It’s not always easy to spot untapped potential in real estate. When a couple with two children bought a haphazardly renovated home in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, there were few existing elements that were particularly inspiring—but they did like the location at the end of a cul de sac, the existing kidney-shaped pool, and the views toward the foothills.

It would take a strong vision to adapt the property into a bright and open family home—and an eye-opening renovation by Part Office helped realize that potential.

quintessential, nondistinctive suburban Los Angeles home, and we were careful not to associate it with any particular style or period,” say the architects. “This project was focused on the spatial potential within the existing house, and its construction was the precedent.”" layout="bleed" credit="Photography by Sam Wadieh" photoUserId=""/>

One of the homeowners is an art dealer who sought an airy space for displaying art. The other is a keen cook who prioritized a state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen that would also serve as the communal heart of the home.

The couple approached Part Office to undertake a full renovation that entailed opening up the ground-level family room, expanding the kitchen, and introducing better light and connection to the outdoor area. “The existing house was very challenging,” recalls architect Kristin Korven, co-founder of Part Office. “It was compact, dark, and had been renovated over the years resulting in a series of disconnected spaces fitted with a bricolage of materials void of any intention.”

Before: Living Room

The ground floor—which contains a bedroom with an en-suite bath and the kitchen, dining, and living areas—received the most dramatic update. The existing stair blocked views to the backyard, so the design team focused on reorganizing the layout. “It was our desire to transform the staircase from the most obtrusive element to the most sculptural, celebrating its illogical form and important function connecting all levels of the home," says Kaplon.

After: Living Room

Part Office replaced the dark timber floor with an imported Italian terrazzo floor by Marmi Scala. The bright, reflective surface unifies the ground floor in a gallery-style manner. “We were interested in a mix of high and low materials inspired by the clients’ interests,” says Jeff Kaplon, cofounder of Part Office." layout="wide" credit="Photography by Sam Wadieh" photoUserId=""/>

After: Stair

The new, plywood-clad staircase has a sculptural form that evokes the mind-bending lithographic prints of M.C. Escher. It leads to the kids’ bedrooms and the shared bathroom on the second floor, and a renovated main bedroom with a new en-suite bath on the top floor. The lower-level steps also feature an integrated shoe storage cabinet. A new window at the top of the stair on the third floor and a skylight in the dining room ensure natural light cascades down the stairs throughout the day.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The sleek, European-style galley kitchen features Fisher & Paykel and Bosch appliances and Caesarstone counters, with more affordable laminate cabinetry. The addition of a large picture window between the rear of the kitchen and the kitchen island marks the the extension. “While the terrazzo flooring was one of the most expensive materials, it was offset by the plywood accents and laminate kitchen,” says Kaplon. “We were also careful to detail items simply, so that they would be fabricated and constructed simply by the team on-site.”" layout="wide" credit="Photography by Sam Wadieh" photoUserId=""/>

Part Office flipped the kitchen to a new location on the other side of the dining area, and added a small extension to square it off. This created a much larger dining/living area, with a new sliding door that opens to the kidney-shaped pool.

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

The dining room and kitchen sit at the heart of the ground floor, offering an ideal gathering space. “We introduced three sets of identical sliding doors based on an original set that opens from the living/dining area and lower guest bedroom/office space to the pool and a small rear patio in order to activate these spaces,” says Korven. “When open, the exterior spaces become an extension of these family rooms.”

Before: Bedrooms

After: Bedrooms

Before: Bathrooms

After: Bathrooms

Part Office left the layout of the bathrooms largely unchanged—apart from replacing the full bathroom on the ground floor with a smaller powder room. However each bath did receive a complete makeover, with sleek tiles and minimal vanity units. “The budget was limited, so we utilized as much of the home’s existing structure as possible so as to not incur major foundation or framing costs,” reveals Korven.

Before: Backyard & Pool

After: Backyard & Pool

The outdoor areas weren’t dramatically altered during the renovation—Part Office simply cleaned them up and worked on repairs where necessary." layout="wide" credit="Photography by Sam Wadieh" photoUserId=""/>

The original home had many challenges, so the architects sought to create a meaningful dialogue between disparate elements, and to establish a continuous narrative.

“Working with a very challenging set of existing conditions and a limited budget, we were initially concerned that our scope of work would be difficult to accomplish,” says Kaplon. “By embracing and celebrating some of the largest obstacles, we found that this attitude toward the existing ambiguity would help us design other aspects of the project as well.”

4801 Lockhaven Avenue in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, is offered by Courtney Poulos of Acme Real Estate for $1,699,000.

More from Part Office:

An Electric Blue Addition Punches Up a 1930s Bungalow in L.A.

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Part Office / @part_office

Builder: Behr Construction

Lighting Design: Part Office

Interior Design: Part Office

Cabinetry Design: Part Office

Cabinetry Installation: Behr Construction

Home Stager & Interior Designer: Francesca Grace

Photographer: Sam Wadieh

Appears In

Before & After: A Los Angeles Home Gets a Dazzling Makeover—and Hits the Market for $1.7M