This Beverly Hills Home Was Transformed From "Complete Disarray" to a Mid-Century Marvel and Cocooning Family Nest
European style was key to this Californian renovation project by Kevin Klein Design, who knew this family's taste long before he set foot inside
Interior designer Kevin Klein went to elementary school with a close family member of this Southern Californian home's owners and had remained friends with the occupants for years. When they inherited a sprawling property in the exclusive Beverly Hills area, it was only natural that they called on him.
The house had been passed down from the husband's father, who had himself begun the renovations. "It was in complete disarray," explains Klein, founder of Kevin Klein Design. "The owners had just gotten married and were expecting their first child when they were gifted the property."
The two-year transformation was focused on restoring the classic mid-century modern home while introducing a more contemporary, livable interior.
"They have nieces and nephews all the same age, so I've seen the house with seven or eight children in it, all under four, absolutely tearing it apart and turning it into a circus."
Spread across a single story, the modern home features five bedrooms and six bathrooms. "This house was amazing, but it was inhabitable, and the permits were a mess," Klein explains. "They asked me to come in and help triage and salvage it."
The brief was to preserve the home's original character while re-imagining it for a young family, resulting in a careful dialogue between past and present.
Klein's team had to work around walls positioned in peculiar locations, while previous contractors had attempted to add to the structure and then abandoned the plans entirely.
Mid-century furniture, like the vintage Paolo Piva Alanda Iron coffee table, has been sourced to complement the original architecture.
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
A glimpse into the bespoke kitchen from the living area with the bar. The living room is divided into two spaces by a fireplace that lets you see into the other side.
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
Images of the living area from different angles
Fortunately, Klein had already worked with the wife on a commercial project and had a clear sense of their taste. "She owns coffee shops and is very design-focused herself, which is helpful as we really enjoy the collaborative process."
The couple had a distinctly European sensibility and wanted the home to feel like a mid-century Milanese apartment. When concept design began, they had just returned from Italy, and that influenced the scheme, where verdant hues have been woven in.
This is most notable in the bathrooms and kitchen, where Verde Alpi and Cipollino Verde marbles and Ceppo di Gré stone make a statement. "The main driver was green," Klein recalls. "The wife simply said: 'I like the color green.'"
The bespoke kitchen features Ceppo di Gré stone for the worktops, which complements the timber joinery and chrome fixtures.
The kitchen is entirely bespoke. Ceppo di Gré stone has been used throughout for its exceptional durability. "It's a pretty bulletproof material, and there's a rigidity to it, a mid-century ruggedness that felt just right."
In the foyer, an inherited daybed offers a distinct counterpoint to the rest of the mid-century furnishings and design.
This area connects the living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallways, all beneath ceiling heights so generous that Klein carefully calibrated the flooring design to bring a sense of balance. "It almost feels like the herringbone is oversized," he explains.
Light pours in from the ceiling onto a vintage daybed in the hallway and reflects off the antiqued floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall panels.
One of the most pressing decisions was whether to subdivide the larger rooms. Two living areas are separated by a fireplace, and the question of how to carve out formal and informal spaces proved challenging.
"There was no proper way to divide the house without compromising the original architecture," Klein explains. "I'm happy we maintained the layout, restoring the travertine of the central fireplace."
The designer has introduced vintage pieces throughout, such as the 1950s modernist tripod lights that stand on either side of the de Sede DS-1025 terrazza sofas.
A new bar area is a natural addition for a couple who love to entertain. Here, vintage John Jay LeShane Kai stools allow for conversation while drinks are being prepared.
"We used the same walnut as the rest of the joinery, but finished it in a high gloss. The doorways are framed in the same Ceppo di Gré stone used in the kitchen," Klein explains.
The bar area further sections off the large living space adding an intimate corner for people to gather.
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
A small timber-clad niche presents the opportunity for smaller members of the family to climb in and relax next to the double-sided fireplace.
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
Off the foyer, a powder room is clad in marble from nearly floor to ceiling. "We went shopping together and fell in love with a stone whose tonal warmth we knew would complement everything else we were planning with the wood," Klein explains.
The dining room also flows organically from the foyer. The space is clean and uncluttered, with the same Pierre Frey fabric chosen to cover the vintage CH990 Eyelet chairs.
The millworker was able to match the timber tones in the space without it all looking the same, and a generously proportioned bespoke buffet completes the scheme.
The dining chairs are vintage, upholstered in a cedar-toned fabric, and the table is bespoke. "The wife wanted a large serving counter as part of the design as they host substantial family dinners fairly regularly," Klein says.
The small powder room is fully tiled in Cippolino Undulate marble.
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
The dining chairs are vintage, upholstered in a cedar-toned fabric, and the table is bespoke. "The wife wanted a large serving counter as part of the design as they host substantial family dinners fairly regularly
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
For Klein, the primary bathroom was the most enjoyable room to design. It is here that the Milanese spirit of the project comes through most vividly, in the intricate stonework and the deliberate choice of green marble. There is a mix of Verde Alpi and Cipollino Verde; the couple opted for a considered variation from the same palette.
His-and-hers closets come off the primary bedroom and are accessible from either side of the bed, serving as a connecting passage to the bathroom.
"There's a perfect symmetry to it," Klein says. “The husband's one requirement was a respectably sized closet. So we literally split it 50-50."
The main bathroom area can be accessed directly from the bathroom, through the walk-in closet
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
A large shower area mixing verdant marble hues and featuring a niche and seating
Image credit: Elizabeth Carbabas. Design: Kevin Klein Design
The result is a home that feels grounded in its mid-century origins yet entirely suited to contemporary family life. Klein has designed the spaces to evolve alongside the people who live in them.
Fortunately, the clients are not precious about it. With twins already running through the rooms and a third child on the way, they've created a beautiful home they can live in and enjoy.
The dining chairs are vintage, upholstered in a cedar-toned fabric, and the table is bespoke. "The wife wanted a large serving counter as part of the design — they host substantial family dinners fairly regularly."
Get the Look
If you love this home, you'll love this equally inspiring Beverly Hills home designed by Nina Takesh that once played host to Hollywood soirées.
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