Resurrected Craftsman Residence

Imagine a home that had once been loved but more recently had a lot of deferred maintenance. Sam had lived here since his grandmother had purchased the property and the property transferred to him in the 1970s. The home had suffered tremendous damage during the Northridge earthquake and was unimaginatively renovated in 1994. Sadly, all of the original features of the house had been stripped out during the 90s renovation and all that remained was the original wood plank exterior. There was extensive termite damage to the flooring and some joists, plus there was a water leak around a rear light fixture. Samira Tapia worked with a local architect and engineer to draw up plans to change around walls in order to make this 2 bedroom and 1 bath home into a comfortable 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom open concept bungalow, all within the existing square footage. Design took about a month, with about three weeks for the permitting process. With the original flooring damaged behind repair, the flooring was replaced with a beautiful French oak-lookalike waterproof flooring.

The kitchen is high on style and low on budget, with IKEA cabinet doors sprayed in a Benjamin Moore Black satin finish. Warmth was added through Iroko wood shelves custom cut by House of Hardwoods, mounted with simple black iron shelf brackets.

Each element was chosen to honor the craftsman past of this home while bringing it into the present modern time. Large octagonal flooring tiles are reminiscent of the smaller octagonal tile once used in the bathrooms. The simple shaker style kitchen cabinet doors celebrate the clean lines of the Arts and Crafts era. What emerges is a warm design that works for how we live today, yet celebrates the past.

Design by Samira Tapia - The Art of Houses | Photography by Stephanie Wiley, S/Wiley Interior Photography