This Home’s Painted Floors Are as Cool as Its Push-to-Open Marble Vanity Drawers

Designer Elspeth Benoit transformed her 2,162-square-foot Los Angeles home, dubbed “mid-century nautical” by her decorative painters, Londubh Studio. The 1940s post-and-beam structure, characterized by small porthole windows, initially presented a challenge for natural light and parental supervision of children playing outside. For the first two years, Benoit made minimal changes, focusing on painting some features white to improve livability while preserving original elements like tongue-and-groove paneling and exposed ceiling joists. The renovation aimed to honor the home's existing character while integrating modern design and increased functionality. Key additions included tonal green checkered floors painted with Farrow & Ball’s Calke Green and Folly Green, large skylights, and stained-glass windows, all designed to seamlessly blend with the home’s established aesthetic. Custom millwork, executed by Dakota Witzenberg from To Do Something, was central to the living room, kitchen, and bathroom renovations. In the living room, a robust bookcase was constructed to accommodate a vast collection of books and vinyl records, featuring cane doors that conceal children’s books and an air return. The bifold doors were painted in Benjamin Moore’s Palace Ochre, adding a distinctive yellow accent. The color palette throughout the home was inspired by a large oil painting, "The Legend of the White Canoe," which Benoit owned. This influence is evident in the blush pink tones, specifically Portola Paints’s El Mirage, used for built-ins, hallways, and stairwells. Painted floors, a topic Benoit acknowledged as contentious, served to mask an undesirable orangish tone in the main living space, where a crisp white was applied. In the dining room, a darker paint was chosen for practicality, effectively hiding crumbs in the floorboard cracks. The dining room also features stained-glass windows by David Scheid, and its tonal palette extends into the sunroom, with walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Black Blue, which Benoit perceives as blue despite its name. The kitchen renovation involved adding skylights, which not only brightened the space but also provided views of a Liquid Amber tree, connecting the interior to seasonal changes. The previous glossy black tile flooring was replaced with Carrara marble slabs. The kitchen's design incorporates vintage reclaimed oak cabinets, Alexandrita quartzite countertops and backsplash, and an ultra-tactile vent hood finished with Portola Paints’s Nitty Gritty Roman Clay, matching the wall. Appliances include a Liebherr fridge, Blue Star range, Bosch dishwasher, Rohl sink, and Kohler faucet and pot filler, complemented by Roll & Hill sconces, Velux skylights, and Marvin windows. Benoit applied a creative approach to the shared kids’ bathroom, utilizing pink-toned Cipollino Ondulato marble found in a remnant pile, demonstrating that children's spaces can be sophisticated. This bathroom features a Waterworks faucet and sink, Nickey Kehoe sconces, a Rejuvenation mirror, Clé floor and shower tiles, Marvin windows, and Quell Paint by Portola Paints. The main bathroom echoes this monochromatic theme, employing deep shades of blue and violet. Custom marble vanity drawers, designed by Witzenberg, offer discreet storage beneath a Calacatta Viola countertop, alongside pull-out laundry bins, creating a camouflaged storage solution. The exterior landscaping, overseen by Sam Harris from Culture Horticulture, features a new gated entry that aligns with the home’s "sailboat-like" character. An open porthole window in the gate, initially intended for glass, was left open, proving convenient for receiving packages. The exterior includes Farrow & Ball's Studio Green paint, Rejuvenation lights, Tungsten Royce doors, and landscaping by Sam Harris of Culture Horticulture, with Harold Jones Landscape as the contractor. The architectural design was by Arteberry Cooke, and staging and styling by A 1000 x Better. #MidCenturyDesign #HomeRenovation #PaintedFloors #CustomMillwork #ColorPalette #KitchenDesign #BathroomDesign #Skylights #LosAngelesHome #MidCenturyDesign #HomeRenovation #PaintedFloors #CustomMillwork #ColorPalette #KitchenDesign #BathroomDesign #Skylights #LosAngelesHome