Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Redo Keeps 1930s Spanish Bungalow Spirit Alive
An architect preserves the Los Angeles home’s period character while opening up the kitchen and improving the layout
Wrought iron railings, a cozy fireplace, arched openings — this family loved the character of their 1936 Spanish bungalow, but a few awkward renovations over the years had left the layout disjointed. Passionate about keeping the historic charm intact, they hired architect Jeff Troyer, who worked meticulously to remodel the Los Angeles home in a way that would improve its flow, remove the awkwardness and preserve its history.
The fireplace — including the tile, brick, hearth and decorative air intake vents — is original. All it needed was some repairs to the flue and new paint for the bricks.
From the living room, you can catch a clear view across the house into the kitchen. Before the renovation, the kitchen and the dining room were separated by a wall with only a small opening. Troyer widened the opening and gave it an arched shape to go with the rest of the house. The tile on the stairs is original.
Here’s a closer look at the kitchen and dining room. Besides opening up those two rooms, Troyer also removed a wall on the right side of the kitchen to eliminate a breakfast nook and expand the kitchen.
In the renovated kitchen, elements like subway tile, Shaker-style cabinets, flush-mount lighting and hardware are in keeping with the 1930s era. The upper cabinet doors have frosted reeded glass doors. Window replacements match the existing windows stylistically but meet California energy-efficiency standards.
Details like the cornices on the island add to the historic feel. “I added the feet to the cabinets to give them more of a free-standing furniture feel,” Troyer says. The kitchen also needed a new floor, so they went with a classic terra-cotta tile.
One place where they updated a bit was in the hanging light fixtures. “They are more midcentury-inspired,” Troyer says. “My clients have a lot of midcentury furniture, and it helped it all fit together.”
In the renovated kitchen, elements like subway tile, Shaker-style cabinets, flush-mount lighting and hardware are in keeping with the 1930s era. The upper cabinet doors have frosted reeded glass doors. Window replacements match the existing windows stylistically but meet California energy-efficiency standards.
Details like the cornices on the island add to the historic feel. “I added the feet to the cabinets to give them more of a free-standing furniture feel,” Troyer says. The kitchen also needed a new floor, so they went with a classic terra-cotta tile.
One place where they updated a bit was in the hanging light fixtures. “They are more midcentury-inspired,” Troyer says. “My clients have a lot of midcentury furniture, and it helped it all fit together.”
Unable to vault the kitchen ceiling for structural reasons, Troyer carved out a vaulted area from an area that had served as an attic. The beams are reclaimed and are not structural, but they add texture and age and gave him something from which to hang the lights. He replaced two round louvered vents with round windows to create a new light well.
Lighting and hardware: Rejuvenation; oak dining table: custom
Lighting and hardware: Rejuvenation; oak dining table: custom
This area had been an awkward hallway at the top of the basement stairs. Troyer opened it up to the kitchen and created a charming pantry nook, complete with wire mesh doors. The beadboard is new but matches some of the home’s original paneling. The architect also added the Dutch door, which leads to the backyard.
This library had been a bedroom, but a previous renovation had left the room windowless. “It was so dark and closed off in here that they had to have all of the lights on in the middle of the day,” Troyer says. “They just put a desk in here and called it an office.”
The architect opened up the walls on two sides and added built-in bookshelves to transform it into a cozy library. The shelves are backed in the same beadboard as in the pantry nook.
Library lamps: Rejuvenation
The architect opened up the walls on two sides and added built-in bookshelves to transform it into a cozy library. The shelves are backed in the same beadboard as in the pantry nook.
Library lamps: Rejuvenation
In the same room, he created an arched opening into the closet and turned the space into a comfortable desk alcove. There’s a new skylight flooding it with natural light from above.
In the master bedroom, Troyer moved windows to allow for better furniture placement.
The original sink still stands in the master bathroom, and the rest of the room looks as though it could date back to the 1930s as well. Troyer was careful with tile and fixture selection, as well as cabinet design, ensuring that they would all look authentic. The marble on the cabinet top and shelves matches the marble on the bathtub deck.
