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February 14th, 2008
before and after: sherman oaks makeover

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los angeles interior designer bryan wark sent over this fantastic home before and after. since so many of us here have a soft spot for mid-century interiors i thought this would be perfect for today’s theme. bryan explained that the original owners of commissioned architects wallace benton and donald park to design their home in 1960. by a twist of fate, mark met donald park recently and invited him back to the home over 40 years later to view the new renovation. it’s wonderful to see a home come full circle. i hope you’ll enjoy these images as much as i did- thanks to bryan wark for sharing this project with us. NOTE: there are more transformation photos after the jump so click here to view the full post or click “read more” below.

[you can see full sized versions of these photos right here, all courtesy of bryan wark]

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[image above: entryway "before"]

entryway-after.jpg
[image above: entryway "after"]

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[image above: bar room "before"]

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[image above: bar room "after"]

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[image above: family room "before"]

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[image above: family room "after"]

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[image above: living room "before"]

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[image above: living room "after"]

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33 comments
ethanollie said:
February 14th, 2008 - 1:35 pm

a little too sleek for my taste….but you really have to respect that they stayed so true to the original interior architecture. and what a fantastic story.

February 14th, 2008 - 1:44 pm

uh….. can you say “dream home?”

Elizabeth W said:
February 14th, 2008 - 1:53 pm

Brian – that was my imediate reaction as well, dream home indeed.

February 14th, 2008 - 2:01 pm

Beautiful! It is so difficult to remain true to the architect and update at the same time. But they did a fantastic job.

jennifer in sf said:
February 14th, 2008 - 2:14 pm

I love those black vertical bricks above the fireplace. And god lord, that entry was hideous before. It looks sooo much better!

Lissette said:
February 14th, 2008 - 2:22 pm

Amazine! The living room and family room are gorgeous!

chloe said:
February 14th, 2008 - 3:17 pm

Wow, those before pictures were SCARY! The after pictures: beyond awesome. Bryan, where did you (or was it custom) get that red lacquer screen in front of the window? Love it!!

Lena said:
February 14th, 2008 - 3:35 pm

Stunning! Love the way the designer has shown restraint and achieved a clean, chic & elegant interior true to the building’s character.

Shruti said:
February 14th, 2008 - 4:44 pm

Absolutely gorgeous. Dream home indeed!

Stella said:
February 14th, 2008 - 5:01 pm

Not to my taste, but there’s no denying the impact of this renovation. Im not convinced about the kitchen though.

kasey said:
February 14th, 2008 - 6:02 pm

he did a great job with the existing fireplace!

Sasha said:
February 14th, 2008 - 6:20 pm

Amazing! I particularly love the entry way that mixes modern with the asian pieces.

Hannah said:
February 14th, 2008 - 6:47 pm

Oh! It’s a shame he didn’t keep the original bar stools- what great lines. But it’s hard to argue with the Bertoias…

Kristi said:
February 14th, 2008 - 7:17 pm

Wow…this is fantastic. Congrats to Bryan on a job well done.

margy bloom said:
February 14th, 2008 - 7:29 pm

wow. i live in sherman oaks, too. and i have a mid-century ranch (but a more traditional one). i would give anything to meet the architect, allen g. siple, but alas, he has passed away. but i research everything i can find about his work and try to remain true to his intention. bryan, you did a wonderful thing by honoring the architect and preserving this house so faithfully. hats off to you.

Suzanne said:
February 14th, 2008 - 8:54 pm

brian wark worked the heck out of this house. i could move in tomorrow! scratch that. right now. absolutely!

Paris said:
February 14th, 2008 - 10:02 pm

I love this makeover. The Large agave plant is really beautiful. I love the colors .

Mary Jo said:
February 14th, 2008 - 10:25 pm

This is a gorgeous makeover. Those bar stools have me thinking…I was going to get a couple of the Jamaica counter stools, but the Bertoia ones look great!

Lisa said:
February 14th, 2008 - 11:02 pm

LOVE the black tile above the fireplace. fantastic renovation!

Monica said:
February 14th, 2008 - 11:47 pm

I like the patio and the tile above the fireplace in the family room, but it’s not a house I could “live in.”

Gordon R. Johnston said:
February 14th, 2008 - 11:48 pm

Love it. Dream home indeed!

heather said:
February 15th, 2008 - 1:39 am

that’s not the kitchen – its the bar room. too bad they didn’t show more, i would love to see the kitchen and the rest of the property….

Sarah said:
February 15th, 2008 - 2:46 am

they botched the bar big time!

StellaQuinn said:
February 15th, 2008 - 8:34 am

Gorgeous, so simple and clean with no clutter and such orginal details. The great lines of the exterior continue seamlessly in the interior. I could definitely “live” there….

February 15th, 2008 - 8:43 am

*blink* i’d LOVE to call this home wow. and so simple.

Dianne said:
February 15th, 2008 - 10:10 am

I so love this home. Makes me want to leave my cramped apartment and move to Cali.

chic said:
February 15th, 2008 - 11:13 am

It’s nice and spacious, and it’s great the interior remains true to the home. I have to agree about the bar, not really loving it and a bit over the whole mid-century modern look as well, I’d like to see a mix of design styles for a change as they do exist.

Shini said:
February 15th, 2008 - 12:56 pm

For Chloe, the screen came from House Eclectic & for Heather, if you go to http://www.bryanwarkdesigns.com you can see pictures of the kitchen in the before & after section.

Cakespy said:
February 15th, 2008 - 5:41 pm

How wonderful! I wouldn’t mind calling this home, not at all!

Paul YVR said:
February 15th, 2008 - 8:30 pm

I am really impressed by the overall look and function of the principle rooms shown.
Excellent composition.
However I think the bar room misses the mark:
A mirror is well suited to a bar, but why that one?
The original stools, walls, and the main piece of wall art there looked fine.
It looked like a cozy place to have a drink and hang out.
If I was going to replace barstools, my number one priority would be that they have to swivel.
High, fixed barstools are a nuisance.
The new wall art there is oddly diminutive.
(My first glance at the new bar photo saw it as an effort as a dressing room vanity.)
‘just saying!’

H & J said:
February 18th, 2008 - 6:53 pm

We heart this remodel. Love the all white finish detail & the use of clean lines in the furniture that allows the architecture to speak for itself. FWEYE…those barstools look great but are painfully uncomfortable!

Kitty said:
March 23rd, 2008 - 1:49 am

Beautifully conceived. Kudos to you! I was curious as to where you purchased the free standing screen in the entry (to the left of the black chest, to the right of the window)???? Or did you have it custom made & if so where????

gerrigee said:
March 26th, 2009 - 3:40 am

Very well done, not sure on the table and chairs in the entryway, but then its always easy to find a flaw in somebody elses work.. I personally love the overall tranformation..

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