A Vintage Los Angeles Home Is Beautifully Revived Into an Airy Oasis
When Avalon Rossi, one half of the Avi Ross Group, first walked through this 1905 home in the historic Garvanza neighborhood of Los Angeles, she had to look past a lot, including damaged floorboards, clutter left behind by the previous owner, and degraded finishes from previous remodels.
It was really the exterior that snagged Rossi’s imagination, and communicated the home’s potential. "All of the vegetation really called to me," says Rossi. "I thought it was something that was so unique and beautiful about the house that you really can't replicate."
Before:
Before: The Avi Ross Group was able to salvage and refinish the original hardwood floors, patching areas that were too damaged with new wood.
Before: The back wall of the kitchen was opened up to let in more light and connection to the yard.
Before: The tiny bathroom had degraded finishes, and storage was high and inaccessible.
After an extensive refurbishment by the Avi Ross Group, which is led by Avalon and her mother Marina Rossi, the light and airy home now sits back from the street on its .31-acre lot, surrounded by preserved century-old fruit trees and mature vegetation.
Throughout the remodel, the pair retained the home’s best historical elements, brought in more natural light, and then further brightened up the scheme with white paint.
Rossi installed a new front door with amber bottle glass, the latter salvaged from the firm’s Guthrie House project in Palm Springs.
Rossi kept important features of the old home throughout, such as the built-ins, fireplace, and original floors.
A coat of Dunn Edwards "Frosting Cream" brightens up the surroundings significantly.
The 1,444-square-foot home now hosts three bedrooms, two baths, and living spaces that flow together easily, while still remaining defined. "I wanted to keep the feeling of having distinct rooms because that's an aspect of 1905 architecture. They didn't have big open plan spaces," says Rossi.
Rossi scouted and installed a range of vintage windows and doors to brighten up the interior and retain the charm of the original. New exterior glass doors in both the kitchen and dining room open onto a newly-built deck, surrounded by vegetation, for easy indoor/outdoor flow.
The entry between the living room and dining room was widened.
A set of salvaged doors was added to help separate the dining area acoustically, if needed.
The dining room also received double glass exterior doors to join it to the new deck, as well as leaded glass units on the back wall.
The overall effect is a far cry from that first walk-through, when the home "felt like a cave," says Rossi. "[Now], in the morning, there's just this beautiful golden light that floods the dining room, the living room, and the kitchen."
In addition to updated systems – including HVAC, a new roof, electrical, and plumbing – there’s an 800-square-foot bonus space in the attic, a detached backyard studio, and a kitchen with soaring ceilings. Keep scrolling to see more of this airy L.A. home, currently listed for $1,195,000.
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The window units over the counter were also salvaged finds.
In the kitchen, Rossi pulled down the drywall to expose the unique framing at the peaked ceiling. "When we opened it up, it had that beautiful curved detail," says Rossi. "That's super rare." The team added glass there to emphasize the detail.
New wood floors were laid in a herringbone configuration in the kitchen, and the butcher block counters also have that pattern.
In the smaller bathroom, Rossi embraced the cozy with dark paint and subway tile.
A look at one of the home’s three bedrooms.
A wall of black subway tile in this bathroom keeps the scheme consistent with the other one.
The attic has 800-square-feet of bonus space.
Prior to the remodel, "There was no connection between the beautiful backyard with the interior space," says Rossi. She opened up the kitchen wall and added the tall, salvaged glass doors to remedy that.
The new deck is ensconced in the mature landscaping. "It creates this enclosure around the deck that is just really nice," says Rossi. The home also has a 100-square-foot detached studio.
326 North Avenue 66 in Los Angeles, California, is currently listed for $1,195,000 by Compass.
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Project Credits:
Builder, Interior Design, Lighting Design, and Landscape Design: The Avi Ross Group (@avirossgroup)
Cabinetry: Vimont Concepts
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