Nestled within the wooded hills of Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, the newly renovated CM G1 House stands as a testament to the power of collaborative design and architectural sensitivity. Created through a partnership between interior design and development studio Ome Dezin and Los Angeles-based furniture and spatial designer Willett, this 1960s residence has been transformed into a sophisticated dialogue between modernity and memory, where historical integrity meets contemporary living.
The renovation project represents more than just architectural restoration; it embodies what the designers call "corporeal architecture" – a design philosophy that prioritizes human scale and sensory experience. Ome Dezin principals Jesse Rudolph and Joelle Kutner recognized the project as an ideal opportunity to showcase Willett's visionary approach alongside their expertise in revitalizing character-driven homes. For Willett, the creative force behind the project's distinctive interventions, the CM G1 House serves as an emotional landscape that addresses the human connection often overlooked in contemporary home construction.
"We approached the design as a tribute to Laurel Canyon's spirit of artful experimentation," Willett explains. "The natural landscape and the history of the neighborhood became our creative brief." This philosophy manifests throughout the home in custom, site-specific elements that create a quiet rhythm of discovery for inhabitants and visitors alike. Each carefully crafted detail invites wonder while echoing the originality that has long defined this iconic Los Angeles neighborhood.
The architectural approach draws heavily from Wrightian ideology, preserving the structure's spatial openness, highly-considered functionality, and linear flow – elements that prove paramount to the renovation's success. The collaborative team focused on maintaining clean horizontal gestures while introducing new features such as expansive sliding doors along the west side of the house. These additions allow the interior spaces to seamlessly extend into the surrounding landscape, creating a continuous dialogue between indoor and outdoor environments.
Material selection plays a crucial role in grounding the residence within its historical and geographical context. Warm Douglas fir wood recalls the home's mid-century lineage, while earthy marbles and grounding black flagstone connect the space to its canyon setting. A series of strategically placed skylights punctuate the ceiling throughout the house, washing the walls in natural light and creating dynamic shadows that change throughout the day.
The intimacy of the residence becomes immediately apparent upon entering any room. A standout feature is the custom built-in system that flows through the primary bedroom, seamlessly combining a desk, daybed, and casework into a single architectural gesture that blurs the line between furniture and structure. This element particularly reflects the influence of America's most notable architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, in its integration of form and function.
Willett's signature furniture pieces are elegantly integrated throughout the CM G1 House, including the Tonn Table, Gio Stool, Radi Table & Chairs, and Popo Chair. These iconic silhouettes are complemented by new, exclusive additions from his Early Works: Group 01 series, which were originally conceived for his personal residence and mark the origins of his furniture practice. The recently debuted leather Poporo dining chair, Popo counter stools, and the KOC Dresser represent the latest evolution of his design philosophy.
The interior design is further enriched by a carefully curated mix of vintage and contemporary elements. Ome Dezin hand-selected furnishings and decorative pieces from DEN, a respected Los Angeles antique store, creating layers of visual and historical interest. The home also features select works from cc-tapis Whispers Collection by multidisciplinary artist Scarlett Rouge, marking the collection's U.S. premiere within this distinctive residential setting.
"My personal philosophy manifests tangibly through the symbiosis between my furniture pieces and the built environment we created around them," Willett notes. "It is one cohesive ecosystem for living – the lines are blurred between permanent and impermanent." This tension between fixed and flexible elements reflects broader architectural discourse that has evolved throughout the 20th century, particularly the fracture in architectural theory that occurred during the 1960s.
The 1960s marked a significant split in architectural thinking, with thought leaders and influential designers dividing between those supporting functional programming and formalists whose concepts questioned existing social and aesthetic frameworks. However, the CM G1 House resists such binary thinking, instead creating a space where programming and poetry conspire, where inside and outside coexist harmoniously, and where furniture successfully blurs traditional boundaries between fixed and free elements.
The home's surfaces evoke particular architectural clarity while its furnishings gesture toward the existential comfort that made the mid-century era so beloved. Both Ome Dezin and Willett share the ideal that architecture should be a relational, livable art form that synthesizes thought and feeling. Their highly-charged emotional landscapes are designed not as inaccessible theoretical exercises, but as environments meant for habitation, touch, and transformation through daily rituals.
Willett's vision for how inhabitants should experience the space is both intimate and poetic. "If you find yourself alone there," he suggests, "ignite the fireplace and wrap up in a blanket on the built-in sofa overlooking the pool and canyon. I hope they feel at ease. They have all they need to relax, enjoy, and live gracefully." This sentiment reinforces his belief that good design, like good architecture, is not static but rather a dynamic program that people inhabit, a story that gets rewritten daily, and an emotional landscape that residents carry within themselves even when they leave the house behind.
