Los Angeles doesn't have a preservation problem. It has a demolition habit.
Ivana Bramson grew up in the buildings her parents refused to tear down. As one third of GLB Properties — the family business her parents started in 1980 — she restores 1920s and 30s LA apartment buildings with the kind of care that makes you wonder why anyone would ever choose new construction.
We spoke to her about pink bathrooms, century-old hardware, and why the details that were never meant to be showstoppers are so often the best ones.
What first drew you to LA's historic buildings over modern developments?
My parents started investing in 1920s and 1930s properties before I was born, so I grew up around these buildings and absorbed all of their beauty from a really early age. Los Angeles' architectural history is actually so new compared to other cities, and yet we're already watching so much of it get torn down day after day. I feel like what we do at GLB is preserve LA's history and essence, one space at a time.
When you begin a restoration, how do you decide what to preserve — and where you're free to reinterpret?
The first question when we walk into a space is what can we save? Original tile, hardwood floors, mouldings, doors, built-ins, archways — those are the things you just can't recreate in the same way today. We really try not to rip something out just because it's old. If something is beyond saving or has already been badly altered over the years, that's where we have more fun reinterpreting it. We'll ask ourselves what would have made sense in this building originally, rather than just putting in whatever is trendy right now.
How do you balance respect for vintage authenticity with the demands of modern renters?
We want our apartments to feel vintage, but we don't want living in them to feel like you're living in 1932! People still want great appliances, good lighting, storage, functional kitchens and all the conveniences of modern life. The trick is incorporating those things without letting them overpower the architecture. There are definitely compromises, but I think that's part of the fun. We are always trying to figure out how to make something work for today without erasing what made it special in the first place — and sometimes you have to lose a closet if it means you can put in central air!
Your bathrooms are often described as the crown jewels. What do those spaces tell you about the value of detail in design?
Bathrooms are probably my favorite part of our buildings because people were so much more playful with them. The colors, the borders, the little decorative tiles, the shapes — there was so much personality packed into a relatively small room. Today people can be afraid of color and afraid of taking risks, but these bathrooms remind you that a home doesn't have to be neutral to be beautiful or timeless. There's also something incredibly nostalgic about walking into an original 1930s bathroom that has survived almost 100 years. I think designers just had more fun back then, and we definitely have a blast when we get to restore or recreate these crown jewels!
How has sharing your projects on Instagram changed the way people interact with GLB Properties?
Social media completely changed the way people interact with GLB. It started as a place for me to share things I genuinely loved about our buildings, and it turned into this amazing community of people who care about old LA and preservation as much as we do. It's also helped us find tenants who specifically want these details. They're not looking for a white box with grey floors! They're looking for the pink bathroom, the original tile, the arched doorway, the fun little niche. It's really fun because the things that might once have been considered "old" are now the exact things people fall in love with. Our followers just "get it."
How do you convince sceptics that heritage restoration is worth the investment?
Sometimes you don't! There will always be someone who thinks it would be easier to rip everything out and start over. And honestly, sometimes it would be easier. Restoration can take more time, more labor, more patience, and it's just more expensive. But once an original detail is gone, it's gone. You can make a reproduction, but it's never quite the same. We also see firsthand that people really value character. There's an emotional reaction to these spaces that you just don't get from something completely new or poorly restored.
What's it like working as a family business across generations?
I feel so lucky to get to work with my parents. Everything I've learned I've absorbed from them and their work over the years! My parents have decades of experience and an incredible instinct for these buildings because they've been doing this since 1980. I grew up around their way of looking at properties, so naturally a lot of my design sensibility came from them. But I've also developed my own voice. I probably push things a little further with certain design choices, and social media has also given me a really interesting window into what people respond to. We don't always agree immediately, which I actually think makes the end result better. Everything is truly a collaboration between the three of us.
What role does heritage architecture play in shaping LA's identity — and why does it matter to preserve it?
LA is constantly reinventing itself, which is part of what makes the city exciting, but I think we sometimes forget how young our architectural history really is. A building from the 1920s is only about 100 years old, and we're already losing so many of them to demolition. These buildings tell the story of what Los Angeles was becoming 100 years ago — the glamour, optimism, fantasy and different architectural influences that made the city so unique. If we replace all of that with the same new construction, we lose a piece of LA's identity. I think progress and preservation can exist together.
If a building could talk, which of your restored properties would have the most interesting stories to tell?
Probably Chateau Rossmore. There's something about that building that feels like it has seen a lot. You walk through it and can imagine all the different versions of Los Angeles that have existed around it and all the people who have called it home. All the entertainment gatherings and fabulous rooftop parties. It just has an energy to it you have to experience to understand.
What's your favourite hidden detail that most visitors walk straight past?
I love the details that were once completely ordinary but now feel incredibly special. Original doorbells, little wall niches, old hardware, phone niches, mail slots, tiny built-ins. They weren't necessarily designed to be showstoppers — they were just part of everyday life. Now, almost 100 years later, they're the things I notice immediately. I always think, if this has survived this long, who are we to rip it out?
Browse our cabinet hardware — built for spaces that take the long view.
Once an original detail is gone, it's gone. That's as true of 1930s doorbells as it is of the hardware you choose today.
Follow GLB Properties on Instagram at @glbproperties.
If Ivana's approach to finish and hardware has you thinking about your own choices, our finish guide is a good place to start. Or read our conversation with Amber Pierce Designs on the details that make a space worth remembering.
