When Amber Lestrange Mosier and Cary Mosier first toured this dreary house in Laurel Canyon, they only had to look up to see its potential. “It was very dark and dingy, but it had these beautiful exposed beams on the ground floor ceiling,” remembers Amber. The house had originally been built in 1958, but ensuing years and owners had created a “mishmash of seventies and eighties” styles throughout, says Amber. “The ground floor was the original dwelling. And then I think 10 to 15 years later, they put on the top level, but they didn't stay in the original design brief.”

No matter – Amber and Cary were looking for something that they could transform, and the 2,341-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bath house would do nicely for their family of four. They reached out to their friends, Maša and John Kleinhample of Klein Agency, to help with a top-to-bottom overhaul.

Before: Entry

After: Entry

Klein Agency had previously worked with Cary, who is the co-owner of several L.A. restaurants, including Café Gratitude, Gracias Madre, and Highly Likely, to design the latter. Upon stepping in to the home, the design team was surprised by the house’s orientation, and how it seemed to turn its back on the yard. There was “no relationship with that backyard from inside of the house – it was blocked on the backside,” says John.

The group completely renovated the main floor, with the Mosiers acting as their own general contractors. Amber and Cary lived on site through much of the renovation, cooped up in the master bedroom and setting up a makeshift kitchen in the garage.

“For about three months, it was me with my pregnant belly, Cary, and Valentine, who was five. We were all living in the master bedroom while the rest of the house was getting jackhammered and sledgehammered,” says Amber. “And then the wide plank, light oak wood floors came in. And we could all of a sudden feel the warmth of the house, and start to see the light bouncing in and out of the windows.”

Before: Kitchen

They started with the kitchen, which would be the anchor point in the new open floorplan. The goal was to remove visual clutter there, including the refrigerator. Klein Agency nearly doubled the kitchen footprint and tucked the refrigerator out of sight just around the corner. Two skylights shed light into the new layout, and a simplified palette of oak cabinets, blue limestone counters, and clay plaster walls provides a soothing backdrop.

After: Kitchen

In the living and dining rooms, two key moves were made. For starters, the team wanted to address the disconnection between the living spaces and the surrounding yard. Klein Agency offered up a “radical option” that was quickly embraced by Amber and Cary. “That option was to do this through-cut, all the way through, from the front to the back of the house, to open up [to the rear] with a big sliding glass door,” says John. “That created a linear connection between the front door, the kitchen space, the living space, and then ultimately that pool area in the backyard.”

The only drawback to this was discovered during construction, when demolition revealed the roof ridge line had a jog in it. The team had to install a new support beam there, and in doing so, made it necessary to paint all of the wood at the ceiling. “We had to put in new wood, which didn't match the old wood,” says Amber. “So, we had to paint it all, which we were devastated about, but it ended up working in the end.”

Before: Living and Dining Rooms

After: Living and Dining Rooms

Klein Agency also transformed the fireplace hearth, where a standard issue brick column was replaced with a plaster-coated cantilevered ledge that curves into the room. Firewood tucks beneath, and the ledge provides a natural place to sit during gatherings. “The fireplace doubles up as a stage [for the kids],” says Amber. “As well as a cozy nook that we curl up on in front of the fire and enjoy a cup of tea.”

Now, large sliding doors at the rear and to the patio achieve that indoor/outdoor lifestyle that the house lacked when the couple bought it. “It went from being a pretty self-enclosed space with a couple bay windows in it, to being full window walls, open to the side, open to back,” says John.

Before: Sliding Doors and Patio

After: Sliding Doors and Patio

When it came to décor, the couple had learned from their past mistakes. “Cary and I had this tendency to lean towards boho,” says Amber. “Then we would do the interior of our houses and step back and be like, ‘Oh, there's too many patterns and colors. It's too distracting.’"

For this home, they pared down the palette to create a neutral foundation, then layered in subtle texture and sculptural furniture pieces for visual interest. “We really wanted to make this house, as soon as you walk in, like it's therapy for the eye. It's serene and tranquil and Zen-like,” says Amber. “So, we started to understand that the more neutral the palette, the more you can have fun accenting it with interesting pieces, and then that becomes part of the language of the house.”

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Before & After: A Once-Stuffy Midcentury Is Refreshed With an Airy and Artsy Renovation