A 1965 Craig Ellwood house in the LA neighbourhood of Los Feliz has been given a new lease of life with an extensive restoration by Los Angeles architecture studio Woods + Dangaran. Called Moore House, the home unites the best of what California modernism has to offer; midcentury interiors, open plan spaces, clean and sharp volumes that are softened by the use of wood, architectural gardens and glazed expanses that afford long views of the cityscape beyond.
When the team was awarded the commission, the house was in a bad state, Brett Woods and Joseph Dangaran, recall. The two co-founders of the boutique architectural firm have a wealth of high quality, modernist-inspired homes under their belt, such as their recent new-build Carla Ridge Residence. Now, ‘the shell of the home is upgraded to preserve the longevity of the structure and to meet contemporary performance standards,' they explain.
At around 1700 sq ft, the house is not very big, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in drama, heritage and design value, and architectural flair. An open plan interior offers a flowing sequence of communal areas with a double aspect – looking both towards the entrance, and the rear garden with decked terrace and swimming pool. Two double bedrooms occupy the two ends of the long, linear floorplan.
Inside, the architects kept the spirit and style of the original interior, using natural materials and saving any existing detailing possible. Earth-toned ceramic tile, ribbed glass, brass-plated hardware, dark marbles with golden veining, black granite, and honey-toned teak create a colour and texture palette that feels luxurious, yet warm and welcoming.
Working with the familiar features of California modernism, Woods + Dangaran breathed new life into this neglected Ellwood house – now the home of a Los Angeles family – helping to preserve this piece of West Coast architecture heritage.
INFORMATION
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion WeekBound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in DubaiThe Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
The world of Bart Prince, where architecture is born from the inside outFor the Albuquerque architect Bart Prince, function trumps form, and all building starts from the inside out; we revisit a profile from the Wallpaper* archive, first published in April 2009
-
Is embracing nature the key to a more fire-resilient Los Angeles? These landscape architects think soFor some, an executive order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom does little to address the complexities of living within an urban-wildland interface
-
Hop on this Fire Island Pines tour, marking Pride Month and the start of the summerA Fire Island Pines tour through the work of architecture studio BOND is hosted by The American Institute of Architects New York in celebration of Pride Month; join the fun
-
A night at Pierre Jeanneret’s house, Chandigarh’s best-kept secretPierre Jeanneret’s house in Chandigarh is a modernist monument, an important museum of architectural history, and a gem hidden in plain sight; architect, photographer and writer Nipun Prabhakar spent the night and reported back
-
A Laurel Canyon house shows off its midcentury architecture bonesWe step inside a refreshed modernist Laurel Canyon house, the family home of Annie Ritz and Daniel Rabin of And And And Studio
-
A refreshed Rockefeller Wing reopens with a bang at The Met in New YorkThe Met's Michael C Rockefeller Wing gets a refresh by Kulapat Yantrasast's WHY Architecture, bringing light, air and impact to the galleries devoted to arts from Africa, Oceania and the Ancient Americas
-
Lina Bo Bardi, the misunderstood modernist, and her influential architectureA sense of mystery clings to Lina Bo Bardi, a modernist who defined 20th-century Brazilian architecture, making waves still felt in her field; here, we explore her work and lasting influence
-
A Fire Island house for two sisters reimagines the beach home typologyCoughlin Scheel Architects’ Fire Island house is an exploration of an extended family retreat for the 21st century
