Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
There’s a brand new way to rock a mullet. While the shaggy hairstyle may have fallen out of fashion, the ‘mullet house’ is quickly gaining popularity as homeowners seek to add modern additions to their traditional homes.
The façade of 1104 Nowita Place suggests it’s just another Venice Beach bungalow, albeit a lovingly restored one with a burnt orange front door and drought tolerant landscaping. But the original 1922 Craftsman has a secret to tell — that protrusion in the back is not, in fact, a neighboring residence, but a modernist double-height addition with floor-to-ceiling windows, a stunning master retreat and cozy reading nook.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
Unsurprisingly, the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home was reimagined by an architect-owner, the founder of AML Studio and former in-house architect and designer for the Gjelina restaurant group.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
The “business in the front” begins with a formal sitting room featuring exposed beams and a plaster-surround fireplace. The light-filled dining area offers some seclusion, yet remains open to the rest of the house.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
The dining area connects directly to the kitchen, which is outfitted with charcoal-stained cabinetry, brass hardware, concrete countertops, Sub-Zero and Bertazzoni appliances, and a stately grey marble backsplash.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
A well-sized bedroom can also be found on the lower level, providing privacy for friends and family when they come to visit. The adjacent three-piece bathroom combines old and new design elements, such as the wood bathtub skirt and pebble-stone flooring. The powder room packs a punch with large format hexagon tiles, a floating wood vanity and marble vessel sink.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
The airy living room joins the “party in the back” with a clerestory window and plenty of room for an oversized sectional. This space leads to the aforementioned two-story wall of windows, which houses a slate-covered staircase with a reading nook at the top.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
The listing suggests this counts as a bedroom (there seems to be some sort of daybed), although I’m not sure how much shut eye I’d get sans blackout blinds.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
The home’s real pièce de résistance is the upstairs master retreat, featuring a butterfly roof with exposed ceiling joists. A custom white oak walk-in closet is separated by a partition wall with built-in bookshelves and additional closed storage can be found along the wall opposite the bed.
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
The master ensuite is a symphony of marble, wood and concrete. A curbless walk-in shower is accented with aged brass, while the double-sink vanity extends down the wall to include a chic makeup counter. Oh, and did I mention the geometric concrete tile floors offer radiant heating?
Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties
Outside, there’s an elevated deck area for dining alfresco, a laid-back lounge area, and an in-ground pool surrounded by cacti and two towering palm trees. If you look closely, you’ll notice an outdoor shower off the corrugated metal fence — a must-have for surfers.
If you can shoulder the $14,000 monthly mortgage payment, this Venice Beach mullet house may be the one for you. Just make sure to invite me to the housewarming party, okay?
