Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Dramatic Renovation in Tinseltown
Laurel Canyon Makeover Marries a Dynamic Interior with Great Outdoor Rooms
When interior designer Mark Dodge took on the renovation of this home in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon neighborhood, the house was in a state of disrepair and several renovations throughout the years did not tie the the house into a cohesive design. But Mark embraced the overgrown yard and the big grade changes. He eliminated unnecessary rooms, raised ceilings, created flow, connected the home to its yard through a series of outdoor rooms. Along the way he created something timeless. Here's how he did it.
Laurel Canyon is a neighborhood in Los Angeles between West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Most of the homes here are private, gated, and part of a self-contained neighborhood that does not have a lot of through streets. This home, nestled on a lush, hilly site, is no exception.
The house's original structure consisted of five connected pavilions, a response to the hilly canyon topography. Each pavilion was on a different level, creating a need for a lot of staircases within the house. Mark decided to take this necessity and celebrate it, allowing the changes in levels to add drama.
Mark's approach? "I wanted to create a floor plan that was explosive. I reorganized the pavilions and eliminated rooms that were not part of my client's wish list. I wanted to give the home more volume, so ceilings were raised, and hallways were eliminated." Rooms flow into each other via raised steps, adding elements of surprise and mystery.
Mark raised the ceilings and added partial walls to add intrigue to this bedroom.
Mark raised the ceilings and added partial walls to add intrigue to this bedroom.
All of the rooms have intricate relationships with their adjacent outdoor spaces. Here one could sit down to dinner in the dining room, or move the meal outside the beautiful glass doors.
Mark created a series of outdoor rooms designated via topography, surfaces on the ground, a pergola and walls. Some were designed from scratch, while others were inspired by what they unearthed when digging up the site.
When Mark came on the scene, the site was lush but overgrown. He added this reflecting pond outside of the library.
Mark also added a new, large entry porch which doubles as a greeting spot for the living room. When the client hosts a large gathering he sets up his main bar in this location.
Here is where the outdoor area mentioned above flows into the living room, allowing guests to easily move in and out.
"As we excavated parts of the hillside we found remnants of areas that were previously used, not unlike an archeological dig. The stone wall behind the pool was discovered and served as the starting-off point for all the stone coping and pool pavers," he says. A hot tub for 10 was a must-have.
In Laurel Canyon, a beautiful pool is also a must.
A series of outdoor staircases help you navigate the topographical changes between the five pavilions.
Perhaps the most genius move in the house was busting through the ceiling to create a dramatic two-story library. "The library was originally two separate floors, with the upper level housing two guest bedrooms," Mark says. "Because the client is a successful writer in Hollywood, I wanted to give him a unique library that became the heart of the home, flooded with natural light and dramatic lighting from the chandelier and the sconces for the evening."
The first bookcase on the lower level adjacent to the circular staircase is a hidden door that leads to the master suite, allowing the client to stay close to his books.
"This room is all new," Mark says, "but the materials selected gave it an aged appearance," and the furniture doesn't compete with architecture.
"This room is all new," Mark says, "but the materials selected gave it an aged appearance," and the furniture doesn't compete with architecture.
"I wanted to design a home that reflected the quality of the 1920s but was updated to this century," he says. "A seamless and timeless piece of architecture that looked like it was never touched but with all the modern conveniences we enjoy today. I wanted to make sure it would stay fresh in the years to come."
Mark integrated the client's extensive art collection. "Typically I do not get involved in curating art," he says. "I am adamant that a client maintains his personality in his home. I am not living there. This creates a unique home that cannot be duplicated." So much so, that this canoe painting inspired the design of the sculptural light fixture in the bedroom (next).
When you caught a glimpse of it earlier in this tour, you may have thought, Wait. What is that fabulous light?
"I had this light fixture custom designed and built by an artist," Mark says. "It is a bamboo frame with stretched nylon acting as the skin an incandescent tube floats inside. The inspiration was the canoe painting that was in the library over the sofa."
"I had this light fixture custom designed and built by an artist," Mark says. "It is a bamboo frame with stretched nylon acting as the skin an incandescent tube floats inside. The inspiration was the canoe painting that was in the library over the sofa."
"I wanted a timeless organized kitchen that would not become dated, was comfortable to cook in, easy to socialize in while cooking," Mark says. "No one wants to be left out of the party, so cooking is celebrated in this kitchen all the time, whether my client is cooking for himself or for 20 guests."
The kitchen design takes full advantage of natural light and the view to the stone wall. Artificial lights were carefully chosen and arranged to provide cozy lighting options at night.
Stairs heighten the drama of entering into a new room.
The portrait wall was inspired by the client's varied and unique art collection. "It needed to be hung properly, and that's where I became involved," Mark says. The portrait wall becomes the driving force that leads guest from the living room into the center of the house, the open floor plan dining room and kitchen.
Wondering about these beautiful tiles? They are Kirkstone Silver Green Honed Slate, extracted and manufactured in the hills of the English Lake District. "Kirkstone Silver Green slate exhibits strong natural markings and a broad range of shading, which helps to exhibit the unique volcanic origins of this robust and attractive slate created over 450 million years ago," Mark says. "Kirkstone Silver Green is suitable for the most demanding applications both inside or out. I usually use the same material in a house to unify the overall character of the house making it feel more unified."
True to this philosophy, this slate was also used in the master bath and the kitchen.
True to this philosophy, this slate was also used in the master bath and the kitchen.
Here's another great example of how Mark added drama by raising the roof and emphasized the relationship between the house and the landscape.
This space was originally two bedrooms. "I removed the wall between them and stole space from the attic in order to raise the ceiling," Mark says. "Originally this was to be a media and pool room, but the client felt it would make a great second master suite that would give him a different sleeping experience overlooking the pool and gardens."
Tip for hanging art: Mark needed to create a visual line separating the ceiling and wall volume, so he added a chair rail and hung the art from chains and picture hooks.
Tip for hanging art: Mark needed to create a visual line separating the ceiling and wall volume, so he added a chair rail and hung the art from chains and picture hooks.
The wallpaper in this room is Hemp III, "a hand-constructed wall covering that provides beautiful texture and color to walls with an easy elegance. It's sold by 24-foot (7.3m) rolls. This particular one is manufactured by Donghia.
"I like powder rooms to be dramatic, it's one room where you can get lost in a moment, pull yourself together, and head back to the bar for another martini. This room is also covered in hemp paper from Donghia."
I wanted to end with this shot of the context of the house and how it's nestled into the hills of the canyon.
Thanks so much to Mark for bringing some beautiful and dramatic Hollywood design to all of us today! Check out more of his work in his Houzz professional profile. An added bonus? Testimony from the client. He's a successful Hollywood writer so of course it's really well written and entertaining!
Next: Browse more great Los Angeles homes
Thanks so much to Mark for bringing some beautiful and dramatic Hollywood design to all of us today! Check out more of his work in his Houzz professional profile. An added bonus? Testimony from the client. He's a successful Hollywood writer so of course it's really well written and entertaining!
Next: Browse more great Los Angeles homes