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In autumn, fallen leaves create the effect of carpet for the forest floor.

With the aid of landscaper Takashi Fukuda and the home’s original plans, the residents are gradually reclaiming the multileveled site. The 2,300-square-foot home’s overhangs shelter its porches (opposite, far right).

A strolling garden and a pond with a waterfall have already been brought back

The property is pulled off from the highway with Joshua Tree in the distance. “The house is completely silent,” says Jessica. “I sleep differently here.”

Original acrylic screens, which close off the kitchen and line the floor-to-ceiling windows, are a signature design element. “We took almost museum-quality care of them,” says Lee.

Renovation architect Sonya Lee made upgrades to the home as needed while retaining as many of the home’s midcentury features as possible.

Owned by the same family for almost 60 years, the Hamilton House, designed by postwar architect Kazuo Umemoto, was virtually unchanged when Simon Cremniter bought it in 2018. A switchback driveway, mature trees, and abundant plantings create privacy.

Simon’s girlfriend, Amanda Cebell, sits on a Modernica Case Study daybed sectional in the living area. The Eames dining chairs are from 1961, the same vintage as the house.

The original layout was very much of the time: a perfect midcentury modern flow, with a closed-off kitchen and a fire put in the floor. “They were cool but impractical spaces,” says Schaer.

Wood warms up the space, despite the abundance of glass.

The marble in here matches the marble in the kitchen.