Tour a Midcentury-Modern Tree House in LA With a Sophisticated Update

What ultimately morphed into a full reimagining of a 1960s split-level in Los Angeles first began with a simple brief: the gut remodel of a guest bathroom. But as most design endeavors are wont to do, the project naturally progressed to encompass other spaces, and soon, Japanese-born, Taiwanese American designer Linette Dai was transforming the entirety of a midcentury-modern home in Brentwood Hills.

The owners had lived in their home for some two decades and were in search of a refresh to bring it into the contemporary age. “While the couple has great taste—they’ve always loved vintage and have collected pieces over the years—they weren’t sure how to pull it all together themselves,” says the founder of AD PRO Directory firm Linette Dai Design. “They wanted help curating what they already owned; editing thoughtfully and adding what was necessary to bring a sense of cohesion and beauty to the space.”

As beautiful as it is functional, the 18th-century vanity table–inspired wall mirror by Gubi and sourced from TRNK NYC cleverly folds to conceal the climate controls for the AC. Throughout the home new flooring was laid, in this case, a medium toned oak invites nature to pass through the front door.

In the kitchen, expansive picture windows frame a bounty of greenery that beckons beyond, borrowing cues from traditional Japanese architecture that place nature in a frame. “There’s a lot of Japanese influence on midcentury-modern architecture, and being born in Japan, I feel like a lot of it is subconscious in my practice,” says Dai, who worked with Lion Builder Construction on the home.

Though the scope of work evolved over the span of two years, the ethos stayed the same: “The approach first and foremost is that every home should be of a portrait of the inhabitants,” muses Dai. “And as interior designers, we are the artists they’ve chosen to paint that portrait.” In capturing the essence of her clients, two well-traveled executives with a passion for architecture and a carefully cultivated ceramics collection, Dai sought to create a home that was sophisticated, well-tailored to their tastes, and reflective of their individuality, while still balanced with a touch of whimsy. A cornerstone of her studio’s practice involves teasing out the delicate balance between two seemingly opposing forces to uncover subtle nuances (“My style is more defined by philosophies and concepts over aesthetics,” she explains), and this particular project investigated the tension between the masculine and the feminine. The midcentury-modern home’s architectural language is handsome and angular, and throughout the space she strategically layered in soft curves, lush colors, and delicate textures to create harmony.