Built in 1954 in North Winnetka, CA is this vintage Palmer
& Krisel-designed midcentury home with lots of great original and added
details. With four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a detached two car garage all on
a 8,300 square-foot corner lot, this home carries an asking price of $479,950.
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| Front of home |
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| Front courtyard |
The exterior of the home features some great vintage midcentury
modifications that appear as if they took inspiration from modernist landscape architect
Garret Eckbo. A soft blue privacy fence shields the front patio and courtyard
from the street, while an open and shaded pergola roof defines private areas,
walkways and interior patios. The home still reads as distinctively Krisel
behind the landscape architecture, and is complimented by the paralleling midcentury
style.
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| Entry hall |
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| Dining area |
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| Living and dining room |
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| Living room with original clerestories and built-ins |
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| Living room fireplace |
Inside, the living, dining and kitchen all sit at the rear
of the home while the bedrooms sit towards the front. The living and dining
rooms were built as great rooms, with fantastic vintage paneling surrounding
the living room, original clerestories with some clean-lined floating
bookshelves with a built-in console sited below, and a paneled fireplace on the
rear wall of the home. The adjacent dining is currently used as a sitting/piano
area, and is surrounded by Krisel’s signature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking
the backyard.
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen |
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| Nook opposite kitchen |
The kitchen sits adjacent to the dining area, and features
original cabinetry, range and oven. A custom ceiling adds to the look of the
room, which sits open to the adjacent breakfast nook at the front of the home, separated
by an original floating island.
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| Master bedroom |
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| Master bedroom |
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| Master bathroom |
The master bedroom sits tucked between the living room and
entry hall at the front corner of the home. A large sliding glass door
overlooks the serene front courtyard, and side windows allow for additional natural
light to enter the space. The master bathroom is very well-preserved, with
original floating vanity and pink American standard sink. The tilework appears
to have been updated over time, but maintained in such a style that looks as if
it’s been in the home since day one.
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| Secondary bedroom |
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| Secondary bedroom |
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| Added fourth secondary bedroom |
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| Guest bathroom |
The two guest bedrooms are in their original configurations,
split form the master, with open-beamed vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling
windows, built-ins and vintage paneling. The third bedroom has been added at
the east side of the home, which maintains all of the proportions and design
cues of the original home. The guest
bath has been updated, but maintains vintage aesthetics through the tub and its
surround.
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| Corner side garage |
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| Walkway to garage |
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| Backyard |
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| Backyard and back of home |
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| Backyard and back of home |
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| Sideyard |
The detached garage sits in the backyard, accessed from the
corner side of the lot and connected to the home via pathways and a pergola.
Lush plantings surround the walkways that wrap around the home, and a large
covered patio sits off the rear of the home. Mature trees and a small patch of
turf surround the patio, while the whole composition creates a quiet, inviting
environment.
This architect-owned home exemplifies midcentury California
modern, with lush, inviting grounds, quiet architecture and indoor-outdoor
living. At its current price point, Redfin.com predicts this home to be a fast
sell, so be sure to take a look at this one before its gone.
I was the fortunate buyer of this magnificent home in May of 2016. I purchased from the widow and original owner, Jeanne LeDuc, who was married to architect and original draftsman for the Palmer and Krisel firm, Ernest LeDuc. Jeanne graciously left me the original blueprints of the home and additions drafted by her husband in 1956. Among the treasures I found with the blueprints was an original pencil rendering of the home, nearly identical to what was built, without the addition. I had it framed and it now resides on a wall adjacent to the dining room.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ernest LeDuc passed away in 1991, Jeanne did a complete "update" of the home, including replacing the original windows with vinyl ones and patio doors. Wall to wall carpeting, window treatments and wallpaper in the style of Laura Ashley, new roof and modernized house systems including an industrial garbage disposal, tankless water heater and Carrier dual HVAC system.
I did a careful stripping away of the carpets, which were in every room including the bathrooms! Underneath I discovered almost untouched parquet wood flooring in the living room and back bedroom and checkerboard vct tiles in the dining room. Additional rooms and hallway had putty colored and most likely asbestos backed linoleum, and white speckled vct in the bathrooms. Unfortunately the vct was in poor condition and had to be replaced.
I removed the window treatments and wallpaper, patched and prep painted, and looked for local contractors who carried flooring and wallpaper styles that were true to, if not original to the period.
Floorworks in Chatsworth supplied me with the green, brown and peach 12" x 12" checkerboard vct to replace the 4" x 4" tiles in the dining area of the same color. I carried that scheme into the master bedroom and found deep red vct tiles at the Restore in Chatsworth for the guest bathroom. I purchased bright canary yellow vct for the master bath. A lucky Restore purchase of 4" x 4" Japanese ceramic tiles completed the guest room and hallway. A local wallpaper company had a 1950's style hash print in green and gold, and a reverse one in cream and green. I bought all and had the dining room, hallway, second bedroom and entry repapered. They went out of business several years ago so I am glad I purchased enough of a tropical print to eventually cover the wall in the back bedroom which will become a dance/yoga studio.
Since the toilets had been replaced with modern low flow, I took my time searching for original American Standard pink and yellow toilets and a sink to put back in the guest bath. The entire vanity was gone, only the dual sliding mirrored medicine cabinet and original pink bath remained. Luckily the master bath was untouched except for the toilet and only needed painting and new floor tile.
The living room had original wood panel walls, built ins, including a hidden entertainment center and speakers with a record player! I merely had the floors lightly sanded and matte finished, repainted the stark white floating bookshelves, trim and overhang a warm burnt orange to better blend with the wood and replaced the ceiling fan with a light fixture of the period.
In fact, all the rooms had ceiling fans, also added in the 1990's. I took them all out, save for the guest and back bedroom and replaced with period correct fixtures. I managed to find original Remcraft cone fixtures for outside and added around the exterior of the property. The electrical system was upgraded to accommodate some modern use, but overall has performed well over the past five years.
Lastly, I replaced the cracked asphalt driveway with open turf block pavers and grey gravel, removed rotted lattice fencing and replaced with breeze block, and rotted wood slats in the cement with gravel for a French drain throughout the side and backyard. The exterior of the home now more closely resembles the rendering I mentioned earlier.