Remodelista: An LA Artisan Remodel
“They sold their big, modern house and bought a camper van that they traveled around in until they decided where they wanted to end up.” LA designer Gabrielle Aker of Aker Interiors is explaining how her clients—an engineer and a business consultant with a young daughter—took an unexpected journey in the early days of the pandemic. The adventure led them to Topanga Canyon, the artsy enclave in the Santa Monica Mountains, which, courtesy of twisty roads and lack of cell service, manages to hold onto some of its celebrated hippie vibe.
Nestled amid giant California oaks, the family’s new place, a 1992 stone house, was literally rock solid, if decidedly lacking in soul.”The finishes throughout were cheap and lacked intentionality and depth,” says Gabrielle whose mandate, in her words, was “to create an elevated, contemporary version of the classic Topanga Canyon hideaway using quality, sustainable materials.” Along the way, a new kitchen was hand built; windows and sliding doors were upgraded; the vast, single-bedroom upstairs got divided into parents’ and kid quarters; and lots of local artisans contributed. Join us for a look at the arts and crafts movement, LA 2023-style.
Above: The house’s new look starts at the enlarged front door: Gabrielle added a design from Urban Doors of LA—”it was the last from a discontinued line and had a crack, but we loved the door and felt the crack gave it even more character.” The handle is the Sickle Grip from Rocky Mountain Hardware. The full side transom window replaced a small overhead transom.
The travertine tiles that now line the downstairs replaced laminate wood flooring. The curved wardrobe is by Aker Studio, a custom furniture workshop run by Gabrielle’s husband, Zack.
Above: “Our biggest and most important window challenge was deciding on the size, location, and design of the radius window in the living room,” says Gabrielle, noting that the ceiling is 26 feet tall. “The grove of oaks outside the living room is a focal point of the house; we wanted to highlight the trees as part of the overall space.” Here and elsewhere, she went with Low-E Weather Shield glazing sourced from Taylor Brothers. The windows are aluminum clad on the outside and painted wood on the interior.
The sofa is the Strato 80-Inch Boucle design from CB2. The fringed wool rug is the Malawi from Armadillo.
Above: A pair of 1970s leather Falcon chairs by Sigurd Ressell stand by Aker Studio custom book shelves. The Claude throw blanket is by Morrow. The floor lamp is an Entler design of cast stoneware: see more of the studio’s tendril-like lighting in Block Shop’s Mod LA Headquarters.
Above: Gabrielle worked with Topanga carpenter-designer John De La Rionda on the custom kitchen cabinets., which are made of salvaged coastal live oak from Angel City Lumber. The countertop of Taj Mahal Quartzite extends into a breakfast counter. The range and induction cooktop are by Thermador. The Portola Roman Clay wall finish is in a shade called Coda.
Above: Gabrielle reupholstered her clients’ existing DWR bar stools in a Kelly Wearstler’s District Fabric that picks up the kitchen’s warm tones. The ceramic Cadmus Surface Mount Ceiling Lights are by Remodelista favorite In Common With.
Above: The sink has a deck-mounted Vola faucet and spray attachment in a surprise shade: see Vola’s 15 available colors here (https://en.vola.com/on-design/an-exploration-into-colour/). The brass light switches throughout are from Forbes & Lomax.
Above: Gabrielle’s clients found the metal doors in a salvage yard and she put them to use for the pantry: “solid doors would have created a heavy imbalance on that side of the room, so the airiness of the gate was perfect.”
Above: The kitchen opens to a dining area with a Jøtul gas fireplace and a terrace. The stitched armchairs are made of bamboo and date from the seventies.
Above: The carpeted stair was reconstructed as a winding, sculptural design of sugar gum eucalyptus from Angel City Lumber.
Above: An unlaquered brass railing lines the catwalk between the two upstairs bedrooms.
Above: The parents’ room is designed to double as a sitting room: “my client wanted it to be a sanctuary where she could lounge, work, and sleep,” says Gabrielle. The Portola Roman Clay on the walls is in a shade called Rock Store. The sofa is a vintage design reupholstered in House of Hackney’s dragon-patterned Phantasia Velvet.
The vintage marble-topped table from Hollywood At Home has become the morning coffee spot. It gets used during the day as a desk. The floor-to-ceiling curtains are Kelly Wearstler’s cotton-linen Graffito Fabric and the rugs are from Armadillo.
Above: The romantic en suite bath has mine and yours onyx sinks found on Etsy from Gem Look Design. The brass faucets are by California Faucets. The rococo Amelie Floor Mirror is an Arhaus design.
Above: The salvage yard claw-footed tub came with an interior that eventually scrubbed clean. It stands on Cotto terracotta tiles from Zia. The antique drop-front desk serves as a medicine cabinet.
A wax sealer was applied to the Portola Roman Clay wall finish—”it’s not fully waterproof but protects enough for the room.” The sconces are Allied Maker’s Mini Orbs in alabaster. What do you think: would Topanga’s original hippie settlers approve?