When homeowner David Izenman purchased his eighth house in 12 years (part 1), it was a mess, with a ‘70s kitchen and multiple layers of remodels (part 2). But it also had hidden gems underneath all those years of modifications, the perfect leverage for any future resale.
Although the hair salon Izenman designed in the garage is a contemporary aesthetic, the rest of the home looks like it was a blast to furnish. A Coronado sofa and chair from the ’40s were bought at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl swap meet, as well as a $100 western-inspired side table with brass nail heads. Other armchairs, including an early ’50s rocker were picked up at garage sales and reupholstered. The swap meet coffee table is part of an old Swedish trunk, and a blond buffet has definite Heywood-Wakefield tendencies.
An Art Deco table and chest and Murano glass boudoir lamps have been stirred into the mix, along with oversize Hollywood movie posters. Izenman says he loves the colors and design. “For years I have been surrounded by sterile white sheets, towels and walls; now I want color.” Over the dining table is a wagon wheel chandelier dating from 1938, and in the kitchen, Bauerware, vintage thermoses and what he calls “Mexicana” line the cabinet tops. A restored slot machine is a nod to those Vegas family vacations, and the living room fireplace wall holds steer horns, Arts and Crafts Roseville pottery, western-themed oils and prints, and an iron crucifix, which “is an anomaly since I’m a good Jewish boy, but I like it because it gives the house a mission look. The scale of ‘30s and ’40 furniture is good in this house and it’s the style that was meant to be in here,” he adds.
Not one to play it safe, Izenman is still pragmatic enough to think about resale. “Bottom line is, what a buyer wouldn’t get in square footage in this house, they’d get in charm,” he says. “Dianne Keaton’s latest house in Architectural Digest was a combination of Spanish and Craftsman, and I loved the way it looks. Things like that inspire me to do what I like and not worry if people are going to like it. Clients have walked into my house, and when they see the raw, sandblasted wood and the unpainted brick, they say, ‘I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with it,’ ” he says with a grin. “I tell people I feel like Gene Autry living here but I look more like Andy Devine.”
