San Diego Canyon Home

Epitome of California casual style

When a prospective client reaches out to you and says – I just bought a house in a beautiful canyon on the west coast and need help getting it into ship-shape – you don’t ask too many questions!!

Embracing the sunlight, noting a little Southwest flair, providing space for his unique art collection.

For starters, we knew this project was going to require a lot of careful decisions and material selections that were transitional, but that would bring an updated balance to the client’s “collected” belongings. Working with some existing furniture but bringing in a lot of new elements to really develop the layered feel. (Lighting was a particularly fun way to reinvent the style of these spaces and bring them up to date!)

The kitchen was a feat of brilliance working with a contractor and cabinet maker by phone and email to get all the finishing touches just perfect.

Talk about intensive plan review!!! Those dark Silestone countertops were the perfect little wow to bring something special to the fresh white cabinetry. We added in a little Mission-style touch with dark wooden beams and an arched kitchen entry – cozying up the ceiling height and helping define the kitchen and dining areas. Over in the breakfast area the large windows and doors let light flow across the space which adds so much of it’s own vibrance (but which must always be featured with the right frame…) And of course the rich, wide plank wooden floors begged for feature of a vintage Turkish runner (or two!) which add that curated, traveled tone to the overall.

Timeless West Coast design

What happens when friends want to come over and hang out, though? Where to put them! Prime for entertaining, the den of this home now features comfortably worn, soft leather furniture and a well-used pool table in simple functional arrangements. Lighting helps accent and ground this area as its own feature. (Scale and materials so important here in how to find balance with typically “heavier” feeling, rich colors. The vaulted ceiling accented with more wooden beams – and more large windows maximize natural lighting and invite the outdoors in. (Because even if you aren’t outside, enjoying the sunshine and 70-degree weather 99% of the year is what California living is all about.) Combine with a corner wood-burning fireplace, which was a true clean up project when it came to simplifying lines, materials and scale. This large space feels very cozy and intimate, don’t you think?!

The bottom line – you never want a home like this to feel styled or staged. And so each selection was carefully reviewed and edited to be sure it felt “him”. Feeling lived-in but fresh; detailed but comfortable. Unexpected and a total environmental “fit” in every nook and cranny.

Curious about our design services for your home? We can assist you – find out more here.