My Houzz: Music and Eclectic Finds Rock a Family’s Los Angeles Hideaway
See how a creative couple thoughtfully curates their hilltop home perched in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon
Kristin Korven and Derek James transformed their 1930s house, which is tucked away in the hills of Laurel Canyon, into a beautiful home for their family of four. “It’s day and night from what it was before,” Korven says.
The space had housed friends and musicians for years before the couple — she’s an interior designer, he’s a musician and DJ — took over. They made some big design updates, such as switching out a wooden staircase for a rolling ladder and adding personalized stained glass to their bedroom windows, but also kept many of the details they loved.
Now family heirlooms, estate sale gems and customized features seamlessly blend the rooms into a functional and inspiring home. “The house inherently influences us,” Korven says. “We are constantly working with the way things are versus ripping up interiors when we have a challenge.”
The space had housed friends and musicians for years before the couple — she’s an interior designer, he’s a musician and DJ — took over. They made some big design updates, such as switching out a wooden staircase for a rolling ladder and adding personalized stained glass to their bedroom windows, but also kept many of the details they loved.
Now family heirlooms, estate sale gems and customized features seamlessly blend the rooms into a functional and inspiring home. “The house inherently influences us,” Korven says. “We are constantly working with the way things are versus ripping up interiors when we have a challenge.”
The couple frequent antique malls, estate sales and vintage stores when looking for pieces for their home. “Derek and I never really look for specific objects or furnishings. When we stumble upon something that’s beautiful or feels serendipitous, we know when it’s meant to be,’’ Korven says. The rug in the living room is a local estate sale find; the previous owners purchased it in Peru in the 1970s. The chandelier, on the other hand, is original to the home.
“I always feel it’s important to splurge, or invest, rather, in high-quality textiles like bed linens, towels, drapery and nice rugs. I tend to think there’s always a way to find great furniture for a bargain,” Korven says.
“I always feel it’s important to splurge, or invest, rather, in high-quality textiles like bed linens, towels, drapery and nice rugs. I tend to think there’s always a way to find great furniture for a bargain,” Korven says.
The couple removed the stairway to the loft area and replaced it with a rolling library ladder they found on eBay. They also installed shelves to hold their extensive record and book collections.
Korven found the vintage bentwood chairs at different estate sales and antiques shops.
James brought many of the home’s pieces with him when he moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, including this 1969 Rock-Ola jukebox.
The floor plan encourages indoor-outdoor living. These French doors lead from the children’s room to the patio.
Korven’s great-great-grandmother made the quilt that covers Jackson’s bed; the elephant print on the wall is from Bread and Puppet in Vermont.
The oriental rug under the chair was made in the 1940s and was purchased at Hidden Treasures in Topanga Canyon.
The oriental rug under the chair was made in the 1940s and was purchased at Hidden Treasures in Topanga Canyon.
The couple bought the unfinished-wood crib at Ikea and stained it a darker hue to match the rest of the room. Korven made the woven wall hanging using found driftwood and a textile from Mexico.
The sofa’s cushions are easily detachable, turning the piece into a perfect side table where Jackson can color and draw.
The sofa’s cushions are easily detachable, turning the piece into a perfect side table where Jackson can color and draw.
James picked up the small peacock chair at an estate sale. A box of instruments and a bookshelf fill out the corner.
The piano, original to the home, is broken and out of tune and now sits on the patio that connects the kids’ room to the greenhouse room.
The greenhouse is an addition from the ’60s. Though it has some structural imperfections, the couple find them endearing. “It’s really falling apart, but that’s also part of the charm of it,” Korven says.
The long table, built by James for their wedding, has been repurposed in the space.
The long table, built by James for their wedding, has been repurposed in the space.
The greenhouse room lies just off the open living room and kitchen areas.
The couple painted the kitchen cabinets and drawers. They tried various ways to remove existing paint from the tiles and found the only solution was to slowly, painstakingly chip it off.
Korven stores her collection of vintage and current cookbooks in the open shelving. The enamelware above the sink belonged to her great-grandmother.
The unique wood floor is original and one of Korven’s favorite design details in the house.
The unique wood floor is original and one of Korven’s favorite design details in the house.
The Thermador oven was installed in the 1960s and still works great for the family today.
Blue penny tile covers the floor in the bathroom, where toiletries are artfully displayed in a vintage bookcase.
The master bedroom extends from the main house and opens to the back patio. “Our bedroom is the only room in the house with a view towards the backyard. It’s so tranquil and comfortable,” Korven says.
Korven designed the stained glass windows on the walls above their bed and had them made at the stained glass store where her mother worked. “It’s one of the few alterations I’ve made to the home that’s a little out in left field, but somehow feels like it belongs,” she says.
A modern desk sits in the corner window in the bedroom. James found the wire Eames chair at an antiques store.
Stairs from the back patio lead to the backyard and a small building they call “The Shack.”
A rattan swing chair looks over the patio from the top of the backyard.
“This coming spring we’re hoping to build an enclosed edible garden. We have a ton of deer living on the ridge above our backyard and they eat anything and everything!” Korven says.
“This coming spring we’re hoping to build an enclosed edible garden. We have a ton of deer living on the ridge above our backyard and they eat anything and everything!” Korven says.
When James was living here with his band, he transformed the outbuilding from a storage unit into his bedroom. Since then, the space has become a place for the family to hang out, play, make music and work.
An array of stringed instruments hangs above the sofa.
One wall holds videos, records, musical equipment and instruments.
A 30-to-40-year-old staghorn fern hangs above the steps leading to the front of the home. The fern was cultivated by Korven’s late step-grandfather. Air plants typically are very complicated to handle and the relocation of the fern was carefully carried out by Korven’s father.
Many of the plants in their yard and home were gifts from friends and family.
Many of the plants in their yard and home were gifts from friends and family.
Korven, left, Jackson, James and Luella relax in front of their floor-to-ceiling record collection.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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
Who lives here: Kristin Korven and Derek James and their son, Jackson, and daughter, Luella
Location: Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles
Size: About 1,500 square feet (139 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
The family of Kristin Korven and Derek James spends most of its time in the main living area of the home. At least once a year, the couple overhaul the room, rearranging, babyproofing and taking out what doesn’t make sense. “We are constantly rearranging, depending on the age of the kids and the easiest way for us to just live in this space,” Korven says.
The couple rents out their home for various commercial film and photography shoots and keep a website From Lookout Mountain.