Artful Living

Elegant, thoughtful spaces with attention to beauty and executed with real use in mind make for homes that are both lived in and loved.

Posted on February 1, 2019

California Luxury The beauty is in the details. Susan Spath’s passion is designing homes that capture the essence of the California luxury lifestyle. For this Rancho Santa Fe Covenant estate, Spath designed custom Habersham cabinets accented with exposed hardware to form the heart of the kitchen. Calacatta marble slabs adorn the countertops and walls, while glimmering functional art such as the Baccarat work lights and Baccarat tabletop lidded jars offer truly livable luxury.

The master bath is a dazzling retreat complete with a cascading Schonbek crystal chandelier, herringbone flooring design using Asian Statuary and Thasos marble tiles, a slipper tub, motorized Conrad shade, a Sylvie chair with Tibetan lamb fur, and a clover-shaped ottoman by Windsor Smith for Century Furniture.

The powder bath is a dramatic vision for guests, with a cabinet by Habersham, lighting by Corbet, a La Barge mirror, beaded wallpaper, and chevron mosaic wainscoting. A guest bath also features a La Barge mirror, sconces by Visual Comfort, Habersham cabinetry, and accessories by Michael Aram and John Richards. kerncodesigns.com

Cape Cod Transitional Together with architect Tim Wilson, AIA and Thomas Taylor Construction, Lance Stratton of Studio Stratton designed this oceanview kitchen with flexibility in mind. To free up the walls for large windows facing the grand vistas of the Pacific Ocean from this La Jolla home, Stratton incorporates tall dish storage cabinetry by Plato Woodwork Inc. with beautiful cremone bolt accents. The island is a usable work surface that also offers view-facing seating. Additional seating is provided via the nested breakfast table toward the interior of the space. A built-in desk and dry bar area round out this very productive kitchen. studiostratton.com

Modern Hacienda Interior designers Maria Barry and Jeanne Sagona of Le Dimora recently completed this stunning remodel of a Tuscan estate deep in the hills of Rancho Santa Fe. Transforming the house from Old World to Modern Hacienda with the help of homebuilder JJ Mullen involved stripping everything inside the house to the bare bones. Barry’s love of Santa Barbara architecture inspired her to lighten up all the interior and exterior walls with a soft white and dark trim for contrast. Inside, new wide plank grey-washed hardwood floors from Littrell Flooring breathe new life into this once dark and iron-laden estate. The kitchen is now clean and crisp, with sparkling quartzite countertops, new appliances, and custom cabinetry. Viking Wine Cellars installed a new walk-in wine refrigerator made entirely of glass and steel next to the redesigned bar inside the game room ready to offer refreshments after some avid game time. ledimora.com

Glam Nouveau Audra Siao and Stephanie Hamilton of Design Theory Studio transformed the master bathroom in a La Jolla home by freshening up all the materials and redesigning the space to offer amazing views of Mission Bay and the coastline. The new layout allows for a much larger shower and more functional counter space with double sinks. A freestanding tub in front of the windows opens up the room and adds visual interest. At the end of the tub, a built-in custom linen cabinet offers additional storage, as well as a slim, modern TV for direct viewing from the tub. To satisfy their client’s love of delicate patterns and glitz, the design duo features made-to-order flooring with a perfectly scaled marble stone mosaic pattern, creating a dynamic impact in the room. On one wall, a combination of hand-cut white marble mixed with white gold glass perfectly complements the patterned flooring. A custom-scaled ribbed cabinet door design is finished in a grey high-gloss lacquer to ground the room as well as add some shine. designtheorystudio.com