DURABLE BEAUTY. When putting together an attractive space that s livable, it s all about combining sturdy materials with finer details. If you put your feet up on that table, it s not going to destroy the table. It is more casual, says Wendy Blackband of Blackband Design. Then you bring in these really beautiful fabrics, with the interesting legs of the ottomans and the nail-head detail, which is a little bit more tailored. It s a good combination of comfort and beauty. Everyday BY ELISE PORTALE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRET GUM STYLING BY JICKIE TORRES Staycation A Cape Cod vacation turns this California home into a traditional coastal space with relaxed, modern sensibilities.
STORAGE WITH STYLE. What is now a gorgeous focal point started off as a rough combination of ugly stonework and poor use of wall space. Wendy and Ashley strove to design a symmetrical space that was both useful and eye-catching. The center point between the kitchen and the family room was the built-in. Wendy says, We centered the fireplace, we cleaned up the arches and we created these closed shelves for games and open shelving above for family photos and pretty accents. OPPOSITE ANCHORS AWEIGH. The fourchair layout of the living room lends the space a type of formality and shape, but the strategic placement of a large piece can make or break a room. You have that large bookcase and cabinet piece at the end, Wendy explains. It centers the room, or gives it an anchor for the space, so it doesn t feel like it s just floating. From the buffalo-checked ottomans in the entry to the navy shibori curtains throughout the main living spaces, patterns introduce both color and texture into the space. How can you combine the relaxation of a vacation with the bustle of daily life? This was exactly the challenge presented to Blackband Design when the homeowners of a San Juan Capistrano, California, home were ready to renovate. They were really inspired by a vacation home they d visited and really wanted to give this new home that vacation-home vibe, explains project designer Ashley Porter. The original home had a very Tuscan look, and the décor hardly had the fresh feel of a vacation. The key for our clients in hiring us was our being able to take this very heavy, kind of drab interior Tuscan space and create more of a fun, light, bright, Cape Cod feel, explains Wendy Blackband, owner/designer of Blackband Design. june july 2018 49
PEEK-A-BOO. One of the most striking aspects of the dining room is how perfectly it frames the adjoining family room, a symmetry that took quite a bit of effort to achieve. So many of these places are being opened up, Wendy says. The space plan is very critical, especially for these kinds of spaces because they all flow together. But they re also separate areas, so there has to be some sort of grounding or foundation to the space. 50 cottages & bungalows cottagesandbungalowsmag.com june july 2018 51
OLD SCHOOL, UPDATED. With the homeowner steeped in traditional design roots, the designers at Blackband had to strike a balance between modern and traditional looks, and the dining room is the crowning achievement of their hard work. The table [is] classic and beautiful; its rich wood tone, balanced with the linen side chairs and the host chair with the nail heads and subtle pattern, feels really beautiful but still casual, Wendy says. A SOLID BASE. Those buffalo check ottomans looked so beautiful on that wood flooring, and that wood flooring really set the tone in the entry, Ashley muses. Blackband Design and the homeowners took their time choosing the flooring, leaving wood samples for days at a time to see how the wood would look in different types of light. Flooring is so expensive that you need to nail it, Wendy says. FIRST IMPRESSIONS A mix of pieces, trinkets and materials fills out each space, but the refined seaside look of this home all started very simply. Some people might start with an artwork; some with an accent piece of furniture. We really feel like a lot of our design is driven by fabrics, Wendy says. From the buffalo-checked ottomans in the entry to the navy shibori pattern on curtains throughout the main living spaces, patterns introduce both color and texture into the space. The coastal feel of this home is a subtle one, and while many of the furnishings and spaces present as very traditional, Ashley and Wendy used an elegant balance of mixed materials to craft an aesthetic that is refined yet thematic. Color, both imbued and natural, plays a huge role in setting the stage. We used a lot of navies, grays and light, neutral whites and linens, but we also mixed in some darker leather tones with different colors of wood and burlap, then splashed june july 2018 53
in some fresh teals and other kinds of accents and accessories, Ashley explains. It creates a nice, perfect blend that you can see throughout, and it still feels pretty simple but well put together. EBB & FLOW In each room of this West Coast Cape Cod home, balance can be felt in every choice. Traditional versus modern lines, natural versus manmade materials, sophistication versus comfort, beauty versus practicality each idea is given equal time and space to breathe, creating a home that is well designed and incredibly livable. The living room, a space both formal yet inviting, is the epitome of this balance. We really wanted to create a space where you could sit and chat and entertain but that also had a polished feel, Ashley explains. A well-thought-out balance achieved this sophisticated but casual room, which wasn t crammed with too much and complemented the beautiful views of the backyard. Chocolate leathers and burlap-backed chairs lend their natural textures to the crisp lines of the furnishings and the brightness of the space, while unique patterns break up the broad strokes. The adjoining dining room too is a satisfying balancing act of We wanted to create a space where you could sit and chat and entertain, but which also had a polished feel. COOK S PARADISE. The kitchen is well proportioned, the perfect space for both those cooking and those eating. We really wanted to maximize seating and get the largest island we could without infringing too much on the family room, Ashley says. 54 cottages & bungalows cottagesandbungalowsmag.com june july 2018 55
