Text supplied by Ora

This project showcases a mid-century remodel and interior design update to a 1953 post and beam hillside home in Mount Washington, Los Angeles. The original 880-square-foot residence retained many original features and had strong bones, but it needed a thoughtful renovation.

The goal of the Mount Washington home renovation, led by architecture and design studio Ora, was to honour the original design while updating the home for modern use. The new layout evolved with the house’s natural seasonal behaviour.

Air conditioning was removed, as the home’s passive cooling—via deep overhangs and original ventilation panels—proved effective throughout the year.

Key changes included removing the wall between kitchen and main living space and enlarging an existing kitchen window. These moves transformed the Los Angeles hillside home into a bright, open interior with strong garden connections.

The home’s clean, restrained finishes were left mostly intact. The kitchen, now central to the design, was carefully planned to maintain balance and openness in the shared space.

This was essential since the owners are a chef and an architect. One needed the function of a commercial kitchen, the other a calm, welcoming space to live in.

A new kitchen island anchors the interior. Floating plywood shelves in front of frameless glass frame views of the garden and display the owner’s ceramic pieces.

In the renovated bathroom, a new skylight brings in daylight. A floating vanity in blue plywood and laminate hovers above polished concrete. Soft tile tones extend the palette and visually expand the room.

The main bedroom opens to city sunrise views through a large window placed at the bed’s end. The second bedroom works as a skylit home office with natural light for work.

A converted garage now serves as a flexible guest house—also used as a den, study, or library—opening into a quiet garden corner.

Photos by Eric Staudenmaier