Holmby Hills Remodel

When Melissa Partridge, of Partridge Designs, bought the shabbiest house on the street in the Little Holmby section of Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, she knew that it needed extensive remodeling.  The house lacked the space she needed and the quality of architectural style the neighborhood deserved. She called on an architect she often works with, Richard Blumenberg, AIA, of RLB Architecture, to redesign the front facade, convert the maid’s room into an office, and add an upstairs bedroom and bath above it. He assisted her with the addition and remodel of the entire 5-bedroom, 6-bath home, including adding a pool and guest house in back. The pitched roof of the garage was the first thing to go. The old maid’s room became a large office, extending over the garage and yet set back enough to allow for a nice sized terrace facing the street. Then a guest room and bath was added above the office. A roofed second floor balcony, supported by two story posts, provides shelter to the front porch and works to connect the two masses of the structure; also reinforcing the reference to Monterey-style architecture.  The existing brick walkway was extended into the front porch, and slate was used on the second floor balcony. Taupe color smooth exterior stucco walls replaced the old rotting shingles, and shutters were added flanking the new French doors and windows facing the front. The result is a lovely clean-lined but traditional style home in keeping with the character of the neighborhood.  For information: Richard Blumenberg. AIA, 15200 Sunset Blvd., Suite 201, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Tel 310-459-0244, www.rlbarchitecture.com By Richard Blumenberg. Photography by Anthony Peres, homeowners. Originally published in Home & Decor Magazine, December 2005