Name: Stefanie (plus 2)
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Size: 3 Bedroom
Years lived in: Almost 3 years
Having moved from Germany 3 years ago to Santa Monica with her husband, Stefanie already had some great antiques in her collection. They shipped them all stateside and have slowly been blending incredibly classic pieces with beautifully modern ones. The result? A house we're crushing on and a list of resources and inspiration that leaves us breathless.
We're always looking for more candidates for house tours. If you or someone you know is interested in inviting us for a tour, please email us!
When Stefanie first contacted us about doing a photo tour of her place, she let us know what design challenges she was working with:
"We are renting (need to deal with many ugly details), we have a 2 year-old daughter (nothing that can break-get-dirty-too-sharp-too-white-too-pricey), a taste that keeps changing (we need to mix our older-style furniture with my newly acquired obsession for modern pieces) and we are on a strict budget". We thought that might be something that a lot of people would be able to relate to. Did we mention the place is stunning?
Inspiration for our home: Everything: retail stores, designer blogs, many many magazines (my favorite one: Living Etc from the UK, fashion (for color choices), our young daughter (who pushes me to be well organized, to edit, to keep things simple and unbreakable…), the house itself (the fact that we are renting and can mostly play with furniture and accessories) etc
Our Style: Our style is created by compromises: It’s a mix of old furniture that has sentimental value with our love for modern pieces. You could call it: Happy Classy. We really make every decision based on whether it makes us happy and if we’ll want to look at it for many years to come! I laugh when I see the disco balls’ reflection dancing all over the living room in the morning, I smile when I look at our Jonathan Adler’s horse and giraffe, I’m happy when I look at our arts on the wall, I love the touch of my Japanese stone coffee mug in the morning (from Tortoise... I could go on like this forever…
Favorite Room: Our living room/dining room. It’s an open space with great views, beautiful lights and it’s so comfortable.
Most Talked About Element: People talk about our artwork. We love the Lumas Gallery for affordable photography. We have a couple of pieces (such as our Bansky graffiti and the Loretta Lux’s photo in our daughter’s bedroom) which we just scanned and printed on canvass.
Most Embarrassing Element: Our laundry room, this room is completely and utterly chaotic. We lost control. It would give Martha Steward a heart attack. The last time I found the courage to attack it was two hours before going into labor (blame it on the hormones). I didn’t touch it since then.
Proudest DIY: I’m a proud believer of the ‘white therapy’…I love to just paint most of my furniture in white. It is so rewarding and I feel much better after. Most of everything that is white wasn’t bought that way…but lately I’ve started the black therapy as well (see dining table) and it
is very gratifying as well.
Dream Source: Who doesn’t want to move in a Design Within Reach store? Or even better Moss and Twentieth.
Reality Source: I look at everything. Some of my favorite stores and online shops are:
plastica
OK
modern child
2modern
wandrlust
I’m also planning the opening of an LA store that would offer products from young European designers so I’m always on the lookout for new products. I love those websites:
Designaddict.com, Droogdesign.nl, Designspotter.com, Thorstenvanelten.com, Thecoolhunter.net, Shop.cubeseven.de
Best Advice: Take your time, this is your nest, you can’t buy everything at once; invest in small details that make you smile; if you are allowed, give each room a fabulous color scheme, visit as many flea markets as you can!
Found Treasure: We found a wonderful lamp that someone had thrown in the trash…the street can be such a great resource!
Had forever: Our kitchen armoire belonged to my husband’s mother and our dining table was my parents’ first table. It is from Ikea. It was originally a dark wood but I painted it red, white and now black and it followed me everywhere: from Montreal to New York to Los Angeles to Munich to Cologne and back to Los Angeles…
Just got: We just custom made our coffee table at room service and we love how it turned out.
Wow i think it looks great. I usually don't like the all white look but yours looks stunning with the hardwood and natural light. beautiful and great vintage furniture pieces
view SydneyBristow's profile
This house is very well-designed. I really like the mannequin in the bedroom (that I would use to put together an outfit for the next day). The gilded-framed chalkboard in the kitchen is a must-have; Where can I get one?!
view Herringbone's profile
Lovely home!
one thing tho, MAKE YOUR BED!
very distracting.
view elizabet's profile
Grr-reat use of vintage/antique & modern. Now I'm sad because the Alameda Antique Fair bombed this month and I need my fix!
view sanriofreak's profile
You really have done a great job integrating the vintage and modern furniture. And your art is great.
view small clever rooms's profile
love the clocks on LA time and Berlin time...i should have a clock set to my home time...
view my little apartment's profile
I absolutely love your coffee table- it is exactly what I am looking for....has anyone seen one like this anywhere?
view Jess2nola's profile
Thank you so much for your comments! And sorry about the 'bed distraction'...Herringbone: We bought the chalkboard in Belgium but you could buy an old gold frame at any flea markets and just paint the inside with chalk paint. Jenn2nola: We just had the table made at http://www.roomservicestore.com/. Just ask for Liberty, she knows exactly what I ordered and you can give her the measurements youâd like and choose the top. I have Dark Maple.
view stefanie's profile
I love the family pictures hung in the hallway! Especially the use of different types of frames rather than sticking to basic black with white mats.
view farleece's profile
This place is totally uber-awesome.
view ina_Cambridge's profile
Love your place! Can I move in?
