multi-unit

The architects planned the bathroom proportions around the tile size in order to minimize grout lines.

A blue-grey accent wall plays down the contrast found everywhere else.

The brick wall was existing, and the architects restored the skylights above.

Lighting alignments were carefully considered to account for the layout of Richard's existing midcentury modern furniture collection.

A bright red switch plate plays up the kitchen's contrast. The cabinets are IKEA with custom-designed doors.

Engineered wood floors in a chevron pattern cover the ground floor. The semi-circular window is a reoccurring motif in the original Bernard Rasch design.

Before: The kitchen was cramped and the dining area little used.

The white counter is Corian Glacier White. "My parents had a Corian counter installed thirty years ago in their kitchen and I always loved how it felt so warm and modern compared to other surfacing materials,

The kitchen was enlarged to meet the family's love of cooking.

Keeping the roofs flat in appearance was key to maintaining the character-defining feature of the home -- despite the fact that it got new insulation, new drainage, and new solar panels.

As Bassett-Dilley notes, windows in midcentury homes are often large, this means they can be major culprits in energy loss. However, getting a good U-value with double- or triple-glazed units can help strike the right balance of solar heat gain in winter months in cold climates.

"Specific to Midcentury homes, we think it’s important first to embrace their modest size, and not try to make them bigger than they want to be: the sense of space achieved by interior flow and openness to the outdoors defines their character,

Originally featured in Better Homes & Gardens as “The House You Asked For,” its colorful built-ins, modern wall treatments, and indoor-outdoor living were a direct response to reader input, and were inspired by California Case Study architecture.

The couple live on the ground floor of the main building and in the two-story laneway house located across a paved terrace. In the future, the laneway house can be turned into a separate apartment, to create a total of five condos.

Floor plan of Ulster House by LGA Architectural Partners

Clad in brick shingles to blend in with the neighborhood, the three-story building holds four condos, one of which the couple call home.