Amazing home transformations

Get ideas for your own home or garden makeover

Rustic cabin gets a modern makeover

How an L.A. couple turned a gloomy cabin into a sunny oasis. Hint: Think sledgehammers

Topanga Canyon cabin owners Jon Leaver and Tyke O'Brien
Photo by Lisa Romerein; styling by Miranda Jones. Written by Laure Joliet

Dark cabin gets a DIY transformation

Design ideas from an inspiring remodel

When part-time design consultants Jon Leaver and Tyke O’Brien bought their 1,500-square-foot Topanga Canyon house in 2007, it was a dark hillside cabin. DIYing whenever possible, they spent more than a year transforming the space into a light-filled and spacious home.

“For us, every house has potential,” Tyke says. “We thought like we always think: Never look at the big picture, just take the project bit by bit.”

Click ahead to see what they did, mixing some old with the new along the way.


  • Loading comments...

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining

Advertisement