A Found Treasure
A CREATIVE COUPLE TAKES ON THE TASK OF RENOVATING AN ABANDONED 1950s HOME, COMBINING CAREFUL UPDATES AND RESTORATION TO MAKE THE HOUSE SHINE ONCE AGAIN.
By KRISTIN DOWDING
THE HOMEOWNERS STRIPPED GREEN AND ORANGE WOOD FROM THE WALL SEPARATING THE KITCHEN FROM THE DINING ROOM AND RESTORED THE DIVIDER TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION. THEY REDID THE WHITE FRAME AND REMOVED THE SLIDING DOORS TO KEEP THE SPACE OPEN TO THE DINING AREA. THE PENDANT LIGHT (THE ONLY HANGING LIGHT IN THE HOUSE) IS A CUSTOM PIECE MADE FROM RESIN AND OXIDIZED STEEL.
Photography by BRET GUM
THE GOAL WAS TO CHANGE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THE HOUSE, SO IT WAS A RELIEF WHEN THE TONGUE-AND-GROOVE CEILING WAS IN GOOD ENOUGH CONDITION TO SIMPLY POLISH AND KEEP AS IT WAS. HOWEVER, THE BEAMS WERE ROTTING, SO THE HOMEOWNERS HAD TO JACK UP THE CEILING TO REPLACE THEM. THEY STRIPPED THEIR FLOORING DOWN TO THE SUBFLOOR AND ADDED AN ARDEX FINISH, GIVING IT A FRESH LOOK.
ROCK SCULPTURES LINE THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HOUSE FOR A TOUCH OF NATURAL INTEREST, AND THE LARGEST OF THEM WAS FOUND ON THE PROPERTY. THE ORIGINAL FRONT DOOR HAD TO BE REPLACED AND IS SURROUNDED BY A TEXTURED GLASS FOR PRIVACY.
Finding the right home for your family often requires an eye that can see past what is and envision what could be. Built in 1958, this home located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, was pretty rundown by the time its future owners encountered it. But with an MS in Interior Design from Pratt Institute, owner Francesco Luparello of Parell Design Studio and his husband, Richard (Rick) Frey, Chief Creative Officer of Marketing for CW TV, were inspired to renovate this forgotten space and bring it back to its original state.