A 1970s Beige Rental Got the Most Unexpectedly Gorgeous “Mid-Mod Mexiclectic” Makeover
Built in 1976, this 1260-square-foot, three-bedroom house in San Marcos, California, has been the rental home of a big blended family for about six years. Sonja Beaz is an interior designer and her husband, Vince, is a stucco and plaster contractor, and they share this home with 7-year-old son, Josiah; 19-year-old daughter, Sophia; 20-year-old son, Aiden (when he’s visiting from college); two dogs (an American Bully named Cha Cha and pug named Chencho); and one cat named Gatito. It’s a house full of people, pets, and also, most impressively, personality!
“Vince started his own stucco and plaster business, and I started running my design business from home with the baby,” begins Sonja, explaining that the not-all-that-big rental didn’t just become home to a blended family, but also to two businesses.
“It was a ROUGH process for a few years as we got our footing, eventually thoughtfully designing our front courtyard and entire backyard as year-round indoor/outdoor living and working space. We built me a Shoffice (shed turned office) for my material library and workspace, and turned our garage into a playroom for foosball, LEGO building, and roughhousing.”
Sonja and Vince had to do all of this within the constraints of not owning their home, as well. “Since our home is a rental, to bring in our personality and charm we’ve used a lot of color, paint, art, and features that can be removed if/when needed … so basically nothing can be a permanent change. We’ve had to get incredibly creative with storage, but everything we do is on a budget with a capital B!” And they’ve thrifted, secondhand shopped, and even curbside picked-up about “half (or more) of the furniture and items in our home.”
Resources
PAINT & COLORS
- Front Door/Security Gate — Dunn Edwards “Gothic Revival Green”
- Entire Home — Sherwin Williams “Accessible Beige SW 7036”
- Trim, Doors, and Ceiling — Sherwin Williams “Swiss Coffee”
- Plant Stool — Dunn Edwards “Lightning Bug”
- Green Storage Check — Dunn Edwards “Palm Tree”
- Brass Fireplace Screen — Dunn Edwards “Tinted Ice”
- Dining Room Wainscotting — Dunn Edwards “Eames for Blue”
- Tropical Lamp Base — Dunn Edwards “Pretty Petunia”
- Storage Shelf — Dunn Edwards “Sangria”
- Storage Shelf Peel & Stick Wallpaper — Opalhouse x Target
- Foot of Bed Storage — Behr “Pink Elephant”
- Bathroom — Behr “Pink Elephant”
ENTRY
- Small Black Entry Table/Cabinet — Found on Curb
- Plant Stool — Garage Sale
- Green Storage Chest — Found on Curb
- Paper Flowers — Mexico
LIVING ROOM
- Cream Leather Sectional — Facebook Marketplace
- Rocking Chair in Marigold Velvet — Crate&Barrel Outlet
- Orange Tassel Throw — Kip&Co.
- Rust Bouclé Storage Coffee Table(s) — Wayfair
- Large Abstract Art — World Market
- Cut Paper Framed Artwork — World Market
- Capiz Shell Framed Wall Art — World Market
- Original Artwork — Justina Blakeney; my brother-in-law, Charlie Beaz; my nephew, Julian Caballero; my son, Josiah Beaz; my aunt, Gloria Blake; and vintage/thrifted finds
- Art Prints — Amazon
- Justina Blakeney Print — Jungalow
- Milagro Tin Hearts — Mexico
- Barro Negro Ceramic Skull — Mexico
- Hanging Capiz Shell Chandelier — Long Beach Flea Market
- Brass Fireplace Screen — Garage Sale
- Small Stool — Kanju Interiors
- Carved Candlestick Holders — Kanju Interiors
- Black & White Striped Vessel — Poketo
- Pillows — Jungalow, Opalhouse x Target
- Rug — Amazon
DINING ROOM
- Green Eames Dining Chairs — Facebook Marketplace
- Circle Dining Table — Thrifted
- Purple Tropical Lamp Base —Thrifted
- Lamp Shade — Love Frankie
- Record Player — Victrola
- Buffet Table — Wayfair
- Storage Shelf — Secondhand
- Storage Shelf Legs — Amazon
- Yellow Striped Artwork — Minted
- Record Stand — Novogratz
- Rattan Plant Stand — Opalhouse x Target
- Wall Art — Kanju Interiors, Various Thrifted Finds, Mexico
- Wooden Wall Art Face — Umasqu
KITCHEN
- Island with Top Shelf — IKEA
- Objects — Thrifted, Mexico, etc.
- Ukrainian Woman Wall Art — Given to me by my Grandma
PRIMARY BEDROOM
- Nightstands — West Elm x Roar & Rabbit
- Black Wood Dresser — Thrifted
- Shelves — DIY with Reclaimed Wood and Plumbing Pipes
- Foot of Bed Storage — Thrifted
- Mirror — Bought by me over 25 years ago
- Ceramic Sun Wall Art — Justina Blakeney x Jungalow
- Mercury Glass Table Lamps — Facebook Marketplace
- Bedding — Opalhouse x Target
- Body Pillow — Casaluna x Target
- Rug (indoor/outdoor) — Amazon
SECOND BEDROOM
BATHROOM
- Wood Circle Tray — Magnolia x Target
- 3-Tiered Storage Caddy — Amazon
VARIOUS SOURCES FOR ITEMS
- Artelexia
- Lolo Mexican Market
- Holistic Habitat
- Casa y Cocina
- PS Homeboys
- Unicef Market
Thanks, Sonja!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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