1957 Midcentury modern home in California gets an inspiring makeover

Mid-century modern home exterior with stepping stone path and ornamental grasses

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This stunning midcentury modern remodel and addition in Studio City, California, by architectural studio Assembledge, breathes new life into a beloved 1957 home nestled in the hills of Fryman Canyon.

Known as the Fryman Canyon Residence, this thoughtful renovation revitalizes the original structure while incorporating modern enhancements that feel completely in harmony with its midcentury roots. The result is a beautifully considered home of 5,755 square feet that honors the past while embracing the way we live today.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECT Assembledge
BUILDER Dobkin Construction
INTERIOR DESIGNER Lisa Strong Design
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Fiore Landscape Design
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Peck

Concrete stepping stone walkway leading to mid-century modern home entrance

A Midcentury Home Reimagined for Modern Living

At the heart of the original design was a distinctive sawtooth floor plan that offered views in multiple directions, but beyond this core strength, the layout was congested, and connectivity throughout the home and site was limited. The owners’ wish was to create an airy, light-filled space that maximized views of the surrounding landscape while drawing on the home’s already existing character. Assembledge Architects delivered exactly that, and then some.

White stucco gate wall with pivot door and potted yucca plant

Transparency, Light, and Indoor-Outdoor Living

A meandering path of concrete panels set amidst lush landscaping and decomposed granite leads to the entry foyer, comprised of a frameless glass wall with four floating windows. Together with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors on the opposite side of the home, the residence achieves a beautiful sense of transparency, bringing in abundant natural light and seamlessly extending the living area into the landscape beyond.

Sunlit stepping stone pathway through mature trees toward white perimeter wall

The main living areas include a living room, bar and game room, dining room seating eight, and a kitchen, all visually connected by zig-zag sliding doors that open directly to the garden, creating an effortless indoor-outdoor flow that feels quintessentially Californian.

Glass wall interior entry hall with wooden bench and polar bear artwork

The Sawtooth Motif and a New Family Room

The beloved sawtooth motif is repeated once more to produce a new family room that descends two steps below the main floor and extends into the rear of the site — a clever architectural detail that adds spatial interest while honoring the spirit of the original design. The kitchen, relocated toward the center of the home, rises slightly above the family room, maintaining sweeping views across the site. Two interconnected skylights spanning the center island and white marble walls give the kitchen a bright, gallery-like quality that is as beautiful as it is functional.

Living room corner with leather lounge chair facing floor-to-ceiling garden windows

A Two-Story Addition Fully Integrated into the Hillside

The two-story addition consists of a new bedroom wing extended toward the rear of the site on the main level, and a new office space on the lower level tucked below, both taking full advantage of the descending lot and integrated seamlessly into the hillside.

Warm oak fireplace wall with built-in shelving and leather lounge chair

A minimalist palette of stone, hardwood floors, and white plaster echoes the qualities of the existing home, preserving its original spirit and character throughout. The thin roof plane maintains the home’s mid-century horizontality, while broad overhangs protect the extensive full-height windows and sliding doors from the California sun.

Close-up detail of blackened steel fireplace surround meeting oak wood paneling

Living room with gray tufted sofa, ornate coffee table, and glass walls

A Landscape That Harmonizes with Its Surroundings

The site’s tiered landscape, surrounded by mature trees and rolling hills, harmonizes beautifully with the home’s interior and exterior spaces. Drought-tolerant plants, decomposed granite, and concrete garden walls create a dynamic, low-maintenance outdoor setting that naturally and gracefully embeds the Fryman Canyon Residence within its stunning 0.62-acre hillside surroundings.

Symmetrical living room with paired gray tufted chairs flanking a fireplace

Dark wood dining table with wishbone chairs overlooking backyard pool area

What We Love About This Home

We love how this Studio City gem seamlessly blends its original midcentury bones with a thoughtful, light-filled transformation; the iconic sawtooth roofline and sweeping hillside views feel both preserved and reinvented. The home’s effortless indoor-outdoor flow, from the zigzag sliding doors opening to the garden to the floor-to-ceiling glass bringing the canyon landscape inside, makes every room feel light and airy. A minimalist palette of stone, marble, and white plaster honors the home’s 1960s roots, while the clean horizontal roofline and broad overhangs stay true to its midcentury charm.

Tell Us: What details in the design of this midcentury home do you find most inspiring? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Check out a couple of other incredible home tours that we have highlighted here on One Kindesign in the state of California: 1965 midcentury house transformed into a luminous oasis in Los Feliz and Amazing midcentury modern home has epic views of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

All-white kitchen with marble backsplash, dual islands, and overhead skylight

Dark dining table with wishbone chairs opening to outdoor terrace seating

Family room with quilted armchairs opening to covered patio and lawn

Rectangular pool reflecting mid-century modern home with open glass sliding walls

Terraced backyard with sunken fire pit seating area and mid-century modern home

Two-story mid-century modern home exterior with agave garden and boulder landscaping

Primary bedroom with upholstered headboard wall, linen drapes, and garden views

Above: In this owner’s bedroom, soft neutrals, rich textures, and sculptural furnishings come together to create a sense of calm.

Floating oak nightstand with dark ceramic vase and white anemone flowers

Freestanding soaking tub beside skylight window with dark tile shower wall

Dark geometric tile powder room with gold mirror and globe pendant light

Minimalist white stairwell with narrow skylight and single bare branch arrangement

Covered outdoor patio with teak daybed and flat-roof mid-century modern home

Lit outdoor fire pit with sectional seating facing mid-century glass facade

Sunken gravel fire pit lounge with concrete built-in seating amid ornamental grasses

KEY PRODUCTS

COOKTOP: Wolf
COUNTERS: Caesarstone
DRYWALL: USG
FAUCETS: Dornbracht
PAINTS: Benjamin Moore
REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER: Sub-Zero
TOILETS: Duravit, TOTO
WINDOWS/WINDOW WALL SYSTEMS: Fleetwood