In and around Los Angeles, there’s no shortage of great homes from the golden age of home design. But some had gone unloved, others were given tasteless updates over the years, and many were in need of some TLC. Below are a few examples of some timeless homes that have more recently been given the star treatment.

Big Color and Pattern Give a Drab L.A. Midcentury a Major Glow Up

When the new owners purchased this 1963 home, which was originally designed and built by architect Robert Lee, there was a lot of institutional gray permeating the interiors. So they contacted interior designer Francis Merrill of Reath Design, a firm well versed in combining colors, patterns, and textiles.

“One of the things we did that really added a lot of warmth and depth to the house was painting all of what was already painted,” says Merrill. “We picked this rich, deep green that brings out the tone in the wood a lot more. That was a pretty simple change, working with what was already there.”

A Couple’s Careful Restoration of an L.A. Midcentury Earns It Landmark Status

It was a lucky tip for Christopher Caparro and his wife, Susanna Musotto, that led the couple to find and purchase this 1964 Laurel Canyon home, Called the Hogan Residence, a design by acclaimed architect Doug Rucker, the home had been kept relatively intact, so the Christopher and Susanna opted for a cosmetic refresh.

"We were basically giving the whole thing a facelift: the kitchen, the bathrooms, the flooring,” says Christopher, who along with Susanna, acted as their own general contractor throughout the remodel. The home has since earned recognition as a historical city landmark.

Mandy Moore Rescues a Classic Pasadena Midcentury From a Jarring ’90s Remodel

When actress Mandy Moore and her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, a musician in the band Dawes, bought this Harold B. Zook–designed house in early 2017, they embarked on a 21st-century remodel that preserved the home’s midcentury origins. To do so, the couple brought in a dream team consisting of interior architect Emily Farnham, interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel, contractor Bronstruction, and Terremoto Landscape.

Gone went the accoutrements leftover from a ’90s intervention. Beige carpeting was swapped out for terrazzo floors, and key features, like original brickwork and a glorious copper fireplace hood, were given new life. Says Farnham: “The design challenge was consistently, ‘How can we do this with fewer moves, fewer materials?’"

A Creative Couple Update Their Midcentury L.A. Home With Custom Furniture

This 1951 midcentury home in Eagle Rock wasn’t much to look at before Matt and Jen Monroe got their hands on it. Over many years, the duo made adjustments that amounted to a top-to-bottom overhaul. They added square footage, better connected the house with the backyard, and gave each room a zhuzhing one by one.

“No room was untouched by the time we were finished,” says Matt, who is a woodworker, designer, and the founder of L.A.–based furniture studio Monroe Workshop. From the dining room table, to the kitchen cabinets, to the chairs surrounding the firepit, Matt outfitted the home with his own creations, creating a personalized, hand-crafted scheme that the couple can now relish. “We took our time with the renovation, and lived through it for many years,” says Jen. “That was a challenge for sure. But it worked out well in the end.”

A Once-Stuffy Midcentury Is Refreshed With an Airy and Artsy Renovation

Amber Lestrange Mosier and Cary Mosier bought a “mishmash” of a 1958 midcentury—it had been remodeled and added onto several times over the years—but the couple were happy to give the house their own look. Working with Klein Agency, they rejiggered the floor plan to create sight lines to the backyard and foster better indoor/outdoor flow. Then, they created an artsy interior scheme with a pared-back palette and sculptural accents, like the show-stopping hearth.

“We really wanted to make this house, as soon as you walk in, like it’s therapy for the eye. It’s serene and tranquil and Zen-like,” says Amber. “So, we started to understand that the more neutral the palette, the more you can have fun accenting it with interesting pieces, and then that becomes part of the language of the house.”

Two Brothers List Their Swanky Midcentury Bachelor Pad for $1.6M

Upon purchasing this 1950s home in Woodland Hills, California, which is 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, the plan was to do some quick cosmetic upgrades. But along the way, owners Jordan Kuipers and his brother found a host of new problems to address, including burst pipes, a crumbling foundation, and a broken HVAC system. This led to a whole-house remodel that lasted more than two years. The brothers fixed the structural pain points, updated finishes and adjusted the floor plan before selling the home for $1,600,000.

A Muddled Midcentury Ranch in L.A. Gets a Suave Update

“I have a natural inclination toward tired old things that need a new lease on life,” says designer Tony Wei, who revived this 1951 ranch in Monterey Hills. The ranch had a mix of finishes reflecting the eras of different owners—from an 80s mirrored bar in the living room to sunshine yellow kitchen cabinets—so Wei set out to make the interior more cohesive. “We just ended up trying to insert a level of design continuity throughout, whether repeating a specific tile in the various bathrooms or repeating a specific color,” he says.

An Enterprising Couple Revive a Dated Midcentury in the Hollywood Hills

Rebecca and Jared Raskind keep busy—she works in PR and he’s a photographer—and they renovate and flip houses in their spare time. When they got their hands on this 1960s midcentury in the celebrity enclave of Outpost Estates, the home was rife with popcorn ceilings, beige carpeting, and faux-wood. They overhauled the structure, doing away with the offending finishes to let the great old bones breathe.

A New, Open Plan Irons Out the Kinks of a Semicircular Home in L.A.

Although the bones of this 1965 Griffith Park home were inherently cool—it has a semi-circular shape and 180-degree views—the interior floor plan felt disjointed, and there was a serious lack of storage for the owners, who are a family of four. Working with just 1,600 square feet, designer Mandy Cheng tore down walls to connect the living spaces, added a bedroom, and fit custom cabinetry to the angled walls in every room.

This 90-Square-Foot Kitchen Feels Airy After a Scandinavian-Style Renovation

When Jess and Jonathan Taylor, the design duo behind the firm Taylor + Taylor, bought an untouched 1952 house in east L.A. and started remodeling, they became enamored with a board-formed concrete wall in the basement. The couple had plans to install a petite guest kitchen there, and decided the concrete would make the perfect backsplash. “It was really the starting point of the whole design,” says Jess. Statement tile from Fireclay, and custom cabinetry crafted from marine-grade plywood complete the space.

Related Reading:

9 “Before & After” Cabin Renovations That Will Make You Look Twice

12 Outstanding “Before & Afters” of Century-Old Buildings

Also Appears In

Before & After: A Muddled Midcentury Ranch in L.A. Gets a Suave Update