This home sits in a picturesque, established part of Southern California. It belongs to a young couple who were putting down roots in their childhood neighbourhood – a homecoming of sorts. The house had great bones and was in good shape structurally, but they wanted to imbue the large space with warmth and charm and they needed help to achieve their dreams.
California-based interior designer Lindye Galloway was perfectly placed, literally and aesthetically, to take on the challenge, which entailed a full renovation – inside and out – of the sprawling building. ‘We focused on finding a new flow for the home, with a few key changes,’ she explains. ‘Once we honed in on the indoor/outdoor connection that is so integral to California living, the design really started to take shape from there.’
The home has a few different interior ceiling heights that at first glance were an eyesore when transitioning from room to room. Lindye immediately decided that since they couldn’t change all of them, they should embrace the opportunity to design something unique.
‘For example, the formal living room has tall ceilings complemented by stunning arch doors,’ she explains, adding, ‘in the family room where the ceiling was lower, we worked to give it a cosy vibe that allowed the ceiling height to feel intentional and almost European, with reclaimed wood beams spanning the length of the room.’
Lindye leaned into the existing Spanish Modern architecture by bringing in more traditional elements, such as the stone slab fireplace, dark wood tones in the custom millwork, ceiling beams, parquet flooring in the bathroom and warm brass finishes. This timeless backdrop is lifted by a softly tonal palette of soft furnishings that feels fresh and modern.
‘They wanted the home to feel light, but full of depth and character,’ Lindye says. ‘We achieved this by keeping the layout open and spacious, but still adding a lot of unique design details throughout.’
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While the palette was grounded in neutrals and natural materials, she wanted to build in a lot of character, so introduced tile with subtle patterns, marble with heavy veining and reclaimed materials like the timber beams that span the ceiling in the kitchen and family room.
The couple wanted a home that worked well for varied types of entertaining, which led Lindye and her team to design a dining room separate from the main living space and a standalone bar/wine room. For Lindye, the fact that her clients trusted her vision and gave her so much creative freedom made this a particularly exciting and rewarding project for her.
Her favourite space is the formal living room, with its doors opening onto the gardens. ‘The custom marble fireplace and high ceilings lend an air of drama, but the furnishings and textiles ground the space so it’s still comfortable and cosy.’ lindyegalloway.com; @lindyegalloway