An awkward free-standing tub had been placed on the diagonal in this space. “It was almost impossible for anyone but a child to get in there, and it also served as the shower,” Troyer says. He installed a bathtub that better fits the space, and incorporated the shower. The arched niche and skylight are new.
Fixtures: Cal Faucets; tile: B&W Tile
Fixtures: Cal Faucets; tile: B&W Tile
In a second bathroom, the black-and-white tile scheme also harks back to the home’s original era. The sink basin is original but stands on new legs.
Tile: B&W Tile
Tile: B&W Tile
This basement bathroom was existing but was odd. The toilet was located where this utility sink stands now, and across from it was a scary sauna. “It was this little box that sat atop a 2-foot-high foundation. You had to step up into it, and couldn’t even fully stand up in it,” Troyer says. “I didn’t even want go in to measure. I was afraid I’d get locked in it somehow!”
Utility sink: Kohler
Utility sink: Kohler
This bathroom is convenient to the pool in the backyard and serves as a cabana bath. “It’s really a fun space with its view out to the pool, so we decided to go bright and eclectic in here,” he says. Yellow Moroccan tile keeps things cheery. And a clear glass shower replaced the scary sauna box. Again, Troyer used the beadboard that matched original paneling.
Tile: B&W Tile
Tile: B&W Tile
This laundry space had to be excavated from the home’s crawl space. It had the same nonstructural 2-foot-high foundation that was serving no purpose in the middle of it, so Troyer used that to give the washer and dryer some height. He covered the concrete in the same beadboard as elsewhere.
BEFORE: At the top of the floor plan you can see how the kitchen was closed off from the dining room and separated by a door from the landing at the top of the basement stairs. A breakfast nook was to the right of the kitchen.
The office in the middle of the house was walled in. Above it, the sunroom, a converted back porch, was stepped down from the rest of the house.
On the left side of the plan, you can see the awkward diagonal placement of the tubs in the two bathrooms.
The office in the middle of the house was walled in. Above it, the sunroom, a converted back porch, was stepped down from the rest of the house.
On the left side of the plan, you can see the awkward diagonal placement of the tubs in the two bathrooms.
AFTER: The renovation eliminated the breakfast nook to enlarge the kitchen. The opening between the kitchen and dining room has been enlarged. On the left side of the kitchen, a door was removed to create the pantry nook, which now has a Dutch door to the outside.
The office is now a library with a desk alcove, and it has been opened up to bring in natural light. The sunroom above it was reconfigured into a third bedroom, with more efficient windows and a raised floor.
There were too many doors in the house before, a result of past remodels. The master bedroom hallway and closet, and the doors around the third bedroom and the library, were reconfigured for an easier flow.
Troyer and the couple worked together for years to make sure every change was painstakingly and meticulously planned. “These clients are the coolest people and were passionate about preserving the 1930s character of their home,” he says.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
The office is now a library with a desk alcove, and it has been opened up to bring in natural light. The sunroom above it was reconfigured into a third bedroom, with more efficient windows and a raised floor.
There were too many doors in the house before, a result of past remodels. The master bedroom hallway and closet, and the doors around the third bedroom and the library, were reconfigured for an easier flow.
Troyer and the couple worked together for years to make sure every change was painstakingly and meticulously planned. “These clients are the coolest people and were passionate about preserving the 1930s character of their home,” he says.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family of four
Location: Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles
Size: 1,927 square feet (179 square meters) not including the basement; three bedrooms, three bathrooms
Designer: Jeff Troyer of JWT Associates
In the living room, you can see some of the large arched openings that are an important part of the home’s architecture. They were a key inspiration for the renovations. The ceiling beams are original, as are the wrought iron railings. The wood floors also were existing; Troyer had them refinished throughout the house to bring them back to their original glory.
The couple already owned many of the furnishings. His father was a furniture maker, and her father was an artist, and they have some of both parents’ pieces. They also own some lovely Scandinavian modern furnishings. Troyer helped the couple get this coffee table and their dining table custom built.
Wall paint: Mascarpone, Benjamin Moore