Franklin Hills – Los Feliz House Remodel by Luxus Construction

The owners of this 1950s home have a long-standing affection for classic mid-century architecture. When they found a small, overlooked house in Franklin Hills with an expansive view, it was the perfect fit.

Decades of deferred maintenance had taken their toll and it needed an extensive remodel to make it comfortable for modern living. It was a project that required close collaboration between owner/designer Betsy Malloy and contractor Serg Lichwa of Luxus Construction Inc.

The overall floor plan changed little but removing a forced-air furnace and hot water heater made room to add a small powder room. A spacious deck and sunroom enabled the owners to enjoy the indoor/outdoor lifestyle enabled by the Southern California climate.

In the open-plan living space, vertical-grained mahogany veneer cabinet doors from Semihandmade lend warmth. Backsplash tiles in an interlocking pattern add visual interest.

The bedroom’s custom-made wallboard echoes the house’s original grooved paneling. To minimize visual distractions in a small space with many doors, it seamlessly covers the closet doors and sliding barn-style entry door, an installation that required maximum attention to detail.

Large format, concrete-look floor tiles provide an in-period look but with ease of maintenance. Julius Ralph Davidson’s 1948 indoor-outdoor living design for Case Study House #1 inspired the continuous tile pattern that extends onto the deck. Getting that all to work required close collaboration with the contractor, whose attention to every detail was key.

The diagonal driveway design comes from Eva Knoppel of Garden of Eva Landscape Design Group who kindly took time from her busy schedule to consult. Together, Serg and Betsy came up with an easy-to-maintain implementation using aluminum dividers which didn’t draw attention way for the house.