This landmark 1948 home’s renovation features many delightful additions making it a getaway for relaxation and entertaining.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a quintessential Mid Century Modern home, then you already know how special it is. But when your home has been honored as a landmark by the local historical association and featured in books and documentary films, then you have even more reason to have pride in it. This home has achieved that well-deserved recognition in addition to delighting its owners and their guests. This is just the case in this modern Riverside, California home belonging to Caren and Fabio Silveira.
Related Reading: Preserving The Best Details in a Stunning Riverside Gem
The Elements of Modern Riverside Architecture
The ranch-style four-bedroom, four-bath, glass-constructed home combines different materials to seamlessly bring Riverside, California’s fauna and flora indoors. The single-story, flat roof, rectangular glass and wood-framed building is perched high in the Mt. Rubidoux hillside, allowing for expansive views of downtown Riverside. On the west side, the lot rises fast, backing against the acclaimed Mount Rubidoux Park, with unrestricted views of natural growing eucalyptus and pine trees that serve as a playground for local wildlife. Set on a raised slab foundation, the asymmetrical linear construction with extended overhangs and a large steep driveway that separates the main house from the garage with a breezeway stands in contrast to the surrounding late-century constructions.
“Our home was built in 1948. We acquired the property in 2013 and are only the third owners,” Fabio and Caren say. “At the time, we were living in a massive 4,000-square-foot, two-story ’80s tract home in Upland,” Fabio adds. “We have always loved mid-century, so we started a quest to find something that was more representative of us. Moreover, we were looking to diminish our commute time in LA traffic. Our intention was to move to Long Beach or Orange County—somewhere closer to the beach and to LAX, where I fly out of,” says Fabio, a pilot for United Airlines.
“After over a year of looking at overpriced fixer-uppers that were much ‘cozier’ than we were willing to live with and branching out to a larger radius than we had intended, our realtor told us: ‘I think I found something.’ We looked at the pictures, were intrigued by what we saw and made an appointment to go see the house the next day. As we drove up the steep driveway, we looked at each other with joy. Caren said, ‘This is it!’—we knew we had found our grail. I don’t believe we had even gone through the entire house when we told the realtor that we would take it. She was quite surprised, but for us it was love at first sight.”
Related Reading: A 1955 Gem Exemplifies California Modern in Riverside
Modern Riverside: First Impressions
“While we were most impressed by the architecture, the expansive views out of the glass-framed house are what impressed us the most,” Fabio recalls. “Using Frank Lloyd Wright’s principle of expansion, when you first step in, the foyer has a low ceiling that expands into a dramatic, vaulted 12-foot-high open space with floor-to-ceiling windows that gives one the sensation of stepping into the nature surrounding it. It is truly breathtaking when you first see it. But while we were breathless when we walked in, we knew we had our work cut out for us.”
Since they were still living in Upland, they decided to make the renovations to their modern Riverside find before moving in. “While the original design was amazing, cosmetically the house needed a lot of love,” Fabio says. “We kept the original wood floors, the built-in cabinets and the original bathroom fixtures. Just about everything else needed to have some level of work done.”
Overcoming Obstacles
The new homeowners wanted to maintain as much as possible of the original aspects of the house and the architect’s intentions, but some changes were needed to make the house into their home. “We needed to have a space designated for a tiki room. We needed an office and a guest room. And we wanted it all to be beautifully MCM, yet functional,” they explain. However, as most homeowners can attest, some renovations are easier said than done. “There were so many problems, we could probably write a whole edition of the magazine on what not to do during your renovation,” Fabio says. “For instance, Caren had a very specific design for the powder room—the purple bathroom. The wallpaper she had picked out was part of her vision and was hard to find as it was made in small quantities by a small company. We told the contractor where to find it and to order it from the website ASAP as it was the only way to acquire it. Well, he postponed it for months until they got to that phase of the project, and when he finally ordered it, he ordered the wrong amount. When we tried to order more, the wallpaper was not only out of stock but had been discontinued.” Luckily a small pivot towards matching paint to create an accent wall fixed that one.
Fabio points to another redesigned room the family required to make the home their own. “Besides Caren and I, the house is the dogs’ palace. Billy, the chihuahua, and Sadie, the papillon/chihuahua mix, rule the place,” he admits. “They have more living spaces than we do. The guest room was converted into the babies’ (dogs’) room. They have their own Sonos speaker so they can enjoy restful naps with some doggy tunes. And, of course, the tiki room is named after them: the Chi-Chi Lounge.”
