB2, so the dream kind of is the source. Still, it would be nice to be able to buy whatever we want without thinking about the price.
Resources:
Appliances: Came with house.
Hardware: True Value, Home Depot
Furniture: All over the place. Everything from Grandma’s house to Ikea.
Accessories: CB2, flea market/thrift store finds
Lighting: CB2, DWR
Rugs, Carpets, Flooring: ebay!
Beds Maxwell’s friend is a carpenter. He made our platform bed. Maybe this should go in the indulgences section?
Artwork:
Living Room
Large photo behind couch – Kelly Barrie
Drawing above faux fireplace – Daniel Ingroff
Vintage French Softcore poster
Homemade Op-Art painting – Garage Sale Find
Entryway:
Drawings – Yuval Pudik
Vintage photo
TV Room – Felix Gonzales-Torres poster
Bedroom:
Photos above doorway – Drew Heitzler
Drawing under window – Genevieve
Drawing next to bed – Yuval Pudik
Leaning on dresser (from left to right) – drawing by Genevieve, collage by Genevieve, vintage photograph, test print by Kelly Barrie
“For Like Ever” poster
Bonus Room:
Collage by Deborah Grant
Isabelle Antena Poster
Paint:
Living Room, Kitchen, TV Room
Benjamin Moore – Simply White (trim), Moonlight White (walls)
Bedroom and Bonus Room
Benjamin Moore (lost the paint chip…sorry.)
Thanks Genevieve and Maxwell!
Images: Laure Joliet
