Artist's spirit takes wing at the Brecht house in Santa Monica

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"I felt a creative spirit the first time I walked in this house," says Rina Welles of the 1921 Santa Monica house that was once home to renowned German playwright Bertolt Brecht. "I liked the energy."

The foursquare house was where Brecht penned "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" and other plays during the 1940s. Today the house is one component in a multigenerational family compound for Welles, husband David Golubchik, her mother, Joanna, and their children, Leah, 10, and Alek, 6.

The home, which has been renovated and complemented by a new addition by Dub Studios, also stands as a success story for preserving cultural landmarks in fresh and inviting ways.