A Camera-Ready Remodel in Los Angeles Asks $789K

ByMyProperty Life

After a multiphase update and an appearance on HGTV, this Montecito Heights midcentury seeks a new owner.

Set on a hillside, surrounded by greenery, 3877 Latrobe Street was built in 1964, as part of The Cliffs, a modernist development in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Designed by architect John Lawrence Pugsley, best known for his midcentury commissions in nearby Pasadena, 3877 Latrobe Street was built in 1964 as part of The Cliffs, a modernist development in Montecito Heights, Los Angeles.

Tucked into the hillside and surrounded by greenery, the 1,426-square-foot residence features three bedrooms and two bathrooms in an open floor plan; multiple skylights and well-placed windows bathe the interior with natural light, and balconies on both levels form an outdoor connection.

Set on a hillside, surrounded by greenery, 3877 Latrobe Street was built in 1964, as part of The Cliffs, a modernist development in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Read another article:Design Trends for Creating a Vacation Vibe at Home

Set on a hillside and surrounded by greenery, 3877 Latrobe Street was built in 1964 as part of The Cliffs, a modernist development in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. 

Photo by Charmaine David

It wasn’t, however, always like this. “The house, when we bought it, was so dark and gloomy,” say current homeowners Jeffrey Kleeger, an architectural designer, and Elisa Read, a landscape designer and horticulture specialist. They took on several phases of renovation starting in 2008, when the home received a new roof and skylights. They also opened up the kitchen to create an open-plan great room. 

Read another article:Hot Trends: 20 Best Farmhouse Style Kitchens in White and Wood

After the windows were updated in 2010, the recession stalled further renovation. Then, in 2011, the couple and the house were chosen to appear on an episode of HGTV’s Room Crashers, allowing them to finally “complete their dream” with architect Don Dimster. 

A skylight over the entrance is particularly welcoming.

A skylight over the entrance sets the tone for a breezy interior.

Photo by Charmaine David

The home boasts an open floor plan that is bright and filled with lots of natural light thanks to multiple skylights, windows, and sliding glass doors that lead to a balcony.
Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

The open floor plan benefits from lots of natural light thanks to multiple skylights, windows, and sliding glass doors that lead to a balcony. 

Photo by Charmaine David

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Camera-Ready Remodel in Los Angeles Asks $789K

Similar Posts

  • Waverley Residence

    Designed for a young couple, the 5,000 sf home and 1,700 sf back house sit on a flat 21,000 sf lot in a 1920’s Palo Alto neighborhood (a few blocks away from Steve Jobs’ residence). The architecture is a study in strong simple composition and is museum-like with its highly refined materiality and emphasis on craft. The massing defines solid and void, captures natural light, and connects the indoors with the landscape, seeking to ‘experience the outdoors from within.’ The ground floor volumes wrapped in an elongated hand-fired brick from Denmark, emphasizing the horizontality of the architecture that lays solidly on the land. Bronze-trimmed ceiling planes slide between the brick masses, and floor-to-ceiling glazed openings are captured by thin-profiled bronze frames. In contrast to the grounded brick volumes, the second floor is clad in stainless steel panels and oversized aluminum-framed windows. The lightness and openness of the second floor is nestled among the oak-tree canopies of the site. At the basement level, a wine cellar and tasting room open to a sunken landscaped courtyard. A 30ft by 10ft continuous pane of glass runs alongside the grand stairwell of floating stone steps, connecting the three levels of the house. Due to the unprecedented size of this glass in residential design, it was custom manufactured in Germany and shipped to California. This dramatic moment in the sequence of progressing through the house helps visitors feel connected to the lush landscape outside. Inside the house, materials such as a custom leather door and bronze anodized details were selected for their unique craftsman-style quality. Another custom-designed element is the steel mesh screen that wraps around to enclose the kitchen for privacy, separating this from the more public “guest hosting” areas adjacent. The steel screen slides along a track embedded into the teak slatted ceiling and disappears into the pantry when retracted. A freestanding structure set deep back into the site is a zen-like fitness/yoga studio as well as a guesthouse with a kitchenette. This dramatic stone mass opens up completely in the center to give the impression of exercising outdoors. The landscape integrates California native plant species, grasses and trees to compliment the materiality of the architecture.