California Dreaming
An architect and his frequent interior design collaborator craft a dream home for a family in Newport Beach
An architect and his frequent interior design collaborator craft a dream home for a family in Newport Beach
Cement tile is a nod to old-world European materials (think Portugal’s plentiful patterned tile), while lighting is industrial and contemporary. An almost-black stain on kitchen cabinetry adds depth and contrast. Cambria designs shown: WHITEHALL™, CARRICK™
Newport Beach, California, is all about sun, sand, surf...and glamour. But for a young family looking to upsize their home, architect Eric Olsen and interior designer Raili Clasen swapped beachy clichés and showy McMansions for a farmhouse aesthetic infused with laidback SoCal cool.
The property’s existing house was awkwardly sited, so Olsen opted to tear it down, instating a five-bedroom home, guest casita, and pool house. “It’s all about indoor-outdoor living in this part of the country,” says Olsen, so he located the three white-brick and cedar buildings around the perimeter of the lot, devoting the spacious middle to a lap pool, lawn, and trellised patio.
The trellised patio is more of an outdoor living room than anything else, with cozy lounge seating, a glossy zellige tile fireplace, and wide wood floorboards. Anchoring one wall is a large pop art heart canvas, spray-painted white on black. (It was a serendipitous find by Clasen, who loved it so much she ordered one for herself, a yellow version that now resides in her office.)
Clasen is a pro at conjuring a relaxed Cali vibe, having worked for surfing brand Roxy before diving into the world of design, first with Alice Supply Co., a line of swoon-worthy household cleaning supplies (cute brooms and the like) before opening her own interiors studio. The clients had complete faith in her and Olsen: “They really let us push them out of their comfort zone,” she says. “It was the best experience we could have had.”
To ensure a completely fresh slate, no furniture from the family’s former home was reused. Instead, Clasen combined items from big box retailers with custom pieces of her design. Cambria stone was a natural choice for countertops in high-use areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms. “We needed something beautiful and hardy and it fit the bill!” Clasen explains.