When Los Angeles City Council president, Eric Garcetti, and his partner, Amy Wakeland, decided to update their classic modernist home, they wanted the process to be as eco-friendly as possible. Through careful planning by Elissa Scrafano of Scrafano Architects, the green remodel reflects the couple’s fondness for minimalist design while creating a connection between the interior and exterior.

The open floor plan with large windows makes good use of natural lighting and a tankless water heater helps conserve water. Other contributions toward a green remodel include roof-mounted solar panels that provide 50% of the energy for the home, and solar panels on the carport to fuel their hybrid cars. Sustainable woods are used both indoors and out: bamboo on the second story floor and responsibly harvested wood on the deck. To avoid indoor toxicity, the walls of the house were painted with YOLO Colorhouse paints, which contain no VOCs.