Leanne Ford Residence

When we arrived at the site of our first west coast project, it was hard to tell what to make of this house. Was it a boho California cottage just in need of some design TLC or was it a ramshackle shack that was beyond repair? As it turned out, as with most things, it was a little bit of both. The house, rumored to be the first known house in echo park and built by the silent film star Clara Kimball Young, had good bones but years of neglect had left it in a state that was nearly unsalvageable. Luckily the owner could see far past scary parts and was fully committed to bringing the cottage back to life. We set out a plan to address the structural issues (a result of years of neglecting maintenance), create a more live-able floor plan, and expose the original character of the home. In the end we were able to preserve a piece of the historic fabric of the neighborhood and give it life for a long time to come.