Silverlake Revival

Project Overview

This 1938 California Ranch home in the hills above Silverlake had something rare — it had never been significantly renovated. Original windows, original floors, intact kitchen and baths. At 1,350 square feet, the floor plan was efficient and well-proportioned. The bones were there. The task was to honor them while bringing the home into the present.

A guiding principle throughout was cohesion. Too many renovations treat a historic home as a blank slate — new materials and finishes dropped in without regard for what was already there, leaving the result feeling bolted on rather than belonging. Here the goal was the opposite: every update had to feel as if it had always been part of the house. Material choices, proportions, and detailing were all calibrated to the home's original character rather than imposed upon it.

The one exception to the original layout was the relationship between the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen was undersized for a growing family, and the adjacent formal dining room — while true to the era — didn't reflect how the space would actually be used. The primary move in schematic design was to remove the wall between them, expanding the kitchen and replacing the dedicated dining room with an open living space suited for everyday use, a den, or entertaining. Simple on paper, transformative in practice.

Schematic design was developed in collaboration with Providence Design Group. Design development, construction documents, construction administration, and project management were handled by Oliver Power Studio.