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Is it or isn’t it by the modern master? We figured it out after architects Erik Amir and Dora Chi pulled off a reverent revamp.

Amir (seated) and Chi had spent 15 years living and working in Asia before moving to Southern California. "This wasn't a reconstruction," says Chi, "but a major renovation. The bones were there."

“This wasn’t a reconstruction, but a major renovation,” says Dora. “The bones were there.”

Steel-framed sliders and windows opened north to views of the San Fernando Valley and the mountains beyond. With energy efficiency in mind, the couple replaced the glass with new, double-glazed windows and doors by Fleetwood.

Before: An early color drawing on cardboard of the house by Neutra rests on a table in the dining area.

A sketch of the home Richard Neutra designed for Stephen Lord.

Once a favorite spot for gatherings, the backyard featured a 13-foot-deep, curving pool that contrasts with the horizontal lines of the house. Lord added the changing room at right.

An undated photo from the Lord family shows the front entrance of the house, with decorative details added by Stephen Lord.

Stephen Lord's original office occupied a windowed corner off the living room. Built-in cabinets concealed a Murphy bed.

The couple planted a Japanese black pine bonsai alongside the entrance path that mirrors one in a sketch Neutra had made of the space.

New sliders by Fleetwood open wide to the pool deck, which was redone to match what had been there originally.

The architects reimagined the office with oak cabinetry and new shelving.

Amir and Chi replaced the hearth's broken tiles and stuccoed the sides of the open fireplace, which Lord had originally detailed with a gravel mosaic.

Amir and Chi aimed to restore the integrity of Neutra's original design and his signature blurring of indoors and out.

The architects replaced Lord's former freestanding studio with a structure of their own, which connects to the pool cabana and mechanicals room by what they describe as "a floating canopy.

Though they modernized the kitchen with white oak cabinetry and marble counters, the couple were able to restore details such as the original terrazzo flooring that extends from the entrance and the dropped ceiling just above.

The primary bathroom was completely redone, with a floating vanity finished in travertine from Elements Room and a freestanding tub and faucets by Kohler.

An antique clawfoot tub from Olde Good Things sits atop Belgian Blue Limestone flooring, the pieces broken and fit together on site, while the walls were covered in Moroccan tile from Cle Tile.

This single-family residence in Bloomfield, Michigan, known as the Treehaus, embodies the iconic style of midcentury modernism. Thanks to a thoughtful renovation, this rare dwelling has been restored to its original state of refined elegance.