To Update a Midcentury With a Striking Open-Truss Ceiling, They Tracked Down Its Original Architect

When it comes to midcentury houses in Southern California, there’s not much that Valerie Levitt Halsey and Brett Halsey haven’t seen. The pair, who run a Los Angeles–based design firm (Levitt Halsey is also a real estate agent), were confident that they knew most of the notable examples. So they were intrigued when John Bhasme and Reshma Shamasunder, who’d come to an open house for a post-and-beam the two had helped remodel in suburban L.A., mentioned that they owned a similar home nearby.