Once home to Eden Sasson from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a midcentury ranch in Los Angeles prioritized set design for the reality TV show over light, circulation, and the original character of the building. New homeowners and former renters of the property, Berta and Jon Praeger, sought different functions for the residence when they took the reins. Seeking to create a livable home for their young two children, the couple tapped California firm First Office to strip back ad-hoc renovations and find the livable yet refined family dwelling within the home’s bones.
For the exterior, First Office focused on repair over replacement. Tile veneer at the base of the home was removed, cracked stucco was repaired, and certain areas were re-clad with fiber cement. The facade was repainted in an earthy beige, hence the title of the project: Beige House.
Inside, the firm stripped back award built-ins, and unnecessary partitions and textures. A focus was placed on the original spatial logic of the home, returning the kitchen to its original site that was relocated for better filming of Housewives. Meanwhile, the main hallway was widened to create a clearer organizational spine, which also necessitated moving a wall back to its original location.
The circulation was also improved in regards to light and the outdoors. A 500-square-foot addition was added to the rear of the home, integrating a new 25-foot sliding door that opens under a new retractable awning to improve the transition between the outdoors and indoors.
The new glass doors illuminate the kitchen, further punctuated by a circular aperture above the hood and a rectangular window above the sink. Above, a raised ceiling features exposed rafters and four skylights for even more natural light.
Down-to-earth materiality complements the expanded rooms and illumination. White oak makes up the kitchen cabinets and shelving, topped with marble counters, set alongside an island of redwood handcut tiles from Heath Ceramics.
This material palette continues throughout the home, from the red terrazzo flooring of the new entry to the primary bath’s shower and tub, completely clad in pink terrazzo. In the primary bedroom, more wooden built-ins create a calmer interior. First Office designed the millwork which wraps around the walls to create the headboard-cum-night-stand and the fluted closets. More exposed rafters and a view of the pool deliver the picturesque while maintaining the family functionality.
The designers make time for play and surprise. In the kids’ room, artist and wallpaper designer Lara Apponyi created wave-like murals for the walls. Outside, a new ipe-clad spiral shower riffs on the kitchen’s porthole.
With its midcentury roots still standing, Beige House was ushered into the present as a quintessential family home. Using the structure’s own strengths, First Office layers light and natural materials to convert the property back into a functional residence.
