Warm and Whimsical House Altadena Los Angeles California Katrina Rumford Slow Dust Studio

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Our friend, Los Angeles photographer Ye Rin Mok, recently shot a renovated 1947 house in Altadena, a neighborhood just north of Pasadena that sits at the base of the Verdugo Mountains. The project is from Katrina Rumford of Slow Dust Studio, a designer relatively new to the field after renovating her own house lead to more design asks from friends, and friends of friends. In this case, a young family— a cinematographer and professor with two children—called on Rumford to take their new home from a colder, whitewashed state into a warm, color-forward, and playful space. Join us for an in-depth tour.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok for Slow Dust Studio.

the \1,730 square foot house is made up of three bedrooms and three (formerly t 17 — Above: The 1,730-square-foot house is made up of three bedrooms and three (formerly two) bathrooms.

a contrast of soft green paint, a color original to the house, with a muted red 18 — Above: A contrast of soft green paint, a color original to the house, with a muted red (Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth paint), and terracotta tile.

in the living room, the floors are all original red oak and walls are painted i 19 — Above: In the living room, the floors are all original red oak and walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Slipper Satin with trim in Shadow White. The fireplace surround is finished with Thin Brick Tile in Mossy Gold from McIntyre. The chair is a vintage Danish teak rocker by Frank Reenskaug for Bramin Møbler from the 1960s and the record player storage is vintage Herman Miller. The area rug is the Eclipse Rug from Block Shop.

a smart solution for the lack of an entryway: rumford designed a pint sized noo 20 — Above: A smart solution for the lack of an entryway: Rumford designed a pint-sized nook with shoe storage and a built-in seat.

the ceiling lights are the tumwater surface sconce from cedar & moss. the a 21 — Above: The ceiling lights are the Tumwater Surface Sconce from Cedar & Moss. The appliances are all from the GE Café collection. And the backsplash tile is the fennel color from the Clé Tile Clé Guild New California collection laid vertically.

The kitchen is very much the heart of the home for the clients. They opened up the kitchen by removing a wall that separated the living room while pushing the kitchen back into the primary bedroom closet. Here, they sourced the same wood flooring as the original red oak while staining and refinishing them slightly to better coordinate in tone with the Douglas fir cabinetry. The countertops are Silestone in Posidonia Green and the cabinets are all custom Douglas fir with reeded glass in the uppers.