`GOOD BONES' GIVE AGING A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.

Byline: Marilee Reyes Staff Writer

Now this is a livable kitchen.

One of the five homes on this weekend's ASID Kitchens and Interiors Tour is a charming English Tudor in Pasadena's Arroyo Seco area. This is an example of an older home with all the right ingredients - sometimes called ``good bones'' - that designer Ann Fletcher turned into a useful, roomy and comfortable, beautiful cooking and entertainment experience.

The redesigned portion of the house, previously what owners David and Laurie Turner described as ``a rabbit warren of rooms,'' now has an open and welcoming great-room feeling.

Built in the historic South Arroyo in 1926, the house was designed by the Cheesewright studios. In its more than 70 years, it had never undergone any architectural changes. It is in an ideal location, situated on a south-facing curve in the winding ravine, and it gets the benefit of cheerful morning sunshine and cooling afternoon breezes that waft through the shady glen.

``In the morning, we have this wonderful sunlight on the east side that we can now enjoy, and we can open the windows in the kitchen and the French doors in the family room and get a wonderful cross breeze,'' said Laurie Turner.

This is the result of Fletcher playing to the house's strengths in this remodeling. But the job was not without challenges.

``Almost all of the walls are supporting walls, so we had to work around that,'' said Fletcher.

Additionally, the house has a historical designation, so no extreme changes were allowed on the side of the house facing the street. The Turners thought about replacing the original windows, but left them intact. The result is that they add to the architectural charm of the home.

The Turners are the owners of Elements Furniture store in Studio City and Solana Beach. Elements, founded by David Turner in 1993, specializes in original pieces.

They had strong ideas about what they wanted, said Fletcher, who added that it's easier to decorate or design a house when the owners know what they want.

``We worked as a team, all on the same page,'' she said. ``That's how I like it.

``There were many architectural accents that they wanted to keep, such as the arch design that's repeated through the house,'' Fletcher said.

Other original aspects that appear in the house have been re-created in the redesigned areas, including corbels that support the new mantle over the family room fireplace, molding around the ceilings, bead board detailing that was picked up from the butler's pantry and some glass-front cupboard doors.

``We wanted the remodel to look like it was original to the house,'' said David Turner. ``The kitchen looks like it has always been here.

The original butler's pantry has been retained, with the bead board walls repeated in the back of the kitchen book and bric-a-brac shelves that flank the butcher-block island and serving counter. The mahogany- stained counter tops in the butler's pantry are also repeated in the kitchen, as are glass door fronts on several cabinets.

The back splash above the sink counter is of white brick tile. An apron sink and an old-fashioned wall-mounted faucet add to the vintage look. A pair of bas-relief roosters perch above the stainless steel Thermador stove.

After the walls that had divided the area into a hallway and maid's room were removed, Fletcher created a large family room/dining area with a wall of French doors that open onto the patio.

``We live here,'' said Laurie Turner.

The rest of the first floor of the home will also be open on the tour, and visitors will be able to see details that were part of the main section of the house carried over in the remodel. The entry hall is paneled in a painted mahogany wood. There is dark hardwood flooring throughout the house, and many of the furnishings include antique furniture and items from the Turners' store.

The dining room table is one beloved French country antique that has given the Turners great enjoyment. The table dates to the 18th century, and has seven 22-inch leaves.

``We think that every time they had a child, they added another leaf,'' Laurie Turner said with a laugh.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Turners' dining room table, a French country antique, dates to the 18th century and has seven 22-inch leaves.

(2 -- color) Designer Ann Fletcher stands in the kitchen of David and Laurie Turner's home in Pasadena. The remodeling preserved many of the original features, such as the windows. An overhead light provides the proper illumination.

(3) David and Laurie Turner with their dog, Max, relax in their Pasadena home, one of five houses on this weekend's ASID Kitchen and Interiors Tour.Bernardo Alps/Staff Photographer

(4) An apron sink and an old-fashioned wall-mounted faucet add to the kitchen's vintage look.