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.

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."

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.

In Downtown Los Angeles, Fredrik Carlström has curated a well-rounded collection of Scandinavian design at his concept shop Austere. "I imagined the physical space like if a lifestyle magazine with all my favorite things came to life," he says.

Books and vintage magazines atop a Poul Kjærholm coffee table by Fritz Hansen. The piece in the background is a PK80 daybed.

Leading from the communal pool area to the more intimate olive tree grove, the intricate “woven” ipe boardwalk plays with a variety of lineweights and patterns. All of the wood used for the project is reclaimed.

Pacek and Roynon peeled away wallpaper to reveal layers of old paint that serendipitously complemented the color scheme of their new kitchen, and used a circular frame to preserve a section of it. The matte-chrome handles and pulls are by Mockett.

The addition references the main house in materiality and function. "We did not want to simply copy the existing elements, so we explored and investigated different levels of faithfulness to the existing structure, from a very near emulation to a much more contemporary approach that would only quote the previous architecture in some key aspects," Grueneisen says.

Sliding doors on either side of the living room and along the kitchen open all the way, allowing the breeze from the canyon to spin right through the house.

“We want guests to come together and eat and have a drink,” says Judith, “but we also want guests to feel like they have their private space.”

The house becomes part of Burton's landscape scheme.

“By shifting the 60-degree equilateral grid of the home 18 degrees, it blurred the edges of the lot line so that the user isn’t sure where the property starts or ends,” Marble said. The hexagonal shape also makes the most of passing breezes, changing sunlight, and bird’s eye views.

Judith and Marc are Swiss music composers who have lived in Los Angeles for decades.

Gatherings at the house tend toward the casual, with kid-friendly hangouts on the back patio.

Some of the cacti species available at the shop include cleistocactus supernova, pediocactus knowltonii, and thrixanthocereus senilis. "What we try to do is carry uniquely beautiful cactus that are not commercially available to the public," Help LTD. says. "But we try not to carry plants that only a cactus head would flip over—we're trying to bring these beautiful plants to the public, not pull them further away."

If you’re able to dish out a significant sum on a renovation, pinpointing the areas of the home to tackle can be frustrating. Berkus warns that opting for trendy construction materials is not the way to go. “I am always interested in learning what’s happening with advancements in technology, but regardless of how much money you have it is always best to air on the side of timeless and classic in terms of construction materials,” Berkus says. “You can still live in a very modern way using classic materials like subway tile, statutory or Calgary white marble, stainless steel or butcher block countertops.” Pictured is a dining room and kitchen renovation designed by Machnik in a Los Angeles loft for American Dream Builders. Photo courtesy NBC.

The Line Hotel, Los Angeles The best design aspect of The Line Hotel, conceived by designer Sean Knibb, is its floor to ceiling windows, making the palm trees and Hollywood hills a key visual component in every room. Cloth lanterns and Mexican blanket chairs accent the otherwise simple interiors. For additional details, The Line turns to a host of artist collaborators who create everything from sculptural paperweights to water color prints.

Grant Mudford, Los Angeles.