A house originally conceived in 1952 by architect Schwen Wei Ma for Peter Soo Hoo (one of the founders of Los Angeles’ newer Chinatown) gets a new lease of life with an interior refresh by LA interior designer Corinne Mathern. The house’s original design was remodelled in the 1960s by Gilbert Leong, the first Chinese-American to graduate from USC with a degree in architecture, and the author of many of Chinatown’s buildings.
Mathern’s interior renovation maintained the soul of the home with a light, practical update of finishes and amenities. ‘The property is an example of classic Los Angeles midcentury architecture and had charming, original details throughout,’ she says.
A new life for Schwen Wei Ma's LA house
Recently described as a ‘1950s time capsule’, the house’s original details guided Mathern’s design, which was focused on repurposing some of the original features to keep its character intact.
The brief from the client (Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, who had recently bought the house) focused on keeping the house’s original character, and offered guiding visual references that include the films of Jacques Tati and Michelangelo Antonioni, the light in William Eggleston’s photography, as well as Jean Prouve’s furniture.
The house's living room features a bespoke sculptural coffee table made of D Tile systems, alongside a refurbished chrome and linen sofa from Midcentury LA
View from the bespoke kitchen
Colour was a key consideration throughout the interiors, with bright bespoke elements including a blue bar, yellow legs on the dining table, and a large-scale tiled coffee table in a deep rust shade. Materials-wise, Mathern offered a palette of chrome metals and honed concrete softened by custom walnut panelling for warmth.
‘The materials and colours were all chosen to have a chalky, smoky filter on them so they felt muted and like they could have been part of the house in 1952,’ says the designer.
An eclectic collection of vintage and bespoke furniture
Adding a new layer to the house’s interiors is a series of vintage pieces sourced from local galleries by Mathern, from Bruno Rey stools for the bar to a Friso Kramer chair and Peter Løvig desk for the home office.
The vintage furniture is combined with custom-designed elements, such as the dining table (created in collaboration with Los Angeles-based design-build firm PSS Design Cult) referencing a Jean Prouvé design and placed alongside raw oak chairs by Robert Guillerme and Jacques Chambron, sourced from France.
Bespoke dining table with chairs by Robert Guillerme and Jacques Chambron
In the home office, Friso Kramer chair and Peter Løvig desk
Mathern also worked with PSS Design Cult to create further bespoke elements, such as the modernist-inspired walnut screen that defines the house’s entrance, and with local woodworker Christopher Norman, who created a custom walnut piece to be placed above the bed.
The result, for this gem among Los Angeles houses, is a bright, airy space with a palette of colours and materials that feels contemporary yet authentic to the house's original design.
The house's blue bar, with vintage Bruno Rey stools
The bedroom features a bespoke wooden panel by LA woodworker Christopher Norman
The renovated kitchen
A vintage daybed in the guest room
The music studio features a Mies Van Der Rohe black leather cantilevered chair
Separated by a wooden screen, the dining and living areas of the house feature a mix of vintage and bespoke furniture
The bathroom features a bespoke wooden panel created by PSS Design Cult
A bespoke cabinet design
A bespoke wooden screen in the bathroom, created in collaboration with PSS Design Cult
The living room features bespoke wooden paneled walls and vintage furniture as well as a tiled sculptural table
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