A WOODLAND TABLE
Dense forest surrounds the home, so an outdoor dining area was an absolute must. Lidia kept the area neutral but still incorporated pops of blue with throw pillows and checkered blankets. The focal point of the patio is a table and chairs set, which, like the dining room drapes, the homeowners brought from their previous residence. “The set works well because it is beautiful and durable,” Lidia says. She styled the table with an earthy explosion of autumnal foliage, including pumpkins, pinecones and leaves. “I decided to load the table with fall décor instead of going with the traditional centerpiece idea,” she says. The natural tablescape and the organic feel of the table and chairs set tie in with the stunning woodland views.
With her use of moody blue to breathe life into a neutral color scheme, Lidia created interiors that are serene and engaging. It’s a peaceful backdrop for the busy Heusen family, and it’s full of style and function.
Some people dream of living in
a sunny beach cottage, while others imagine life in a rustic mountain cabin.
But for the best of both worlds, it’s hard to beat living lakeside in a rural cottage nestled in California’s Santa Monica mountains. Whitney Allen and her husband, Gerrit, are longtime residents of this picturesque, dreamy enclave.
“We saw a few homes in the area and were driving to another,” Whitney says. “When I saw this one, I pointed to its wood siding and green trim, and said, ‘Why isn’t a house like THAT for sale?’ My realtor looked at her list and said, ‘It is!’” And shortly thereafter, the couple
moved into the circa-1922 cottage with their three dogs and two cats.
But they soon realized there was another occupant living there that they hadn’t bargained for. “We are pretty sure there was a ghost here when we bought it,” Whitney says. “There were missing shoes and doors locked with an interior key, which I never used. There was the sound and smell of coffee being made in the kitchen. It wasn’t scary, but crowded. I had a ghost whisperer come and talk him into moving on.”
The next call Whitney made was to interior designer Shannon Ggem, of Ggem Design Co., so she could redesign the rooms to the couple’s tastes. Whitney knew Shannon was the right person for the job since she lived in the same community and understood the importance of keeping the authenticity and integrity of the old houses there. Shannon redesigned the five-bedroom/two-bath cottage’s kitchen, breakfast nook, living room and downstairs den.
“Whitney wanted it to have light because it was dark, especially to add more light to the kitchen space,” Shannon says. “It had to be pet-friendly because Whitney is a true animal lover. She wanted a turquoise feeling and requested a Haint Blue porch ceiling. In the South, that color is believed to keep evil spirits away—and besides that, she loved the look.”
KITCHEN RECIPE
The kitchen space was originally a porch. These cottages didn’t have kitchens when they were built because they were originally built as vacation homes, and there was an enormous clubhouse with a chef in the recreational community, Shannon explains. “The clubhouse is still there, 96 years later, doing the same thing. This has stayed a quaint, Andy Griffith-style community—no movie theater, no restaurant, no school, no nail salon. Name a thing, and we don’t have it,” she says jokingly.
The kitchen required extensive remodeling to achieve the desired effect of creating a good flow into the rest of the house. “They love the way the galley kitchen operates because Gerrit likes to cook and everything is in arm’s reach,” Shannon says.
She took out the ceiling, exposed the roofline, added beams and beadboard, placed a transom window with black casing above the entry door and a window over the open shelves. “We were counterintuitive when it came to storage because we removed cabinets and replaced them with open shelves,” Shannon says.
Whitney is delighted with the way the kitchen turned out. “Since the only entry is through the kitchen and it is impossible to move its location due to zoning [regulations], that room really needed to be welcoming—and it finally is,” she says.
Whitney wanted a haint-blue porch ceiling. In the South, that color is
keep evil spirits believed to
away,
and she loved the look.
DYNAMIC TRANQUILITY
Shannon kept the concept of “dynamic tranquility” in mind as she worked through the rooms. “It’s a big, relaxed mix, with very intentional focal moments that allow the eye to be pulled to long views and the magnificent view of the lake and mountain,” she says. “Nothing is formal here; even precious inherited pieces are mixed seamlessly with fun and meaningful elements in the couple’s life’s collection.”
Shannon was “thrilled” with Whitney’s taste, which included soft colors and beautiful collections. “There was a lot to work with,” she says. The result was a collected-over-time look. Some of the designer’s favorite aspects of the project are the brass sconces in the living room (an unexpected avant-garde item) and two different turquoise colors in the kitchen.
Shannon displayed items that were special to Whitney: treasures from trips to Mexico, antique pickle jars, a vintage stove—even a plastic cow. And she made a point of filling the cottage with Whitney’s personality. “She’s gregarious, full of life and joyful, and the color tells that story,” Shannon says. “Her house is an expression of how bubbly and delightful she is.” A swing bed in one of the rooms reflects her lighthearted joie de vivre.
Whitney says her home is a dream come true. “It doesn’t matter if I have been gone half a day or a month, I am always thankful and thrilled to get back to my little dream cottage,” she says. When she thinks back to her first encounter with it, she feels serendipity was at work. “The house had been for sale and fell out of escrow more than once, and I was warned that it probably would never sell,” Whitney recalls. “But here we are, 22 years later. It was really meant to be.”
“This has stayed a quaint, Andy Griffith-style community—no movie theater, no restaurant, no
school, no nail salon. Name a thing, and
we don’t have it
.”