IThe New York Postcalled Lili St. Cyr is “the Kim Kardashian of her day.” A burlesque performer known for his bathtub skits, St. Cyr got his big break in 1951 when he was charged with indecent exposure while making a splash at Cyro’s in LA. During his heyday, St. Cyr lived in a Tudor “cottage” built on a hill at the bottom of Bronson Canyon.
It’s easy to see why St. Cyr fell into hiding in 1927—and why, more than half a century later, Joelle Kutner and Jesse Rudolph of Ome Dezin saw the next generation of house act power. These two LA architects launched their company at the beginning of the pandemic, and, in addition to serving clients, they focus on buying and restoring historic buildings for resale. Ome Dezin—a name they get from Kutner’s husband’s French pronunciation of “Home Design”—isn’t your average house flyer: they treat their rescues as showcases of what they can do and say they don’t quit.
This one arrived in a well-preserved, if worn, wall-to-wall carpet condition. As neighbors come in to tell stories of St. Cyr—”walking up and down the street in his silk robes,” says Kutner; “charging to borrow the key,” added Rudolph—the late music star was there as they contemplated next steps. Join us to watch.
Photos by Austin Leis, courtesy of Ome Dezin (@omedezin), unless otherwise noted.
Above: Set behind a high wall with a front yard, the house is “Tudor with a Hollywood vibe,” say the designers, “we let that dictate where we took it.” The property was on the market recently and sold quickly: “We’re usually happy to move on, but it was hard to let go,” says Rudolph. Photo by Christopher Lee Foto.
Above: The living room—which was painted and painted yellow—comes with its cathedral ceiling and concrete and plaster walls. Kutner and Rudolph matched the front French doors with a second set in the back to create easy access to both yards. Ome Dezin worked with stager Pride of Place on the material.
The designers installed a wide engineered oak floor in the center (“chosen because it can withstand a lot of wear and tear”) and added decorative herringbone brick to the fireplace, which has an original marble surround. The Astep Model 6025 lamps—a 1950s Gino Sarfatti design—are from Matter: “distribute to all built-in lighting” says Kutner (yes, it came with the house).
Above: The dining room is the second of five, most of them functional (this one has a gas fireplace). A Gubi Semi Pendant hangs above a round table surrounded by 1960s French pine chairs purchased by the designers at a Billings auction in downtown LA. Brass dimmer switches throughout are from Forbes & Lomax.
Above: Instead of what used to be a storied kitchen with a cramped laundry and a small breakfast room, Kutner and Rudolph envisioned a modern English Tudor kitchen and fully opened up the space. Their custom oak island was designed to look antique. The narrow storage space above the fridge “is where you can put your prenup,” Kutner says.
Above: The sink is set in a new space with a cathedral ceiling that matches the existing part of the room. The custom cabinets are solid alder (painted Benjamin Moore Nantucket Gray) with leather quartzite counters. The unfinished brass faucets are from California Faucets. The checkered floor—of Nero Marquina and Crema Marfil marble—continues onto the back porch (see below).
Above: The designers modeled the banquette after the church pews. A wooden door leads to one of the four bedrooms. “We love those solid doors,” Kutner said. In some places, we removed them so they could be reused.”
Above: The den is an addition dating back to the 1970s or 1980s—probably introduced by the owners who bought the house in St. Cyr and sold it to Ome Dezin. Antique Italian beaded sconces.
Above: The mudroom/library off the front door adjoins the den. It has new bookshelves and a bench with a window seat with drawers for storing shoes.
Above: The designers kept the bedroom of St. Cyr as it were. The walls are painted Saybrook Sage from Benjamin Moore and the globe lamps are Iskos-Berlin’s Knit-Wit Round Pendant from A+R.
Above: The faux-foxed mirrored cabinet is original (restored with new panels).
Above: One of the house’s four bathrooms. The cast-iron claw-footed bathtub is by Cheviot and the Vidro Convex Mirror is from CB2. The walls have a Roman clay finish (in a shade called Rustica) from Portola Paints. Photo by Christopher Lee Foto.
Above: There are two bedrooms upstairs—both with fireplaces—and two downstairs. The house came with its own interior shutters.
Above: The kitchen’s test floor (from local supplier Emser Tile) extends outside to a screened-in porch: “They’re 12×12 squares; we were looking at porcelain but fell in love with natural marble. It’ll change over time,” says Rudolph.
Above: Outside the front entrance, the designers introduced a vintage limestone basin, sourced from Berbere, and cobblestone pavers from Eco Outdoor. That’s Rudolph’s Pyredoodle (Standard Poodle-Great Pyrenees mix).
Above: Ome Dezin worked with the existing structure and made creative updates, including a line that runs from the front to the back of the house, and completely reinvented the kitchen. The library/mud room is out there,
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