Designer Alexandra Becket started in the industry as an art student and textile designer. She soon pivoted with her boyfriend (now husband) to begin renovating homes, starting with his. “We were really happy with how it came out and it was fulfilling,” she says. This got them a running start, and they began renovating investment homes, about 20 since 2010. The latest home they redesigned is this modern Scandinavian barn house in Silver Lake. Following the completion of the 20-month endeavor, they’re shifting gears and will rebrand ModOp Design into Alexandra Becket Design to focus on consulting with clients on interior design and renovation planning.
“If you’re standing in between, if you look one way and then the other way, it’s a mirror of each other,” Becket says of the large windows that face each other in the living room and kitchen, one opening to the backyard and the other to the outdoor deck. The 2,500-square-foot home (not including the garage) was an original bungalow with a bad layout. “So, we completely redid it, about a 90% new build,” she says. Inspired by the couple’s own home, the new layout features an intentional symmetry, the windows on the front of the house mirrored in the back so you can see the whole house through the large transom windows. They raised the ceilings to open up the view to the wooded hillside in the back and Silver Lake hills in the front. Just above the garage sits a deck, making use of all the space and giving the formal living room an indoor-outdoor feel. As for the exterior, they used a dark-green Sherwin-Williams paint, with the front door in an earthy dark-salmon color as an accent. “That was really the only color that I envisioned going well with that green,” Becket says.
“It’s a really unique ceiling,” says Becket of the 15-foot-tall parasol ceiling in the living room and kitchen, where beams were left exposed. “It’s all open but it’s separated in two,” she adds of the home’s upper floor. “There’s a middle area with the stairs and powder room. On one side is the den, family room, and a formal living room, all open, then on the other side is the kitchen and dining room.” She continues the mirroring in the upper area with two Noguchi paper lanterns.
Aside from the outside patio, the only dining area in the house is directly across from the kitchen, with a view of the backyard. “We carved out the backyard, which was a hillside before, so we excavated that area to create an outdoor space,” she says. We planted citrus trees and climbing rosemary and created an outdoor living room, which can also be seen from the indoor dining room.
“I was intent on finding a set of copper and stainless-steel pots to hang there,” Becket says of the open kitchen lined with custom white oak cabinetry and copper accents. The pendant lights are handmade by ceramicist Heather Levine and the sink is an antique hammered copper finish. “It’s not vintage but it’s hammered, and the faucet fixtures are Newport Brass copper,” she adds.
For all three bathrooms, located downstairs, as well as in the kitchen, Becket used handmade Moroccan zellige tiles. Many personal touches are also seen throughout the home.
“I painted the powder room mural, and it was inspired by an older textile design of mine,” she adds. “And then I included some of my own artwork—there’s a big orange painting in the entryway that I painted on fabric and another painting hanging in the primary bathroom.”
“I love good bones, but when a home is open to a complete refresh, I would say my style is mid-century influenced because that’s my background,” says Becket. “Both my dad [Bruce Becket] and my late grandfather [Welton Becket] were mid-century commercial architects,” she says of the two men who continue to serve as design inspirations. “My own personal style is very earthy, warm, a lot of handmade details, and I’m really into vintage or handmade lighting.” She created the wallpaper used in the primary bedroom and used Farrow & Ball paint for specific spaces. “I love working with clients one on one,” she adds. “I kind of serve as an interior design therapist, guide them, and hold their hands to make the decisions easier. The most fulfilling thing for me is to help other people with the design process.”
Alexandra Becket Design, modopdesign.com
