Houses I like

The bungalow had beautiful bones but some major problems, including a poorly designed addition to the back that had to be removed. In its place, Tribe Studio designed a gray brick box that connects directly to the garden. “The owners love the fact that the extension is compatible with the old part of the house, and is completely different from many renovations of this type, which simply open up the back in a single move,” Tribe says.

The guest house is conceived by Dutton Architects as a contemporary echo of the original house. The same materials were used, but in more modern ways. The thick plaster walls her have a more precise corner, instead of the 3″ radius of the original adobe house corners. The wood detailing is no longer stained douglas fir timber, but a more modern and minimal composition in mahogany. The roof is primarily flat, with a cantilevered overhand in stucco and slats as opposed to the heavier sloped overhangs of the main house pergola. And on the part of the roof that is sloped, we use a flat, square terra cotta tile instead of the traditional undulating roof tiles of the main house.

Originally built in the 1980s by architect Ray Kappe, the Manhattan Beach home of Matt Jacobson and Kristopher Dukes is anchored by a sweeping circular gesture.

Existing windows were replaced with Loewen wood-clad units. The team also sanded and lightened the cedar paneling. "We liked that original tone of the cedar and just lightened it up to look more modern and airy," says Wittman.

The bright living room incorporates some of their own furniture prototypes with treasured midcentury collectibles. The T-square on the wall came from the estate of Albuquerque architect George Pearl; the hanging textile opposite is by fiber artist Romeo Reyna. The Finn Juhl chair comes from another estate sale, while the lights were made from standard, off-the-shelf parts. Darci and Dale also built the console and coffee table.

A sitting area and bathroom are located outside one of the bedrooms.

It's a great time to let kids be a part of the decision-making, if that is age-appropriate, and help set a schedule. Give your child a chance to take the reins and engage in child-led learning.

A Danca dos Ratos, a massive diptych by Luiza, hangs in the living/dining area. CH-24 Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn surround a table designed by Tito. A vintage Thonet rocker sits next to armchairs that were brought from Germany by Luiza’s grandmother during World War II.

The upper floor layout was rejiggered so that the kids' bedroom could be relocated, and now a cantilevered addition at the back of the house hosts a library space with full-height glass capturing a view to the backyard. The built-in shelving has a rich blue laminate, and the tiled wall to the left denotes the light well into the kitchen.

Inside, the eye goes immediately to a floating staircase along one wall. Hand painted by local artist Tess Thomas, its wood treads add a pop of color within the voluminous great room.

Off-shutter concrete is created by removing the shuttering—normally wooden planks used as a temporary structure to contain setting concrete. "Casting the perfect texture of old wooden planks on the concrete, while getting all the services placed correctly inside the shuttering, was an Herculean task," says Daffonchio.

The Adrian Pearsall sofa was sourced from The Swanky Abode on 1st Dibs, and the fire tools are also from the Sunshine Shop, a local vintage store.

"California, South Africa, and New Zealand actually all have very similar climates so a lot of the planting we see is a mixture of those three zones," Kurrel notes.

Sandwiched between two ornate Victorians, the London home designed by Alma-nac remedies a midcentury blunder with a contemporary correction.

A Cor-Ten steel planter running along one side is filled with Carex Ice Dance. “The plantings are minimalist, yet rich in color and texture,” says landscape architect H. Keith Wagner. The wood planters on the top level were custom designed by Kelton Woodwork.