Seamless Splendor
The home’s construction stylishly sports the predominant principle of MCM architecture: the seamless blending of interior and exterior spaces. “Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass panes totaling over 150 windows, one feels as if living in a fishbowl, with little to no boundaries from the inside and outside,” Fabio says. “The main façade spans over 120 feet, allowing a visitor at the bottom of the left-skewed 30+ steps of stone curved stepway to the main entry to be engulfed by the splendor of the construction and the lights emanating from within.”
“Atypically, the residence has three entrances facing south,” Fabio points out. “The main door is located atop the stairway and it is of the period, with a large curved beveled window contrasting the bright orange paint commonly used in the era. A custom-made, wood-framed checkered screen overlays the door. The second door is entirely glass and gives access through the driveway. Finally, the back door, most used by us, is of wood construction and highlighted by the same contrasting orange paint and custom-made screen. All doors are adorned with antique, period-appropriate brass hardware and skeleton key holes. Above the living room, a roof dormer protrudes to allow an abundance of natural light into the area. Moreover, a single stack, large chimenea emanates from the center of the roof to allow ventilation for a triple-faced fireplace that embellishes a large, open-space living room. Fenestration encompasses floor-to-ceiling half-inch panes that run along the front parlor, guest bedroom and master bedroom, casement windows, stained glass and fixed windows, totaling approximately 80% of wall space, creating an area filled with organic light and exterior views of the surrounding nature.”
Blending Colors & Styles
Caren, a retired Orange County correctional officer, knew the color selection would be a key factor in creating the ambience she envisioned for her home. “I wanted our home’s color palette to feel warm and inviting but also bright and colorful at the same time,” she says. “I chose to stick to brighter Mid Century Modern colors in the main living areas while opting for softer colors in the bedrooms. The goal was to create a balanced cohesive look that feels both retro and modern, blending nostalgia with a fresh contemporary feel.”
Along those lines, Caren channeled certain feelings when designing each space in the their home. “We wanted very different experiences in each area of the house,” she explains. “Entering the Chi-Chi Lounge, one might be transported to the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and reminisce about their childhood or recall their latest Hawaiian vacation as they sip a tropical drink and listen to the beats of Los Straitjackets.” In what the couple call The Mainliner Room, it’s the nostalgia of the golden era of air travel, when United Airlines first started traveling to Hawaii and the optimism of the space race to the moon. In the adjacent living room, it was all about the Rat Pack vibes, sipping on an Old Fashioned while listening to ‘My Way’ on the vintage RCA Victrola console.
A Modern Riverside Star is Born
Not only have Caren and Fabio created the home of their mid-century dreams, but it has received accolades from the area’s historical association and national media as well. “The house has recently been added to the Riverside Historical Association ranks as landmark number # 148 ‘The Paul A. Lewis Residence,’ but we call it ‘The Hollywood House of Riverside’ because that’s how the locals in the neighborhood referred to it when we first moved here, given the mid-century aspects and similarity to those homes found in the Hollywood Hills in California,” the couple says. It even has its own Instagram account that you can follow:
@thehollywoodhouseofriverside.
The Chi-Chi Lounge has been featured in the book: Polynesiacs–Tiki at Home, which spotlights home tiki bars throughout the United States. The house, specifically the Chi-Chi Lounge, will also be featured on an upcoming documentary, “Cabali: A Tiki Mug Obsession,” in which Caren will be interviewed about her tiki mug collection.
Right at Home
“For 12 years now, we have been building our dream home. It’s hard to pinpoint what part of your dream you love the most, but I love the Chi-Chi Lounge,” Caren says. “Most of my friends are also into collecting tikis. I enjoy entertaining there and spending time admiring and rearranging my collection. If you ask Fabio, he will probably say the backyard we just built. It is a huge open space where he can do the things he loves (barbecue), all while taking in the stunning views of downtown Riverside.”
When asked how their modern Riverside home makes them feel, Caren and Fabio sound as excited as the day they first met it. “Home is where the heart is!” they say. “Walking through the doors, we feel like we are surrounded by 70+ years of history. Some of the artifacts we have are indeed even older. Yet, it all feels so right and so modern. That’s the beauty of Mid Century Modern architecture: It’s a timeless style that ties interior and exteriors designs in one single, pretty bow. So, we feel a bit like a happy kid on Christmas Day unwrapping a beautiful present.”
Looking for more mod inspiration in Southern California’s desert communities? Check out this post about unexpected Modern gems in this western-style region of Apple Valley. Of Course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!
