Wood paneling & a conversation pit: Eddie Maestri’s 1970 ranch is a little bit SoCal in Preston Hollow

Tear down and rebuild seems to be a theme for many designers and architects in Preston Hollow, but not Eddie Maestri. When moving from his Lakewood home, he sought a house with character that could be preserved, while adding his own style and personal touches.

The ranch-style Windsor Park waterfront property was built in the 1970s, and much of its charm has been maintained today with preserved wood paneling and a conversation pit-style living room.

“We really tried to keep the house true to the original intent,” Maestri says.

Maestri, an interior designer himself with an eponymous studio based in Lakewood, maintains a mindset of “borrowing” the home, preserving as much character as possible and staying true to the home’s original style.

The home’s original materials tell much of its story. Terrazzo floors, still intact decades later, were polished rather than replaced. Black walnut cabinetry in the kitchen remains, subtly updated with brass upper cabinets to bridge eras rather than erase them.

Even the home’s rock wall, original railings and built-in bar were carefully retained.

“There are details you just can’t replicate now,” Maestri says.

Still, updates to the home have modernized and brightened the space. Windows were dramatically enlarged, raising sightlines and flooding the interiors with natural light.

And the home is full of influences from Maestri’s inspiration and travels. Ceramics collected from trips to Kyoto with his husband. An outdoor entry inspired by the family’s times in the Palm Springs area. A lamp from a shop in Seoul. A clock from Germany.

“We wanted it to feel very SoCal,” Maestri says.

With twin tween boys, performance fabrics and functionality are key. Former Kips Bay showroom pieces now serve as a music room for their children. The dining room doubles as a homework hub. Outdoor spaces — reimagined with new tile, turf and a large communal table — become the primary gathering place for entertaining.

“I love things that feel found,” Maestri says.