Rustic versus contemporary, which style won at this Venice duplex?

View from the common area of the duplex into Jenn McCabe and Lee Frees’ kitchen and living area.

The front yard of the Venice duplex owned by Jenn McCabe and Lee Frees is an exercise in simplicity.

Jenn McCabe and Lee Frees’ combination kitchen, dining and living area.

A view of the dining and living area from the kitchen.

The breezeway is furnished with a picnic table and benches. This dining area features built-in heaters overhead and a light well.

A skylight in the common area of the house of Jenn McCabe, her partner Lee Frees, and their dog Hank.

Jenn McCabe and Lee Frees occupy the ground floor at the front of their duplex, with a renter in the upstairs unit at the back of the property.

The common area of the Venice duplex features seating around a fire pit.

Hank the dog hangs out in the common area of the Venice duplex of Jenn McCabe and her partner, Lee Frees.

Pig wire serves as screens for kitchen shelves at the house of Jenn McCabe, her partner, Lee, and their dog Hank.

Under a sloped metal roof that vaguely recalls the shape of a barn, the front of the duplex is one story (to blend with the neighborhood) that transitions to two stories at the back of the lot.

In the kitchen, wire-brushed white oak cabinets inset with stainless steel “pig wire,” or mesh, recall vintage pie safes, and open shelves display heirloom dishware.

To integrate Jenn McCabe’s rustic taste, architect Daniel Monti of Modal Design used reclaimed wood siding applied in unconventional reverse board and batten fashion.

The hallway overlooks the living area and bedroom on the left side of the duplex’s main unit.

The new, streamlined duplex artfully balances the modern and the rustic.

In the bathroom, travertine with a dark, wood-grain-like pattern surrounds the shower and tub while louvered panels slide over the window for privacy.

Louvered panels slide over the bathroom window for privacy.

A sleek and simple bathtub faucet.

Jenn McCabe and partner Lee Frees relax in their redone home with their dog Hank. Frees built much of the structure himself.

The Venice property includes a drought-tolerant garden.

Jenn McCabe and Lee Frees share the backyard with their tenant, who occupies the upstairs unit at the back of the duplex.

A deck in the upper unit of the duplex overlooks the backyard.

The view from the second floor into the common area of the duplex.

The view from the second floor into the common area of the duplex.

Lee Frees and Hank the dog relax in the common area of the duplex.

Updated Jan. 27, 2:52 p.m. An earlier version of this photo gallery misstated McCabe and Frees’ relationship.