Can I ask where you got the bedroom lamps and the green living room lamps? Do you remember if the white bedroom lamps came with the shades? I have been looking for some shades like that, but am not sure what they are called.
Thanks for showing us your lovely home.
view libbyt's profile
Absolutely beautiful!
And I disagree with elizabet about the bed because it looks real, lived in and comfy. (Our bed looks quite similar so maybe that is why I like the way it looks...)
One question: How do you keep all of your white furniture clean with a child? We have a 16 month old and I can't imagine all of that white, as much as I'd like to do it!
To answer libbyt's question above, the two bedside table lamps (the white ones) look a lot like Jonathan Adler.
view Katie K's profile
Hi there! Here some answers to your questions: The white bedroom lamps come from West Elm but we bought them a year ago. You can get some similar shades at a NY store call Just Shades www.justshadesny.com . We bought the black shade in the living room and they ship everywhere. The green lamp come from a small and wonderful store in Palm Springs. We paid $175 for both. I forgot their name but I am going back soon and can post the information. And as for the white furniture vs child, the sofas are cover up and easy to wash and the white paint is glossy and easy to wipe! Thanks for the comments!
view stefanie's profile
Where on earth did you get your couch? I love it; looks so comfy and inviting.
I love your place. It looks lived in, well put together, and welcoming, but uncluttered. Nice!!!
view Melissa82's profile
Same with Katie.
I don't know how you keep them all clean and tidy.
Books on the chair with a candle (in a glass jar) on top is a hazard in my house...I am jealous.LOL
I never thought that Shabby Chic can get alog with Modern so well. I like both styles but I thought I always have to pick either one.
You did it with the right amount of accesories...not too much, but not too little. Every little corner of your house is accesorized with rustic elements while there are some modern pieces here and there.
Very pleasure to look at.
I can't wait to go to the flea market(it's -2F outside in Chicago).
Would you consider consulting my house??
Thank you for the great inspiration!
view tomomo's profile
Hello,
Great job on your place and encouraging for a soon to be mom to know that style and comfort don't have to be thrown out. I would also love to know where you got your slip covered sofa and are you able to wash the cover in your own washing machine or does it have to go in a deluxe sized washer?
Thank you!
view Halle 's profile
Gorgeous. I think your bed looks fine as it is!
One question - where are the pillows on the guest bed from?
Thanks!
view luz's profile
This is by far my favorite AT house tour, ever. Well done!
view Eve in Hochelaga's profile
Thanks again for your encouraging words! To answer some of your above questions:
1. I bought the slipcover sofas at Sofa U Love http://www.sofaulove.com/. And yes, I wash them in my old regular washing machine, but not all pieces at once.
2. The guest bed pillows were bought at WestElm but I found a lot of my pillows on ebay. Here is one of my favorites ebay sellers: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZorangedothome
3. Yes, I'd be happy to consult your house!
view stefanie's profile
Your home is lovely, it has a light touch, not like a design showcase. I am just dying to swing your dining room table around so that the art is at the head of the table and move the chair to the opening to define the border of the dining room and not distract from the art. How much time does anyone really spend in a diningroom. We probably spend more time looking at it while we walk through it or by it, than actually enjoying a meal in it.
view emmajay's profile
Hi
Great place.
The nursery is really sweet.
With all the talent you have, why the odd combo of art above the sofa?
I think you could do better.
Re; the outdoor space.
nice 'courtyard'.
Get rid of the lattice.
Would you invest in stone pavers for the ground?
(the exposed aggregate 16 inch square ones.)
Get containers, think repetition, all-season plantings (bamboo, windmill palms, those grasses) easy maintenance.
Varied groupings using a consistent color (black) in various sizes of containers.
Edit the furniture, paint the pieces you will keep.
color scheme?
get rid of what you seldom use?
eg: outdoor dining? really?
Dim lighting pointing from the house wall outward to the container shrubs along the wall.
think how you really use the space.
a valuable, overlooked room.
Cheers.
view paulmuscat's profile
LOVE that coffee table. Where is it from?
view BrooklynMe's profile
I love your blending of old and new. Just for the record, that living room is my all-time favorite on this site.
view Marie Provence's profile
I like this line you used:
Our style is created by compromises:
It's refreshing when someone just accepts all the elements of their life (including kids) and still makes it work with perfect style.
view baileyb's profile