Victoria Gilbert wanted to transform her 1930s Westwood house — a series of cramped, claustrophobic rooms — into a space with a more contemporary look and flow. For help, she turned to Apurva Pande and Chinmaya Misra of the Los Angeles design firm CHA:COL.
One of their biggest suggestions: Peel back the low ceilings and maximize the volume of several rooms. Now, the living room is defined by A-shaped trusses built from vertical-grain Douglas fir. Powder-coated bolts and sheer plates connect the 2-by-10-inch chords and 2-by-4-inch struts.
