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A Study in Contrasts: Inside a Reimagined Modern Treasure

by | Jan 24, 2023

Meet 3030 Kelton Avenue, a thoughtfully reimagined modern home that balances sleek contemporary design elements with warm, inviting interiors and a distinctly SoCal indoor-outdoor floor plan—complete with disappearing glass walls that open to a resort-like backyard. Represented by Malyn Dahlin and Alice Cannington, the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath two-level Westside Village home is a collaboration between architect Bobby Rees of Los Angeles-based Rees Studio and Mason Wright of ReBuilt

Completed in November 2022 after a 14-month renovation, today 3030 Kelton Avenue is, for all intents and purposes, a brand new build, replete with new mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements plus an array of hand-picked, harmonious finishes inside and out. Upon arrival, the home makes a lasting impression with contrasting naturalistic shou sugi ban wood siding, anodized aluminum windows, metal accents, concrete elements and—perhaps its boldest design element—a striking butterfly roof. 

Inside, naturally bright living spaces showcase Bobby and Mason’s commitment to creating a home with unmatched appeal, function and plenty of breathtaking design features. Large glass Fleetwood metal sliders disappear to open a full corner of the expansive family room to the private yard’s pool, outdoor dining area and standalone guest house. The upper-level primary suite boasts soaring ceilings, a massive walk-in closet and an ensuite bath complete with a Japanese-style soaking tub and light-capturing windows that frame views of Century City and mountains beyond.

The Agency spoke with architect Bobby Rees of Rees Studio and developer Mason Wright of ReBuilt about the process behind the home’s design, their favorite features, what the neighbors are saying and more.

 

How would you each describe the style of this home? 

Bobby: Modern with a wink and a nod toward the traditional. 

Mason: Minimal and clean.

Tell us about your decision to invert the home’s gable roof to create a “butterfly” roof. 

Bobby: For me, that decision was about creating a dialogue between the home’s more traditional elements and new modern design forms and materials. The butterfly roof was a decision born out of a desire to make a more contemporary home, out of something that was more typical and traditional. We embraced the home’s more traditional gabled roof form and then literally flipped it on its head by creating the butterfly roof—inverting it. So we used the same angles as the gabled roof, but made it more modern by turning those angles upward.

 

Besides the butterfly roof, does the home have any other unique design features? 

Mason: Definitely. The pocketing door system—which is basically a disappearing wall— is really cool. It’s more like a disappearing corner. It’s just an element that you don’t really see very often in any house. It just looks so cool.

Can you describe the feeling you get when you’re inside this home? 

Mason: The more time you spend at the property, the better it feels. Bobby is a real wizard with natural light—positioning windows and skylights to capture the most of it all day long. I mean, the lighting inside is so sick. You never have to turn the lights on during the day. 

Bobby: I am always, always wanting to capture good natural light. To Mason’s point about that—I believe you shouldn’t have to turn the lights on in a well-designed house during the day.

You collaborated with KH Interiors for the interior design. Did you keep any original features?

Bobby: We did! For example, there’s an original brick fireplace that we clad with a more modern, fluted tile, which helped update that particular element. 

One of the things that we always try to do with the modern houses we design is to maintain a sense of warmth. Modern architecture, fairly or unfairly, has a reputation sometimes for being cold. So we try to carry a feeling of warmth that you get more often in traditional homes. To achieve that, we used materials like oak—oak floors, oak cabinets have been around for ages, yet using them in a more modern way helps maintain that warmth while giving the house an updated feel.

Mason: Also, to capture the more modern, updated feel of new construction home, we did nine-foot ceilings throughout and vaulted the upstairs bedroom ceilings.

How would you describe the backyard’s design and offerings? 

Bobby: It’s like a mini-resort. Lush and human-scaled with a direct flow into the home’s interior spaces. 

The primary suite is a true sanctuary. Any favorite feature or design element there? 

Bobby: I like the high ceilings in the bedroom, the skylight and the ensuite bath’s tub/shower area. 

Mason: The tub is my favorite part!

If you lived here, which part of the house would you likely spend the most time in? 

Bobby: For me, the kitchen and family room, primary bedroom and back yard. 

Mason: I have to agree with Bobby. 

Have you gotten any feedback on the home from anyone so far?

Mason: A lot of the comments that we’ve gotten from passersby and people that live in the neighborhood were “We’re just so glad you guys did something different and unique than what we usually see around here,” which are the big, boxy, sort of cold-looking structures. And I really didn’t want to do that. When we were starting this project, I looked to Bobby and said, “Let’s do something cool and unique, that’s going to stand out. I think if we do something that we like, the market will really like it as well.” And I think that is what we’re seeing with 3030 Kelton.

For more about 3030 Kelton Avenue, view the full listing here.

 

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