Remodel idea

Since micro-cement is waterproof, Curtis also used it to cover the shower walls, dispensing with the need for tile and the busyness of grout lines. A full-height linen shower curtain adds more texture and movement, and the plumbing is handmade of brass.

The built-in bench, also covered in micro-cement, has storage inside.

The floors are a handmade ceramic tile and the vanity is covered in micro-cement, with a stone vessel basin.

The new bedroom is a bright, open space with views to mature trees and distant views to Lake Ontario. "T

The architects incorporated sustainably sourced parota wood into the living room’s sunken seating area. The Turn Tall side table is from Blu Dot, and the pillows are from West Elm.

The red niche is the most vibrant space in the home. Cibic says, “I like to spend time in these small little intimate spaces. It’s like one piece of furniture somehow.”

In the dining room, under one of six large industrial skylights, one of the massive hearths is ornamented with a single red tile. Though they don’t know why Katselas placed it there, Mel and designer/project manager Carter Bradley turned it into a motif that pops up unexpectedly elsewhere in the house.

The home’s previous owner, legendary acting coach Milton Katselas, turned a pair of 1940s cottages into a quirky concrete-and-steel pavilion with a guesthouse just behind it. An Electra bicycle from Trek is parked in front.

Sarah Butler and Mel Elias’s Siberian husky, Rooney, reclines in the renovated dining room of their Los Angeles home. The raised floor provides easy access to mechanical systems, something the house lacked as originally built.