A '50s Era Los Angeles Home Makeover Brings the Drama

While many older Los Angeles County homes have succumbed to the wrecking ball, making way for modern replacements on their high-demand lots, interior designer Jessica Risko Smith's clients had other plans for their 1950s home tucked in Hidden Hills. "The neighborhood, adjacent to Calabasas, offers gate-guarded communities and is appealing to celebrities in the LA area," says Jessica. "The settings feel pastoral and have few sidewalks or streetlights, but offer deep setbacks, white three-rail fences, corrals, barns and natural, rustic equestrian trails."

The first order of business was updating the home's exterior, which is now wrapped in farmhouse-style board and batten paired with a brick veneer. "I worked with the architect and homeowner to select and approve the window color, wall and trim paint and roof color," says Jessica. "We worked together to establish the specification and extent of placement for the new brick stonework on the facade and landscape walls. Our team located and specified all exterior lighting." The pool in the backyard was given a deep blue-gray surface coating, which gives the water a more natural look.

"This client wanted an inviting but fuss-free entry and doesn’t really like hallway runners," notes Jessica. "So, we created an inset for the stone floor to provide a very durable material with an elegant transition to the wood floors in the spaces beyond. The ceiling tray mimics this to provide some visual height to an otherwise lower ceiling."

Thanks to the removal of a wall, stepping into the home's entry immediately reveals the home's formal living room. This space was previously sunken but now sits on the same level as the surrounding spaces. Like many of the home's rooms, it features a wide set of glass doors leading to the backyard, highlighting the centrality of indoor-outdoor living in California.