Photography by Amy Bartlam
Our 10th Street Project has a wonderful living space in the back of the house that is open to the kitchen and a light-filled breakfast nook. While the front rooms a little more formal, this space is where all the day-to-day living happens. Since the home is not our clients' primary residence, rather it's used to gather with their adult children and extended family and friends, so we wanted to take the formality of the traditional house down a few notches to create a comfortable space to gather. This room opens out onto a covered patio, and the rest of the yard is ideal for parties with plenty of seating and space for a crowd.
See more of this house: Entry, Front Room + Dining Room
The Kitchen
The kitchen was in great shape but badly needed some personality when we got our hands on it. It is very traditional with inset cabinetry in a creamy white color with polished nickel hardware and marble counters. It's very pretty, but felt a little formal for the elevated, but casual, vacation home vibe we were going for. We changed out the lighting to add some color that would flow with the adjacent family room and breakfast nook. We added window treatments to soften all the cabinets on the wall and to add more subtle color to the space. To add some texture, we accessorized with wood cutting boards and ceramics.
The Breakfast Nook
Possibly one of my favorite little nooks in this house, this space is made for everyday eating, but has a little drama thanks to the full drapery and dark colors. The breakfast nook is separated from the all-white kitchen but just a peninsula, so we needed the dark shades of the table, chairs, and rug. Typically we select a table and chair combination that contracts with each other, but the depth of color here really works. Under the table, we placed a striped rug in shades of blues and grays for color, and used a chandelier from the same line as the lights over the island for continuity.
The Family Room
This space was a little tricky to furnish because the fireplace is one of the giant focal points of the open room, but it's only a few feet from the sliding glass doors that fold all the way into the wall and lead out to the well-used outdoor living space. We wanted it to seat a crowd and still be comfortable in its own right, but not block the flow to the outdoors. We made a custom sofa that fits perfectly along the only full wall, and doesn't extend too far toward the exterior doors.
A sectional can feel really casual, and this one needed to work well with the nearby really traditional kitchen, and also relate to the front room and dining room. We did that by carrying the color palette into those rooms and by repeating the linen roman shades. We redid the cushions on the cute built-in window seats, and had a custom foot rest made that feels more elevated than your regular ottoman. I love the curve detail for added comfort when putting your feet up!
The cute spindle chair is a favorite from LA shop Nickey Keyhoe that we recovered it in a subtle, but fun, patterned fabric. The coffee table is a beautiful distressed wood with subtle details that help make this space feel special, but also cozy enough for everyday hanging out. The vintage rug brings in subtle color to go with our clients' original art work. This collection is from the same artist, and we hung the frames in sort of an off beat way to add a unique design to the wall space.
The Backyard
Outdoors is a total dream space! The upper patio is basically an extension of the indoor living space, so we chose furnishings accordingly. They are very substantial and a little more formal and traditional so it has a timeless feel. We added color with the chair cushions and texture with the cute pendants, which have a rope detail.
The lower patio is great for dining (since the built in BBQ is right there), and for space reasons, we used a smaller table. However the built-in benches on either side of the home add in more places for people to sit, relax, or lay out. We paired playful rope chairs with a more traditional wood table, and I love how the planks on the table top are defined more than is typical.
These spaces represent what is great about California living! It's refined, but livable. Elevated but comfortable. We'll be revealing the rest of the home in the coming weeks, but if this style resonates with you, please get in touch by filling out our inquiry form!
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