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santa monica 

Updating a newer Spanish Revival residence can be a bit tricky- do you ignore the Mediterranean feel and just go contemporary?

Our client purchased this Mediterranean home which has some great spaces and an interesting layout but the colors and finishes were in great need of a redo - the use of yellowish - cream beiges throughout in newer Mediterranean style construction is an all too common problem as builders and their in-house designers usually equate these safe and dated color schemes as translating into an “old world” look and they have been so overused that most people don’t even think there are any other options.

Our client was on a strict budget and we knew we had to be very judicious about how to best maximize our resources to help him get the look we wanted.

We immediately went for a fresh coat of a beautiful matte white paint inside the entire residence. We have said this so many times - but a new coat of paint in a carefully considered color can be the most dramatic and budget friendly thing you can do improve the look of your space. We also specified select areas of wood trim, the beautiful 3 story stair bannister and treads and the kitchen island to be painted in a classic black color- this step alone was transformative and the entire space felt like a new house! We also repainted all the kitchen cabinets and changed the hardware which succeeded in making the kitchen feel very updated.

 

Finally, the client has been collecting original art and rugs for years along with some great antique furniture pieces - he just need someone to come and make sense of it all. The home has some large walls yet the vast majority of this art collection is small scale - so we put a lot of thought into creative grouping and installation – the long line behind the dining table and the grouping of bold contemporary in predominantly white hues in the living room are particularly successful. Lastly - the fireplace in the living room had a surround of half columns and a busy transitional mantel that really shouted “faux-Mediterranean!”. We found beautiful hexagonal cement tiles in a dull black finish which we had installed- no mantel- and now the owner loves the very clean look which is up to date but not too modern. He was so really excited with the end results of the entire home.      

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