Larchmont Chronicle Story Archive

Larchmont Chronicle Neighborhood newspaper representing Hancock Park, Larchmont Village
Miracle Mile, Park La Brea Fremont Place in the Wilshire center area of Los Angeles. Local News and
stories about the local Los Angeles Scene. Historical informattion regarding the Larchmont Chronicle and
Hancock Park area. Founded in 1963 on Larchmont Bouelvard, Los Angeles, CA, California

June 4, 2010

OLD BUNGALOW GETS NEW LIFE

Suzan Filipek

MARBLE TUB in the bath is closed off from the living room by wide pocket doors.

DECK is off the kitchen.

Annette Vait has grown fond of Larchmont, where she bought a tear-down, remodeled it, moved in with her dog Madison and called it home. She’s become friends with her neighbors on Gower St., including little girl twins who visit often, she smiles in the kitchen, a dramatic juxtaposition of ebony painted custom cabinetry and generous grey marble countertops.

Carrera marble is echoed in the back in the master steam shower, and in a front bathroom—in a salvaged clawfoot tub. A chandelier hangs overhead the eye-catching piece of furniture separated from the living room by wide pocket doors. “I love to take baths,” she explains.

A family room features a flat screen TV, wired to an outdoor movie screen. Lush landscape, plenty of storage and a private guest house make the home feel larger than its 1,150-square feet.

A former CPA in the entertainment field, she began flipping homes a decade ago. When she spotted the dilapidated house on the tree-lined shady street, she knew she wanted to retain the feel of the area.

“I wanted to create an edgy, open, airy, modern space while still maintaining the integrity of a much loved and quaint historical neighborhood,” says Vait. “Most of the properties in Larchmont Heights are small 1920s California Bungalows. As originally built, these houses tend to be small and divided into still smaller living areas.”

She tore out the walls and raised the ceilings, moved the original door off from the center of the facade, adjusted the original front windows over a few inches and enlarged the front porch. To save space, refrigerator and freezer units are in separate tall cabinets, a built-in espresso machine is in the dining area, where wall art in painted orange letters reads: “You can’t go to the hardware store for oranges.”

She used existing elements; pavers in the front and back yards are made from the broken up concrete found on the property. Reclaimed hardwood floors from an old school gymnasium were sanded and stained. The salvaged gate and recycled cast iron grates at the front of the property stand much like they might have in 1920 when the original house was built, says Annette.

“We can welcome the edginess of new designs without McMansionizing or destroying what attracted us to Larchmont in the first place.”

Vait may be leaving soon. Plans are in the works to build a restaurant/bar in Venice that is pulling her energies to the westside.

She will miss the home, and the neighborhood, she says. “There aren’t many places like this in L.A.”

Larchmont Chronicle
542½ North Larchmont Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Editor & Publisher: Jane Gilman
Associate Publisher: Irwin Gilman

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Information about the Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, Miracle Mile, Park LaBrea areas of Los Angeles, california. The larchmont Chronicle provides information, news stories, local events, advertising, real estate information, real estate listing advertisings, Los Angeles area demographics and other neighborhood news.