A Celebration of Palm Springs Design in Los Angeles

Set amid palm trees on a quiet L.A. street sits a beautifully home recently revamped by wife-and-husband team Rebecca and Jared Raskind. With their work highlighted on design sites such as Elle Décor and Domino, this dynamic duo stays busy working on additional projects. The Raskinds are true experts in transforming fixers into dream properties. Having previously partnered with Dunn-Edwards, this latest venture proves, once again, that combining great design with infusions of color is the perfect design partnership.

Please describe the project and home’s history in the surrounding neighborhood.
This renovation was of a 1956 home in Ladera Heights, Calif., a neighborhood near Culver City known for its untouched, spacious, gorgeous, Mid-century homes. Unfortunately, but fortunately for us, this home had been renovated throughout the decades in questionable ways. We actually found a full wall of glass that had been dry-walled at some point!

There were numerous additional elements that completely stripped the home of any of its original Mid-century style. The backyard had been converted to an actual parking lot. That being said, we saw potential in
the huge lot, as well as gorgeous palm trees and ample square footage. We definitely had our work cut out for us in maintaining the original structure while reimagining the space.

In reviewing the “before” images we get a real sense of the major transformation. Describe some of the architectural “wow” features you added, such as vaulted ceilings and the elimination of the multi-level floors.

The floorplan was very choppy — various ceiling heights and various floor levels. There was even a dropped floor with ramps in the main living space. I knew immediately I wanted the space to feel light and airy so vaulting the ceilings was one of the main things we wanted to do. In fact, we didn't pull the trigger on this property until a contractor confirmed that vaulting was possible.

The vaulting was costly and time-intensive. We did everything with the help of an architect (Studio Costea); structural engineer; contractor; and, of course, the county inspectors. With the vaulting we were able to open up the main living space to create a great room. We changed the original location of the kitchen — moving it back — which allowed us to incorporate a flip-out serve window (lovingly referred to as “the margarita bar”).

The home came with a fireplace but it was angled in a way that was not conducive to the open floorplan we had in mind — so we created a new fireplace using Arto brick Mid-century inspired tiles. The revamped fireplace makes a huge statement with the vaulted ceilings!

As for the final floorplan, the home originally had a living room and a den (being used as a bedroom). We decided to break up the den into two bedrooms; build an additional bathroom to one of the guest rooms,
creating an en suite; and added a powder room and laundry room. Finally, we expanded the main bedroom by more than 200 square feet by creating a massive walk-in closet. When we finished the home, it was a 4-bedroom, 4-bath instead of a 3-bedroom, 3-bath.

Finally, that backyard parking lot was a challenge. We ended up building a large cedar deck and saw-cutting into the original concrete to create a Mid-century-inspired grid. Since we had also implemented a 12-foot, bi-fold door, the home now has a great indoor/outdoor flow, which is so desired for California living.

Please describe the design aesthetic and color palette and inspiration behind it. And how did you incorporate the Dunn-Edwards 2020 color trends into the aesthetic?

Our idea was to create a Palm-Springs-inspired Mid-century retreat right here in L.A. We wanted to create a space that was warm and stylish and felt like a permanent vacation! Once stay-at-home orders were in
place, this vision became even more important. People, more than ever, want a home that feels like a sanctuary, a life they don’t need to escape.

With the Palm Springs inspiration, our color palette was warm corals and nudes like the desert sand, yellows and gold like the sun, and soft green/blues like agave. I was able to use several shades from the 2020
color trends to achieve this look such as Prairie Land (DET489) in the bonus room and the back deck, Light Carob (DE5183) in the home office, and Natural Tan (DE5212 — the lighter version of Seasonal Beige noted in the 2020 color palette) in the powder room. We also used Patina Creek (DE6297) on the kitchen
island and Antique Coral (DE5170) on the show-stopping front door. We carried these colors through with our tile choices and staging, as well. Our staging was completed by PopUp Home, and we were thrilled with the outcome!

Please describe your choices of the high hide whites and what your thoughts are on these two new whites in our collection.

We used White Daisy (DEHW02) interior paint and Sugar Swizzle (DEHW07)Swizzle exterior paint, both from the new high hide white collection. I found both colors to be bright and neutral without noticeable undertones, which is exactly what we wanted. Sugar Swizzle feels so bright and happy on the home exterior and White Daisy is the perfect neutral palette for our interior walls. It was important for our vaulted ceilings and large gallery-walls that the interior white was not too stark or too yellow. The texture and coverage of the high hide whites was very impressive. Everything looks flawless.

What other projects do you have in the works to share with us?

We are currently working on two other properties, both located in Los Feliz, Calif., set to be completed in late summer or early fall of this year. We have another Palm-Springs-inspired Mid-century (this time with
a pool and a view), which will lean more toward modern regency in terms of design, and a post-modern bohemian estate with sprawling grounds. We are very excited to work with Dunn Edwards again on both projects!

To learn more about the Dunn-Edwards 2020 color + design trends report, visit us here. All “Before”
images courtesy of Rebecca Raskind. All “After” images shown with courtesy and permission of Bethany Nauert Photography.