This unique Long Beach home, built by a firm most known for its bowling alleys, has some striking original features.
Hidden within the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach, California, sits a 1954 mid-century ranch with a mostly brick exterior, separated only by some paneling and a small window. However, the impeccable landscaping in front of the home offers a telling clue to the lush greenery and playful style that lies beyond the home’s understated exterior. See the video tour below, and then come back and read more about this stunning, unique Long Beach home.
Distinctive Design of the Unique Long Beach Home
Elijah and Johnna bought the 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bath home in 2019. After purchasing the home, the couple began renovating it to better fit their family’s needs while still keeping much of the home’s original “bones” intact—including the variety of wood types the original architects used.
“There are like 10 different kinds of woods happening,” Johnna says. “We tried to play off of it and really work with it.”
They eventually repainted much of the home and converted the garage into three different rooms: a laundry room, a home gym and then what Johnna dubs a “hangout room,” which also holds a Murphy bed to convert it into an extra bedroom. The three new spaces give the home a few more amenities and a little more living space.
New Angles
Elijah and Johnna also needed to renovate their bathroom, which required an update as nothing in the bathroom was straight. Johnna credits these (intentional) curves to the home’s architects, Powers, Daly, and DeRosa, who are best known for their modernist bowling alleys—in fact, this was the only residential project they did.
“The bowling alleys they did were very old-school, atomic style,” Johnna says. “They were very tilted.” So, when Powers, Daly, and DeRosa built the house, the bathrooms were also very tilted—so much so that Elijah and Johnna had to build a faux wall in order to have a level surface to put the toilet on.
“There are no straight lines in the house—everything is at an angle,” Johnna says.
You can see the home’s bowling alley influence in the variety of woods (such as plywood, birch and maple) that were used—even multiple woods within the same room. “We tried to embrace it,” Johnna says. “It made [the home] feel more eclectic, rather than feeling so new.”
Building an Oasis
Their other priority was address the landscaping. “There was literally not one piece of greenery in the whole backyard,” Johnna says. Aside from a few palm trees, the outdoor space was dilapidated and neglected— something that just wouldn’t do in the indoor-outdoor-living mecca of Long Beach. So, they hired landscape designer Dustin Gimbel to transform the space. Both Johnna and Elijah worked alongside Dustin to shape what the backyard would become, adding in all types of greenery. “We wanted it to be tropical; I’m not really into flowers. We just wanted to be super, super green,” Johnna says.
They planted a few trees too, which act as centerpieces for the home’s various outdoor spaces. A plumeria tree sits next to the outdoor dining area by the living room, providing views from both inside and out as it bursts into beautiful blooms each year.
In the front entryway, a small maple tree is planted in the private atrium, creating a little contrast to the home’s many tropical flora. It can even be peeked at through the mid-century metal screen that sits above a partial-height brick wall. “I’m very proud of that tree,” Johnna says.
But the outdoor space needed to be more than just an ode to picture-perfect plant life—it had to be a fully livable space too. So they added in a built-in fireplace, modeling it off of a picture they found of an older one in the house in the ’70s. The raised fireplace is covered in natural stone and surrounded by a few chairs and a palm tree, creating an easy spot to relax by the fire with friends.
The family also added a jacuzzi—the perfect complement to the nearby solar-powered pool—and multiple outdoor dining and lounging spaces. Johnna adds that the whole landscaping project was finished just in time, right before the pandemic: “We got really lucky. [Being outside] was all we did.”
Their backyard became a lifeline of sorts in the isolated months of the pandemic. But even before this usage (and their prior renovation), the outdoor space’s features, like its pond and pool, stood out to Elijah and Johnna—so much so that they inspired them to buy the home. “[The pond] was why we moved in—that and the diving board!” Johnna says.
The very ’70s style of the indoor-outdoor pond also heavily influenced the style and design of their backyard and this eclectic retro look makes its way into the interiors too, where houseplants abound. They’ve collected them over the years, and the frequent pops of green only add to the deep sense of indoor-outdoor living.
Earthy color palettes of green and brown dominate the interior, where Johnna and Elijah, who also own home staging company Frame Staging House, combined modern-day furniture alongside vintage pieces, creating a style that Johnna says is both “sophisticated and playful—I think I always go back to wanting to have a little bit of a ’70s vibe.”
Though they sold the home earlier this year, Johnna says that now that they’ve moved she can see just how “magical” the backyard was—and is.
If you loved reading about this unique Long Beach home, don’t miss the video tour and interview with Elijah and Johnna! You can also find more video home tours and interviews with experts in all things MCM on our YouTube channel. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!
