A gem among the midcentury homes of California, this is Clear Oak
A gem among the midcentury homes of California, Clear Oak by Woods Dangaran, is an artfully renovated residence in Los Angeles

The midcentury homes of California often go against the stereotype of modernist architecture being clinical and cold. The 20th-century bungalows that dot Los Angeles are a case in point, designed to be warm and flexible, often built with natural materials and a human scale that is intimately connected with the outdoors. Such a piece of residential modernist architecture, in the heart of Los Angeles County, in Encino Village, has been recently thoroughly refreshed by local architecture studio Woods + Dangaran – winner of Best Private House in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023, for Desert Palisades.
Clear Oak: a gem among the midcentury homes of California
Titled Clear Oak, the structure is nestled in the hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley, and the San Gabriel and Santa Susana mountains. The residence, created for a private client and spanning 4,800 sq ft, brings together open spaces with a generous entertainment deck, an infinity pool and native plants and trees, with minimalist interiors, filled with art and midcentury furniture and influences that link back to the home’s 20th century origins.
The team at Woods + Dangaran looked after both the architectural renovation and the interior refresh. Subtle adjustments in lines and openings – including a straightening of the roofline and a gentle enlargement of windows and doorways – meant the residence pays homage to its origins while shifting more towards the vistas and adapting to its new owner’s fondness for entertaining.
The team was headed by partners Brett Woods and Joseph Dangaran, whose joint portfolio includes more modernist wonders, among them the 1965 Craig Ellwood-designed Moore House, and Carla Ridge, a new-build home that interprets the region’s rich architectural heritage for the 21st century. The architects’ careful hand and extensive experience in the genre have resulted in Clear Oak having already scooped up multiple awards, including a citation in the Residential category at the AIA (the American Institute of Architects) Los Angeles, and the Chicago Athenaeum Museum’s American Architecture Award for 2022. The home once belonged to Bing Crosby’s manager – and it’s clear that this elegant redesign ensures it will continue to offer both a warm domestic haven and a covetable space for socialising for years to come.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Express yourself: why S/S 2025 heralds a new era of fashion eclecticism
Introducing the March 2025 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, fashion features editor Jack Moss explores the mood of transformation, reinvention and eclecticism which informed the S/S 2025 collections
By Jack Moss Published
-
The rise of listening bars in London: where to drink to the vinyl revival
Drinks expert Neil Ridley – also an audiophile and vinyl junkie – explores the growing trend for high-end listening bars in London and shares his favourite spots
By Neil Ridley Published
-
Salone Del Mobile 2025: Paolo Sorrentino, Robert Wilson, Sou Fujimoto and Pierre-Yves Rochon amongst this year's contributors
The countdown to Salone Del Mobile 2025 has begun. President, Maria Porro, announced first plans for the fair including some key names
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
On the shores of Discovery Bay, this wooden house is the ultimate waterside retreat
Dekleva Gregorič’s Discovery Bay House is a structured yet organic shelter that blends perfectly into the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The 10 emerging American Midwest architects you need to know
We profile 10 emerging American Midwest architects shaking up the world of architecture - in their territory, and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A light-filled New York loft renovation magics up extra space in a deceptively sized home
This New York loft renovation by local practice BOND is now a warm and welcoming apartment that feels more spacious than it actually is
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Inside Bell Labs, the modernist vision behind Severance's minimalist setting
We explore the history of Bell Labs - now known as Bell Works - the modernist Eero Saarinen-designed facility in New Jersey, which inspired the dystopian minimalist setting of 'Severance'
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ new project will be Miami’s priciest condo
Construction has commenced at The Delmore, an oceanfront condominium from the firm founded by the late Zaha Hadid, ZHA
By Anna Solomon Published
-
A West Austin house invites you to commune with nature
Westview Residence by Alterstudio, a West Austin house among trees, makes the most of large windows and open-air decks in a verdant setting
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Apple’s new Miami store employs the principles of biophilic design
Apple’s first mass-timber store connects shoppers to nature while echoing the Art Deco architecture of Miami
By Anna Solomon Published
-
The World Monuments Fund has announced its 2025 Watch – here are some of the endangered sites on the list
Every two years, the World Monuments Fund creates a list of 25 monuments of global significance deemed most in need of restoration. From a modernist icon in Angola to the cultural wreckage of Gaza, these are the heritage sites highlighted
By Anna Solomon Published