Blending your belongings and tastes in a new home can be difficult for newlyweds, but I’m always up for the challenge! Luckily, my powerhouse California client couple made this process and project super easy.

Charles and Whitney are the perfect pair. They each have infectious smiles and personalities, and the kind of good souls you can only hope to have in your circle. Both working in the tech space, they recently moved into a lovely townhome in Hayward, a charming city just east of the San Francisco Bay. They brought little furniture and several collectibles from their previous home, but didn’t quite know how to combine them in a way that would make their new house feel comfortable and a true reflection of themselves.

A quick story about the universe…Whitney and I met a few years back when she was interviewing for a role with my former company. Funny enough, that’s also how she met Charles, as they were both intern/job candidates! Although they didn’t land the positions they were seeking, they found each other. Don’t you just love that!? God knew. : - ) Their careers have both catapulted since and I was so excited to reconnect with the two. Hoping to get together soon (pre-COVID), Charles called and emailed me about surprising Whitney with some home help from BLB. How could I possibly say no!?

In this design project, we’d tackle most of the three-level home including their living room/study area, dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook, family room and master bedroom.

First up, the Santa Fe room! Charles is a New Mexico native so creating a Santa Fe room was a must-have. This would be Charles’ version of a classic Gentlemen’s Club Room and a New Mexico Club Room - stylish and masculine with southwestern vibes (also the most sophisticated description of a ‘man cave’ I’ve ever encountered and worked on! LOL). We’d use his existing sofa and add color with a large bold southwestern print rug and matching pillows. We found a beautiful canvas of the Grand Canyon to complement his other artwork in the space and positioned a blue leather chair by the fireplace and American flag at the edge of the mantle for reading. With an antique writing desk in the corner and enough shelving for Charles’ books, collectibles and U.S. Army medals and awards, the Santa Fe was complete! It was guaranteed to offer anyone the couple had over a warm welcome.

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On the next level of the home, you’d enter Whitney and Charles’ dining room. The couple loves to host and have friends over for dinner and drinks, so it was important to nail this spot and make it feel inviting from every corner. The couple loves music, so they requested a music gallery wall showcasing some of their favorite artists transcending decades at the room’s entrance and we displayed other music-related paintings on the adjacent dining room walls. We purchased a beautiful solid mango wood dining table from West Elm (my fav) and paired it with black and tan wishbone chairs to allow enough seating for entertaining family and friends. We also purchased a navy lacquer buffet for the back of the room with gold accents to bring a touch of glam into the space. The kitchen was pretty perfect and functional as-is, but needed a bit of flair as well. It had a small breakfast nook that we’d create a quaint little space for the couple to sit and sip their coffee in the morning. The space now has its own artwork, flowers and pillows, giving it its own pop of pink color and personality.

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Next, their living room was a large, bright and blank canvas that captured a ton of natural light with sight lines to the kitchen and dining spaces. We decided to keep the room feeling light and airy, centered around a new blue sofa we purchased and neutral chairs positioned across from it to make entertaining and conversation flow easily. As Whitney is a writer at heart, we also included a formal writing desk near the window for her to write and work, and displayed her vintage typewriter and favorite books on new shelving nearby. My favorite part of this room is that there’s no TV to be found! So often millennial living spaces are built around media and entertainment, but this space was designed with people and human interaction in mind. The blue hues, artwork and textures throughout the living room made the space inviting and relaxing for anyone who entered.

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Lastly, Charles and Whitney’s master suite tucked away on the top floor was a grand-sized space for the two to retreat to. The large windows provided adequate lighting and the square footage gave us plenty of room to accommodate more than just a bed. We’d position the walnut wood bed on the largest wall opposite of their dresser, adding artwork, macrame, personal photos and mirrors on all of the white surfaces. For added tranquility and a pop of color similar to the living spaces downstairs, we’d cover the carpet with a blue and white southwestern print rug and add a dose of femininity with new navy nightstands adorned with lucite and brass hardware on each side of the bed. For the corners of the room, we’d bring in an antique vertical mirror, sitting chair and floating shelves to display more keepsakes, books and photos.

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I love how each of these spaces turned out – the entire home was a blank canvas, and we were able to personalize each space without doing any big changes to the home like painting or updating lighting (a great perk for renters or those that want to keep their home’s bones and fixtures as-is). I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn more about Whitney and Charles while decorating their home and help them love their new residence as they continue to build their life together. COVID presented a few challenges while finishing up the space, but in the end, the comfort and functionality the new furniture, design and staging added helps them enjoy their home and one another even more as they shelter in place.

For more photos, check out my Portfolio and #ProjectHaywardHaven on Instagram.

Be Blessed,

ACG

Design Deets:

Area Rugs – Wayfair, All Modern

Dining Chairs – Poly & Bark, Amazon

Dining Table – West Elm

Drop-Leaf Table – Wayfair

Settee – Birch Lane

Buffet – Wayfair

Sofa – Article

Accent Chairs – Wayfair

Pillows – West Elm, Wayfair

Secretary Desk – Joss & Main

Mirrors – HomeGoods, Target

Platform Bed – All Modern

Curtains – Macy’s, West Elm

Lamps – HomeGoods, Wayfair

Dresser – Totally Furniture

Bedding – West Elm, HomeGoods

Nightstands – TOV Furniture

Picture Frames – Target, West Elm

Artwork – Etsy, Society 6, Minted for West Elm

Bench – New Egg

Bookcase – Wayfair

Ladder - Wayfair

Professional Photography – Angie Silvy Photography