“There was an institutional gray that repeated throughout the house,” designer Frances Merrill says while thinking back to her first visit to this L.A. home originally designed and built by architect Robert Lee in 1963.

Merrill’s studio, Reath Design, steers clear of such safe approaches to decor—instead, their work is rooted in a love of color, pattern, and textiles. For this project, which wrapped in 2020 after many years of collaboration, a color swap kickstarted the process of tailoring the home to its new owners, who work in the fashion and film industries.

“One of the things we did that really added a lot of warmth and depth to the house was painting all of what was already painted,” says Merrill. “We picked this rich, deep green that brings out the tone in the wood a lot more. That was a pretty simple change, working with what was already there.”

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Shop the Look

Much of the project was guided by “simple changes” that left the home’s excellent bones intact. Merrill brought in the homeowners’ personalities with a mix of vintage and custom furnishings, carefully chosen color palettes, and decadent patterns.

For example, in the office, Merrill kept the original cork flooring in place, then wrapped walls in earth-toned Hermès wallpaper. A custom wall of shelving and a built-in desk, fabricated by local woodworker Joshua West Smith, provides a streamlined counterpoint to the lush pattern.

“It was really about just making it flow and putting the owners’ mark on the home without making major changes,” says Merrill. “Then, in the kitchen and the bathrooms, we did a total remodel.”

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The kitchen was ripe for a gut overhaul. Not only were the existing ’90s finishes not to the taste of the owners, it wasn’t very functional. The layout jogged in strange directions, and the cabinet doors would open if they were leaned against in the wrong way. “We never moved any walls,” says Merrill. Instead, the design team introduced custom cabinetry to maximize storage and flow.

Before: Guest Bathroom

After: Guest Bathroom

After: Office

Before: Master Suite

After: Master Suite

The owners bought the house in 2013, and the culmination of the multiyear remodel is the nursery, where the home’s playful spirit shines. There, a custom mural by Londubh Studios strews fluffy white clouds across the cabinetry and ceiling, and a giant glider is inspired by Pee Wee Herman’s Chairry and Roy McMakin.

Completing the project in multiple phases allowed the homeowners to get exactly what they wanted by the end. “They get to live in it and see what works,” says Merrill. “And they also, I think, become more likely to take risks.”

Before: Nursery

After: Nursery

Related Reading:

Kitchy Kitchen’s Claire Thomas Restores a Charming L.A. Midcentury

19 Laudable Midcentury Modern Renovations in Los Angeles

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Frances Merrill, Reath Design / @reathdesign

Builder: Robert Barron, All In One Construction

Cabinetry: Juan Leon, G&A Fine Wood Working

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Before & After: Big Color and Pattern Give a Drab L.A. Midcentury a Major Glow Up