Aëdele VK1 Classic Edition headphones at Austere, Los Angeles.

Excerpts from the journal artist Brian Rea wrote in while he was traveling in Sweden adorn the storefront's glass.

At their A. Quincy Jones house in Los Angeles, architects Cory Buckner and Nick Roberts used permeable pavers to help the soil retain moisture.

The challenge of renovating an iconic midcentury house is surely a daunting one for any architect, but apply this formula to a Richard Neutra house, and the responsibility rises exponentially. This was the situation for Los Angeles–based architect Peter Grueneisen, founder and principal of Los Angeles–based Nonzero Architecture, who inherited the task of taking on significant updates to an already-altered Neutra—the 1949 Freedman House in Pacific Palisades, California.

Saved from demolition, stripped of awkward alterations, and faithfully restored, these rehabbed homes prove how timeless midcentury design can be.

The courtyard acts like an outdoor living room, where the Arnolds’ daughter, Josie, plays freely, safe from nearby traffic. The family dines here most of the year at the custom-designed wood-and-steel table. The picnic table set reappropriates the century-old eucalyptus tree that once grew on the site.

The first thing landscape designer Laura Cooper asked Devis and Purdy was to recall childhood gardens and outdoor play. In that spirit, she designed their backyard, integrating the high ground with the low just outside the “kids’ wing.” The resulting series of outdoor rooms on this quarter-acre is full of memory and play.

A mature avocado tree shades the hardscaped patio located just outside the great room.

Their property features an abundance of local flora and fauna. “We have deer that come from Griffith Park through our garden,” Judith says.

The upstairs portion of the addition takes advantage of the ocean view beyond. "The second floor achieves a dynamic on its own, with large window bands and roof overhangs with detailing emulated from the original," Grueneisen says. "But despite the significant change in the massing, we believe the final composition results in an integrated and seamless sense of continuity between the different generations of the building."

The main space containing the living and dining area and kitchen was relatively unchanged. "In consideration of the original vision, the additions blend with the original structure, and the basic idea of the open flow between the inside and the outside is maintained and reinforced in all areas," the architect says.

Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.

From fabric choices to pleating, interior designers break down how to select the ideal curtains—and how much you should budget.

Ledner's second shoot took place in early spring 2012, once the fence had been installed and the flowers were blooming.

Just one month later the garden was much lusher.

The fruits of their labors: beautiful cut flowers, which Silverlake Farms sells at local farmers' markets in signature iron-and-glass jars.

The house is quite vertical, but Cooper, with boyfriend Tonu Mets, designed it with an eye toward outdoor spaces like carport shown here and the fire pit out back.

Ingrid and Jane get to work planting seedlings.

Backtracking in time to March 2011, here's one of the first plantings on the property, as captured by photographer Catherine Ledner. Note the fence hasn't yet gone up.

Nestled in a celebrated midcentury neighborhood, the Riley Residence was a 1957 ranch house two doors down from Crestwood Hills, the Los Angeles cooperative development known for its collection of A. Quincy Jones masterpieces. The L-shaped floor plan on a large wooded lot was reimagined by architect Cory Buckner, who remodeled and developed an addition inspired by the nearby icons. Quirky retro charm radiates from the home with pistachio green cabinetry in the eat-in kitchen. These were complemented with some quiet complements like Blizzard countertops by Caesarstone and white tile by Ann Sacks. A nook with a tulip-style table by ModShop, a custom upholstered banquette by Johannes Interiors, and a Caboche chandelier by Foscarini accentuates the home's retro charm.

After a 40-year-old pine tree fell over on a Brentwood estate in Los Angeles, the owner let it lie, and the continued to grow from its newfound horizontal position. He decided to incorporate it into a 172-square-foot office and guest house with the structure floating above the tree. Around the perimeter of the butterfly roof is a clerestory that gives the illusion that the roof is floating.

Storey calls this house the “Eel’s Nest,” after the narrow urban properties that go by that name in Japan. Its façade was originally going to be wood, but because of local building codes and the fact the building is built along the edge of the property line, the exterior had to be fireproof. Storey covered it with stucco instead. “I wanted it to look as rough as possible,” says the architect. “Since it’s such a small house, it needed to be tough-looking.” The workshop at ground level measures less than 200 square feet, but is set up to accommodate any kind of woodworking or welding; when not in use, the architect parks his car inside.

With its sloped Douglas fir ceiling, expansive glass, and elm built-ins crafted by Wolf Melian, the upstairs study resembles a Crestwood Hills classic. Case Study sofas that double as guest beds meet the client’s request for convertible space. The rug from Amadi Carpets, pillows sewn from vintage Swedish fabric, and painting by Sylvan Lionni inject red into the earthy palette.

The exterior of Jayna Cooper's house in Los Angeles. "As I was designing my house I kept in mind standard lumber and plywood sizes so that there would be minimal waste," she says. "When choosing materials, I did basic research on cost per square foot and picked out some of the least expensive materials in the building industry. Basic, inexpensive stuff like corrugated sheet metal, stucco, and drywall can look really great if it’s incorporated into the design in a modern and well-thought-out way."

"Our house is exactly like this, only smaller," Kevin says.

The Mowhawk General Store + Amsterdam Modern is located at 4011 West Sunset Boulevard in the Sunset Junction neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The pool was installed by Eric Watanabe of Magestic Pools & Landscapes.

The creative couple—Kevin also owns and runs Generic Man and Bo has a background in fashion marketing—partnered with Ellen LeComte of Amsterdam Modern for the move to the new location. “It’s not the normal mid-century stuff,” Kevin says. “It’s things most people here haven’t seen before.”

Kevin describes the shop—and its ever-evolving and rotating inventory—as “a public gallery of where we’re at in architecture, fashion, and music.”

In 2008, Kevin and Bo Carney launched Mohawk General Store on Los Angeles's Mohawk Street. Two years later they moved to the heart of Sunset Junction. "We've created a big living room for people," Kevin says.

Up next, Kevin and Bo hope to create more specialty pieces with designers. "It’d be a creative outlet for us and another reason for everyone else to check out our store," he says. Visit Mohawk General Store in person at 4011 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, or online at mohawkgeneralstore.net. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!

Owners Joe DeMarie and Madeleine Brand recently inherited a treasure trove of archival documents from Luby Bubeshko, the building’s original owner.

Kevin Carney, Bo Carney, and Ellen LeComte of Mohawk General Store and Amsterdam Modern.

Louis Poulsen's PH Artichoke Lamp hangs above a platform decked out with Quistgaard candlesticks and an ice bucket, Aalto stools, and a wine rack by Nissen Langaa Denmark. The pink stool by Marie-Louise Hellgren is made from upcycled textile waste from airbag production.

Architect Barbara Bestor added a striped floor of Santander Granada Tile, Douglas Fir cladding, and Granada Serengeti tile flipped to create a one-of-a-kind pattern on the wall.

A wooden mold for an Aalto vase.