MODERN MARINE. You won t find any seashells in this crisp, clean kitchen. Rattan chairs and small blue touches give this thoroughly modern space a seaside aesthetic. The backsplash has a more modern contemporary pattern to it, so that gives you more a modern, structured line, Wendy explains. And the addition of the four counter stools gives it more of a coastal vibe. the traditional and the relaxed, every piece contributing to the larger goal of a harmonious aesthetic. We ve got that striped rug that feels a little bit more casual, and it s kind of a coastal staple with that large gray-cream stripe, Ashley says. They used a darker wood table, which feels more traditional, and they mixed it with more modern features. They combined different elements to have the room still feel casual but very polished and a bit formal. Bright walls and a dark, imposing dining table make for a dramatic contrast yet the look is softened by a gentle mid-tone found in the host chairs, a nice deviation from the cream linen upholstery of the side dining chairs. Choices like this turn what could have been a simple by-the-book coastal house into a well-appointed home. The dark wood table is kind of unexpected in that space, Wendy muses. You think about how people are designing everything with this lighter kind of wood. It would have been a whole different space if we had gone in there with just a reclaimed-wood table. I don t think it would have had as much pop and as much contrast. It makes it more interesting. ABOVE LEFT CENTER SPOTLIGHT. The choice to use different materials for the perimeter and island surfaces is a unique one, but it has a wonderful framing effect. The perimeter is a Caesarstone quartz, which is a sleek concrete, whereas the island is a more polished finish, Ashley says. The two of them combined create a beautiful aesthetic. ABOVE RIGHT PROBLEM SOLVED. A sliding barn door now separates the pantry from the rest of the kitchen, a unique element that brings in the wood tones from other areas of the home. But Ashley likes it for another reason: The other pantry door was a swing door, she explains. It intruded on the kitchen, so this really allows us the best of both worlds, aesthetically and functionally. EVERYDAY ELEGANCE The heart of a home requires not just beautiful features but elements of practicality. To create a space that delights is fairly simple. To have that space delight even after daily life s wear and tear is an entirely different matter. In the San Juan Capistrano home, those delightful spaces are the family room and kitchen, two rooms conjoined not just in location but in function. 56 cottages & bungalows cottagesandbungalowsmag.com june july 2018 57
AN ECLECTIC MIX. Despite being mostly neutral with the occasional pop of teal, the guest bedroom thrives on the depth of its patterns and textures. We re always mixing various fabrics that have different colors and different textures, Wendy says. Using knit and linen, for example, and then doing something that has embroidered brocade that just makes it kind of fun. Some people might start with an artwork; some with an accent piece of furniture. We really feel like a lot of our design is driven by fabrics. ABOVE LEFT OPPOSITES ATTRACT. The circular staircase of the entryway is easily echoed in the ottomans and round table, but Ashley and Wendy wanted to break up the roundness of the space. A rectangular console with symmetrical elements is a welcome change, but a round mirror ensures that the look is still cohesive. That mirror is such a classic, coastal look, Wendy says. You can put that over anything. It s one of those classic elements in design. ABOVE RIGHT TRIED AND TRUE. Some things just work, and for Wendy Blackband, color is one of those things. When living by the coast, you can never go wrong with white, navy or indigo, and mixing in these beautiful wood tones too, she says, it just feels good. The fabric for the sectional is a slipcover, but it s a nubby blended linen, so that piece alone sets the tone, Ashley says. It s inviting and family friendly... something you can use and sit on. Neutral colors thrive in this space, adding both depth and texture, but also forgiveness. Neutrals allow you to do that you can create these real beautiful spaces that are also very practical, Wendy explains. [The homeowner s] got kids coming in and out. As a mom, you still want your house to look great, but it has to be practical for kids and their friends. So the color of the sofa is very forgiving, but it is still very light and bright. Glistening in white, the adjoining kitchen is designed for everyday family life as well. A massive piece of gorgeous marble stands as the centerpiece, a result of planning for as much space as possible. We went back and forth a bit on the island size, really allowing for extra seating, and it ended up being just the right size, Ashley says. The island is a beautiful natural white marble that we hand collected after combing through several different slabs to find one that had the right character and veining. To keep the spotlight on the marble island, Ashley and Wendy opted for a different feel the semigloss concrete vibe of Caesarstone quartz for the perimeter countertops. They mixed in a Jeffrey Court marble mosaic backsplash that added a nice touch, really finishing things off in an elegant way, but also very livable and user friendly, Ashley says. And that s precisely the challenge of turning a vacation experience into everyday living. Where a vacation on Cape Cod is designed for luxuriating the days away, basking in tantalizing designs and postponing the mundane routines of daily life, the home must be a space that serves you and your family first and foremost. It all came together very perfectly, Ashley says. I feel that it turned out the way it was meant to. june july 2018 59