In 2018, Susannah Blinkoff, her husband, Jordan Corngold, and their two teenagers were moving out of the Silver Lake neighborhood in Los Angeles for more spacious pastures in Pasadena. They had recently purchased a ranch-style midcentury with a single-level, 3000-square-foot plan, but as it stood, it was hard to fully appreciate the space. The interiors had low ceilings, there were gaudy details everywhere, and walled-in rooms made it feel cramped. To give it the attention it deserved, Susannah called on a friend, architect Barbara Bestor.

Susannah and Bestor met in another age. In 2004, Bestor was hosting a political fundraising event at her Silver Lake house, which she had renovated herself. Susannah remembers being smitten with the design—and with Bestor’s lifestyle: “I just remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, this is the coolest house I’ve ever been to. And then I realized, ‘Oh, Barbara did this.’”

Susannah and Bestor would become closer over the years through fundraising events and attending the occasional dance party. All the while, Susannah coveted the idea of having Bestor design her house someday. After she and her family bought the ranch house, that “someday” came.

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“We sat outside [the home] and talked about the feeling of what we wanted, and she really responded to the house,” says Susannah. “It kind of inspired her, because it wasn’t traditionally modern. The roof had a little bit of a lanai vibe to it.”

Susannah, who shares Bestor’s affinity for gatherings, knew she wanted the Church Street House to be well-suited for events. Bestor responded by drawing on the home’s Hawaiian influences. She opened the interiors by removing some of the walls and the low-hanging ceilings, which allowed for a more fluid circulation from the front yard through the living room and out to a newly installed backyard pool and fire pit.

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“Let’s call it what it is—it’s a total ranch in Pasadena with a vaguely Hawaiian roof, which we ended up keeping,” Bestor says. “We decided to amp up the midcentury Hawaiian aspects of it with wood and by keeping the roofline.” Bestor and her team inserted a hemlock-clad insulated envelope beneath the roof to create warm, vaulted ceilings in the living area and primary bedroom. They rebuilt the fireplace to add structural support, and surfaced it in tile.

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One of the wings of the house used to contain a two-car garage, but Bestor turned it into a performance space that can open to the yard, or become a lounge enclosed by velvet curtains. “She said at one point, ‘Let’s envision your garage like a bandshell,’” says Susannah. “Barbara was completely into it and ended up making it have more uses than I initially envisioned for it.” During the pandemic, it’s turned into a space for the couple’s kids to practice drums, workout, or do karaoke.

Shop the Look

Jordan, Susannah’s husband, loves to cook and grill for friends, so the kitchen was updated to make it easier for hosting. There’s a new sink and dishwasher, a wine refrigerator, a pantry, and an outdoor kitchen for barbecuing. Bestor added a breakfast nook that’s styled after Greek diner-style booths—an element inspired by Susannah’s fond memories of meals with her father. Built out from what was once a covered patio, it easily gets the best views out over the San Rafael Hills.

More from Bestor Architecture:

An Eccentric Pop of Blue Accents an Introspective Home in Los Angeles

A Sprawling Villa in L.A.’s Silver Lake Neighborhood Asks $6M

Architect Barbara Bestor Shakes Up Napa Valley With a Modernist Winery

Project credits:

Architect of Record: Bestor Architecture / @bestorarchitecture

Builder / General Contractor: Knoll Design Build

Interior Designer: Allyson Campbell

Structural Engineer: Craig Phillips Engineering and Design

Cabinetry: Knoll Design Build

Photographer: Yoshihiro Makino / @yoshihiromakino