The original, single-level house had a chalky green facade, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen, a concrete deck in the backyard, and an above-ground swimming pool beside the guest house.

“The first thing we did was put in white oak hard wood floors throughout the house, then add the Fleetwood sliding doors off of the living room. Eventually, we added a bedroom, extended the master bedroom and added an ensuite bathroom, enclosed the washer/dryer area, which expanded the kitchen, built a wood deck, wood fences, and then remodeled the guest house. No room was untouched by the time we were finished,” says Matt, a woodworker and designer who is also the founder of L.A. handcrafted furniture brand Monroe Workshop.

Before: The Exterior

After: The Exterior

Before: The Living Room

After: The Living Room

Matt custom designed and built almost all of the furniture in the house to ensure that everything felt extra personal and meaningful. The dining room table was a reject from Monroe Workshop that had a hole burnt into it after a small fire. Matt solved this problem by covering the hole with a lazy Susan. He also installed walnut wall panels and custom-built white oak cabinets throughout the house to add warmth and texture.

Before: The Kitchen

After: The Kitchen

The Monroes lived in this home for some time before they embarked on the big renovation. They started by redoing the floors and adding the large sliding doors.

Later, the couple remodeled the kitchen and extended it to enclose the outdoor laundry area. They also raised the ceilings and added an office and a new master bedroom.

After: Guest House

After: The Children's Playroom

After: The Master Bedroom

After: The Girls' Bedroom

“We took our time with the renovation, and lived through it for many years. That was a challenge for sure. Our kids are used to stepping over tools! Also, since we took so long, we ended up having to redo a few things. For example, we had wallpapered the powder room, but them a leak ruined the wallpaper, so we decided to paint and tile it instead. Figuring out the logistics of building the master bedroom into the retaining wall in the backyard was complicated, but it worked out well in the end,” says Jen.

After: The Bathroom

After: The Powder Room

After: The Backyard

Project credits:

Architect of Record: Jennifer Yano

Builder: Matt Monroe

Interior Design: Monroe Workshop / @monroeworkshop

Photography: Alex Zarour of Virtually Here Studios

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Before & After: A Creative Couple Update Their Midcentury L.A. Home With Custom Furniture