Mead House

Mead House

Street view of house with restoration complete.

Entry originally faced a long path from S. Orange Grove Ave. When access changed to W. Del Mar Blvd., front door was no longer apparent. Our renovation added porte cochere and drive, modeled on existing terrace.

Restored entry shows clear redwood paneling made from 1 x 24 inch boards. Easton wire-brushed paneling to accentuate grain pattern. Wood was cleaned and restored with a tung oil preservative.

Restored living room shows original brick fireplace and redwood wainscot. Stair beyond is in entry.

This view of living room looks toward front of house. French doors lead to a covered terrace. Lantern and wall sconces were new, custom built for restoration.

Restored dining room includes new custom redwood and art glass light fixtures. Deep warm colors recreated original atmosphere.

Breakfast room had been added to house before original construction was complete. There was a built-in bench, so we designed a redwood trestle table to fit.

Woodwork on second floor may have been painted originally, but we couldn't resist removing paint. We found doors were vertical grain Douglas fir with redwood panels.

This is what the house looked like when restoration began.

1910 Mead house by Louis B. Easton is an Arts & Crafts gem. When we restored the house in 1979 it had been long neglected, but was still intact. We added to entry a port-cochere and drive, modeling existing covered porch. We lightly reworked kitchen and breakfast room, restored redwood inside and out, added lanterns and scones, and repainted in earthy Arts and Crafts colors.