My Houzz: Early-California Style for a 1920s Home and Garden
Native plantings and flea market treasures fill the cozy live-work space of a Southern California landscape designer
According to landscape designer Michael McIver, the 1929 Spanish-style home he purchased in the historic California Heights neighborhood of Long Beach, California, was once the ugliest house on the block. A flagstone walk, new tiled roof and thoughtful layers of drought-tolerant plantings have elevated its curb appeal from so-so to something special. And with a passion for vintage and a talent for finding flea market treasures, McIver has created a light-filled haven that’s uniquely his own.
Sunlight pours into an open living area that’s fragrant with the scent of potted orchids and detailed with coved ceilings, picture rail molding, arched doorways and original wood flooring.
McIver found the intricately carved dining table and chairs in Norco, California, for $400 and had them refinished. “The table pulls out to nine feet,” he says, “which I do for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.”
McIver found the intricately carved dining table and chairs in Norco, California, for $400 and had them refinished. “The table pulls out to nine feet,” he says, “which I do for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.”
Many homes in Long Beach were constructed in the early 1900s for Pasadena homeowners looking for second homes in the seaside town. “They didn’t need heat, so most of the homes were built with faux fireplaces just for the look,” McIver says.
Although many of his neighbors converted the fireplaces, McIver found a vintage heater at the local flea market that fit the space perfectly. “It’s one of the first things I found for the house.”
Although many of his neighbors converted the fireplaces, McIver found a vintage heater at the local flea market that fit the space perfectly. “It’s one of the first things I found for the house.”
A small writing desk sits near a window in the dining room. “I like the patina that comes with older things,” McIver says. “I’ve always been into collecting.”
He chose the home’s interior paint color, Lily by Ralph Lauren, to contrast with his dark wooden furnishings. “It’s the perfect color for dark accents. It’s warm with a little bit of warm yellow but still kind of beige, he says. “I’m not really a color person — for me it’s more about earth tones.”
He chose the home’s interior paint color, Lily by Ralph Lauren, to contrast with his dark wooden furnishings. “It’s the perfect color for dark accents. It’s warm with a little bit of warm yellow but still kind of beige, he says. “I’m not really a color person — for me it’s more about earth tones.”
A vintage wooden buffet, scored from friends who wanted something more modern, now holds McIver’s collection of white Franciscan Coronado pottery.
Framed vintage photographs of the Old West grace the top shelf. “I would describe my design style as ‘early California’ — anything from the ’20s and ’30s,” he says.
Framed vintage photographs of the Old West grace the top shelf. “I would describe my design style as ‘early California’ — anything from the ’20s and ’30s,” he says.
Although the lights and fixtures look original to the house, McIver specifically sought them out. A vintage pendant lamp in the hallway illuminates framed color prints of early California and an antique runner.
“All my pictures are of landscapes,” McIver says. “It’s definitely the theme of what I do.”
“All my pictures are of landscapes,” McIver says. “It’s definitely the theme of what I do.”
McIver added French doors in the master bedroom that lead to a back garden. “I don’t have curtains,” he says. “I can see the outside night or day and I love the light when I wake up.”
A pedestal sink, built-in medicine cabinet and wide moldings make the most of a small bathroom.
A vintage shaving mirror and brush offer a whimsical touch of nostalgia.
One of McIver’s early-California tile-topped tables holds a stack of gardening books in the guest bedroom, where an antique bed rests on an Oriental rug. Framed botanical prints, floral fabrics, natural elements and touches of leafy green create a relaxed, peaceful feel.
Stacks of books on gardening and design add color to cabinets and rooms. “I’ve always been interested in plants,” McIver says. “I’m one of those people who always knew what they wanted to do.” He recalls rearranging things in his yard even as a kid. “It might have been kind of strange for a 12-year-old,” he says with a laugh, “but I was always into creating spaces.”
In the kitchen, McIver relocated the refrigerator to the back hall and replaced it with a large armoire to add the storage space the original kitchen lacked, a common downside of charming old homes.
“In some ways, working with a small space is a good thing,” McIver says. “You don’t hold on to a lot of things.”
“In some ways, working with a small space is a good thing,” McIver says. “You don’t hold on to a lot of things.”
Although there have been minor cosmetic improvements to the kitchen, McIver says renovating the space remains something that may happen down the road. “There’s always a project,” he says.
McIver’s favorite things are placed in vignettes throughout the house. A leaf-painted tray shares counter space in the kitchen with a vintage brass pitcher and canister of utensils.
McIver converted the detached garage into his home office and added French doors that open to a trellis-covered patio.
The landscape designer works from home, and his office — furnished with a vintage desk, armoire and drafting table — is where he spends most of his time.
A framed print of the Queen Mary, a Long Beach landmark, sits above a bookcase displaying tom-toms, pottery, vintage trophies and books.
When choosing plants for the landscape, McIver says, he has a defined process. “Typically, I like to mimic the architecture. Mediterranean plants definitely go with Spanish. I believe garden themes have a direction whether you are aware of it or not.”
“I think plants create a mood and sense of place, so when I design things, I think about intimate locations where people are going to congregate and what they might like to see,” McIver says. In his own backyard, the effect is one of tranquillity and peace. McIver says he has also included uplighting in the space for nighttime. “It’s beautiful at night, very soothing.”
The classic, urn-shaped fountain is the backyard‘s focal point. “It’s a 100-year-old urn I got from Shane Brown at Big Daddy’s Antiques,” McIver says. “He found it at an estate somewhere in the east and I bought it out of his warehouse in El Segundo.”
Hummingbirds also enjoy the fountain and visit often. “If you put a water feature in your yard, it’s a guarantee you’ll get birds,” he says.
Hummingbirds also enjoy the fountain and visit often. “If you put a water feature in your yard, it’s a guarantee you’ll get birds,” he says.
To create a pathway for the side yard, McIver broke up existing concrete parking slabs to create pavers.
He then added the decorative wooden entry doors with wrought iron Spanish details, a potting bench, cafe chairs and his favorite Mediterranean plants.
He then added the decorative wooden entry doors with wrought iron Spanish details, a potting bench, cafe chairs and his favorite Mediterranean plants.
He had an olive tree brought in with a crane and included low-water, drought-tolerant plants such as aloe trees and agave, palms, coleus, bougainvillea, kalanchoe, aeoniums and Euphorbia tirucalli, also called the fire stick tree or pencil tree. There’s also a strawberry tree and bromeliads among the many other plants. “These are plants that do well in a climate that’s sunny and dry,” McIver says.
“I drove around this neighborhood for months looking for a place,” McIver says of the historic district once voted ‘Best Neighborhood’ by Sunset magazine. “When I saw this one, I fell in love with it.” He says his home and his landscape continue to be a work in progress. “It’s definitely evolved over the years — it’s a process.”
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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: Michael McIver
Location: California Heights neighborhood of Long Beach, California
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); two bedrooms, one bath
Year built: 1929
When Michael McIver first bought this house, its gardens were nonexistent. McIver, a landscape designer, quickly planted trees, shrubs and bushes, including the brilliant bougainvillea that drapes over the doorway. The occasional flowering of the agave in the front yard adds an impressive touch of drama. “Sometimes they flower, but when they do it kills the main plant, and it will eventually need to be taken out,” he says. Luckily, the plant produces pups, or volunteer seedlings that grow next to the larger agave, ready to take its place.