Beautifully Redone L.A. Home Stays True to Its Craftsman Roots

In Los Angeles’ ultra-competitive housing market, things rarely stay the same for long.

Homes are often remodeled, enlarged or razed altogether to make way for newer, bigger, and more modern properties, with much of their original beauty being traded for contemporary appeal.

It almost makes it easy to forget the role Southern California played in advancing one of the most popular housing styles of the past century.

The Craftsman style, born at the turn of the 20th Century, was the architectural manifestation of the Arts and Crafts movement that dominated the pre-war era.

Seen as a way to counteract the effects of the industrial revolution and to bring the “craft” back into the manufacturing and building trades, the movement’s style ideals are best exemplified by architecture, design, furniture and decorative arts that date back to that time — particularly when it comes to the popular middle-class bungalows built in that period.

Drawing inspiration from medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration, the Arts and Crafts movement emphasized simplicity, utility and beauty.

Homes built during this period — which peaked in popularity during the 1920s — have rightfully been called Craftsman houses.

Typically designed with low-pitched gable (triangular) roofs, overhanging eaves with exposed rafters and beams, heavy, tapered columns, patterned window panes and a covered front porch, Craftsman homes have a timeless elegance that has only increased their appeal over the decades.

typical windows and roofs of a Craftsman style house in Los Angeles — ^{Photo credit: Alex Zarour courtesy of The Agency}

And the distinctive traits of this timeless style are best exemplified in this stunning California Craftsman that recently hit the market in Los Angeles.

This $3.875 million home was built at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement

Built in 1913, at the height of the Los Angeles Arts and Crafts movement, the 4-bedroom home retains many of its original details — which are complemented by modern finishes and a notable focus on comfort and simple elegance.

The property is listed with Josh Myler of The Agency and is looking to fetch $3.875 million.

But it’s more than just design and square footage that command a million-dollar price tag. The lovely home also ticks every box in the “location, location, location” department.

It sits on a 12,000-square-foot lot located just north of Spaulding & Sunset Square, east of the Sunset Strip and a stone’s throw to Runyon Canyon Park.