BRAVE NEW WORLD

Modern farmhouse style mixes with Old World charm to make this California house a dream home.

Modern farmhouse style mixes with Old World charm to make this California house a dream home.

“Honestly, the fireplace crafted the thread that runs throughout

the house.”

How do you combine your home’s location and architecture to create your dream style? Inside California’s Pacific Palisades community, near enough to the ocean that the shoreline is visible, a house sat awash in seemingly incompatible styles. Tasked with untangling the home’s thematic threads of Spanish influences and coastal vibes, designer Joyce Downing Pickens of JDP Interiors made the most of the home for a subtle, yet noteworthy, farmhouse style.

TERRA-COTTA TOUCHES

The terra-cotta fireplace, in a stunning earthenware shade, is hard to miss. So instead of concealing it, Joyce opted to celebrate the piece’s Old World charm. “I just went for it,” she says. She wove threads of terra-cotta touches from room to room, starting with the kitchen. “There we used a terra-cotta tile. It has this beautiful blue pattern with terra-cotta edging,” she says. “Honestly, that piece crafted the thread that runs throughout the house. That tile was our pièce de résistance.”

THE LIFE AQUATIC

Next, she imbued the spaces with a seaside elegance. “The homeowner cooks a lot, so we wanted a more durable countertop and chose neolith, a cross between marble and quartz. The veining is golden, which the homeowner likes because it resembles sand ripples in the ocean.”

The recurring threads of color make the home’s mix of styles possible. Joyce took the blank white walls and peppered in sky blue, black, terra-cotta shades and seafoam green.

The family room, for example, features seafoam in the curtains and wall art.

“You want designs to talk to each other, but you don’t want it to feel too matchy matchy,” says Joyce.

“By bringing in the strands of color, we were able to bring some consistency that wasn’t there before.” Black hardware offsets the white spaces, while the curtains, rugs and other accents have a woven look.

COUNTRY CHARM

Lovely allusions to farmhouse style cement the home’s countryside appeal. Grain sifters upcycled as mirrors hang near the terra-cotta fireplace and offer bucolic notes, as do the tea-stained prints in the dining room, completed by a white oak farmhouse-inspired table. “What I love about the farmhouse look is its collected items with wear to them,” says Joyce. This home pairs collected items for a refreshing finished look.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY BARTLAM Vintage grain sifters upcycled to work as wall mirrors furnish the formal living room with an air of Old World eclecticism.

Wanting to highlight the terra-cotta fireplace’s Old World charm, designer Joyce Downing Pickens decided to bring in unique pieces, from the antique Turkish rug to the faux olive tree. “I wanted to have a collected look inspired by things you might find in Europe. I wanted the space to feel very Old World.”

(this page) This farmhouse-inspired dining table was custom made to fit the family of three grown sons and their future families. “We bleached the white-oak table to have a lighter color and used a clear matte finish,” Joyce says. The result is a table with beautiful distressing and flair, the perfect piece of farmhouse furniture.

(opposite, left) Originally devoted to bookshelves, this side of the family room was converted into a bar. “The homeowners have three boys still living in the area, so they do a lot of family gatherings, making the bar perfect for entertaining their grown children.” Added brass shelf rails and waterworks backsplash tile made the space seem “fancier while still feeling relaxed.”

From the cabinetry to the countertops, everything in the kitchen is new. The backsplash tile has a subtle blue tint and terra-cotta edging to better fit the strands of terra-cotta elsewhere in the home. Composed of a new material called neolith, the countertops have veining that looks like sand ripples on the seashore.

(above, left) Little surprises are sometimes found in the details of the items Joyce chooses. This piece in the home’s entryway has woven elements as part of the lower shelf and the lamp’s wrapping. “For me, it’s always good to add a woven piece to bring in that collected feel,” Joyce says. (left) Because powder rooms are smaller, Joyce likes to play with patterns in them. The wallpaper in this guest powder room is made from printed grasscloth paper.

Countryside charm finds its way into every inch of the house. The family room’s coffee table is made by Dos Gallos. “This brand collects reclaimed woods that they find all around the world and then add legs,” Joyce says. Bringing in wood accents adds warmth to the white rooms.