BONDING EXERCISE

A FORMERLY DARK AND DATED HOME IN PLAYA DEL REY SHINES THANKS TO AN INTERNET SEARCH BY THE HOMEOWNER'S MOTHER AND THE HELP OF A LOS ANGELES ARCHITECT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER.

- JENNIE NUNN

As the age-old saying goes: “A mother always knows best.” In the case of Los Angeles resident Jonathan Nutter and his recent home purchase, this proved to be true. The Oahu, Hawaii, native had no intention of buying his first single-family home overlooking a lagoon in the nearby quiet beach community of Playa del Rey, situated approximately 15 minutes from Los Angeles International Airport. That is, until fate intervened and his realtor led him to an unexpected house, followed by a chance online search conducted by his mother for design help. “I was looking for about two years for a place with a balcony and some place that was dog-friendly and had a backyard,” says Nutter, who owned a condominium nearby at the time. “I wasn’t looking here [I was looking on the bluff above], but the views at this house were amazing with Catalina Island on one side and Malibu on the other side. It definitely felt very dark, closed off, and claustrophobic with low, popcorn ceilings, and it just had very weird construction. I was trying to figure out how to open it all up [and stay within my budget], especially the living room. I had my parents over, and my mom said, ‘Let’s get an architect.’”