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The couple initiated the renovation, despite not knowing much about Rummers, or remodeling. “We were novices,” says Fay, who researched the architectural features of Rummers to be able to restore its key features, like the roofline.

Front exterior view. We used charred cypress from Nakamoto Forestry.

The 1,570 square-foot home's entryway features a slatted fence that diffuses light and adds privacy to Eichler's original design. Photo by: Scott Hargis

Glass walls divide up the spaces throughout the home.

The original house was a single-story structure, not robust enough to carry a second floor. Fritz’s solution was to build an upper level that functions like a bridge, spanning the original structure without compromising it.

Fritz explains, “The primary inspiration was Dutch International Style design. The clients have roots in Holland and it started out looking more De Stijl than it does now, but ultimately, they wanted something that drew as much from their present in Hawaii as their past in Europe.”

The house’s Japanese inspiration manifests in many ways, including beams that extend outwards over the front door. Floor-to-ceiling windows around the entrance and continuous indoor-outdoor epoxy-pebble flooring blur the barrier between the interior and exterior.

The entrance to the house.

Wood paneling provides a pop of contrast on the front side of the home. The two-car garage is to the left.

Speaking to his original design, architect Saul Zaik says, “We were really just building boxes with a bunch of windows but experimenting with how you integrated indoor and outdoor spaces.” The house has seven different openings to the exterior, allowing different courtyard or patio settings for a range of outdoor activities, including seating for a gathering on the street-facing side. The Milfords hired Lilyvilla Gardens for the landscaping around the house, including variegated bluestone steps with thyme joints.

The exterior sconces are original to Zaik's 1956 design. JHID rebuilt the rear deck off the living room, which connects to an aggregate patio; the two architectural elements are connected by pathways in variegated bluestone designed by Lilyvilla Gardens.

This "flattop" 1964 model was designed by Claude Oakland and sits in the Fairhills tract of Eichler homes in Orange, California.

Classic post-and-beam construction and a bright orange door create a sunny facade for this updated Orange County Eichler.