An Eclectic San Diego Home Is a Designer’s Happy Place

Name: Irene Kim Coppedge, husband and two kids
Location: San Diego, California
Size: 3,500 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, owned

Two kids, two adults, two goldfish (Kiwi and Porkchop), and one hamster (Hammy) live in our happy home. We purchased it in 2014 and moved in after a medium-sized renovation. We live in a part of San Diego that is full of wonderful, unique, old homes and it’s hard to find something that is “move-in” ready. We worked hard on this home and it is truly my happy place.

My husband and I are huge fans of art—nothing fancy, but we would spend our year-end bonuses on art when we lived in NYC and worked in finance—this was even before we even knew each other. So when we married, we had so many beautiful pieces of art and needed a home with lots of wall space! I so enjoyed working on this house that it’s pushing me to consider a second career in design after I slow down on the kid front. I’m getting my “on the job” training by doing the spaces of my friends and family and have started an Instagram account to help me stay motivated, excited, and inspired.

Since we have two small kids, nothing is off limits and every high traffic area is covered in a performance fabric (i.e. our white sofa!). I scoured Etsy for all of our pillows, and my husband came to the marriage with a ton of unique pieces from Nick Metropolis in La Brea, creating a wonderful and eclectic space. Lastly—I am a minimalist, or I try to be. I tend not to accumulate—it brings me calm when I walk into an edited, yet lived-in space. I know that I love my home because whenever I come back from vacation, however amazing it was, I’m always grateful for this space and so happy to be home.

What is your favorite room and why? I love our family room. It’s where we spend most of our time, and it opens onto the upper deck, which leads down to the pool. When I look out, especially this time of year, I see nothing but trees and our neighbor has a soft lavender Jacaranda tree that is looking especially beautiful right now. In this room is an old Baker sofa that we recovered in a denim-y blue fabric, a faded red rug that is probably 40 years old that used to belong to my mother-in-law, a new burled wood Jonathan Adler table and two leather stools that I made using wood and Pretty Pegs. There is also an amazing wall of shelves that is filled with things that represent our lives: a turkey pinecone that my daughter made, hundreds of color-coordinated books (I am an avid reader), a Magic 8 ball that we refer to daily, family pictures, and a matchbook collection of all the places my husband and I would frequent when we were dating and living in NYC.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Critically look at everything you own. Can it be re-painted, re-upholstered, re-finished, and given a new identity? I really don’t like the idea of buying everything new. It feels so wasteful. For me, there is so much pleasure in knowing that I saved money and helped the environment by re-purposing something I already own.

Thanks, Irene!

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