From Cold to Hot

Author:Abigail Stone

A Coldwater Canyon home receives a glow-up courtesy of House of Rolison‘s thoughtful approach to renovation

Though House of Rolison’s founders and managing partners grew up on opposite coasts—East Coast-raised Amanda Leigh has a background in ground-up construction while Taylor Hahn, her partner in life and business, who hails from Northern California, was schooled in architecture and software development—they connected over the idea of preserving history and creating beautiful, compelling homes.

The mission of their L.A.-based property-development company is to reimagine tomorrow’s habitats out of yesterday’s forgotten properties. Honoring the original essence of a home, they transform it via a toolbox that relies on light, natural materials and tonal palettes. 

The house they’d discovered, tucked into Coldwater Canyon, was a mismatch of styles that nodded to the mash-up of architectural influences that run through Los Angeles. “The upstairs was almost completely detached aesthetically from the downstairs, and it looked like two different homes,” notes Leigh.

“The floor plan was choppy, the interior was dark, and there was no powder room in the common space,” says her partner in life and business, Taylor Hahn. “Having a powder room so guests don’t have to use a bathroom of those living in the home is always important in our builds.” 

“The challenge was to make the house feel cohesive and to create a feeling of flow that would unify these spaces,” says Leigh. Adds Hahn, “Our goal was to bring out the soul that had drawn us in and find the ‘wow’ moments that would underline the home’s strengths.” Here, a new red tiled roof, a freshly white-washed exterior and iron details brought out the home’s strong lines. Dark wood cabinets, rich materials, walls embedded with stones, vaulted wood-beamed ceilings and wood floors unified its interiors, blanket the house with a feeling of coziness and warmth. 

Witness the kitchen where a dramatic skylight cut into peaked roofline illuminates a kitchen that highlights a sprawling island and richly-veined marbles. “We wanted to bring light into the space through innovative design choices,” says Hahn who also points out the stone walls that ground the lower floor, mimicking the stone siding on the exterior. “These aren’t things that you see everywhere,” she says. 

The result is a home that feels both modern and timeless, cozy and yet open. “The home feels fresh and new, but also soulful and cohesive,” says Hahn. “We are happy to say there’s nothing we would have done differently,” agrees Leigh.