My California Room- Before & After

This is a story of an unformed and anonymous space, that I dreamed could be a cool room… It was once my old kitchen and was left behind in the remodel and reconfiguration of the house. Initially, we imagined it as a space that could have sliding glass door, so it could be a private office or a den. However, as the renovation came closer to completion, we began to realize what was drawn on paper was really not as large as it seemed, and the glass door idea was not going to be worth doing for such a narrow space.

Before- the room right after the remodel. We were trying to see how my semi-circular couch could fit in here. It didn’t work.

I decided the best thing to do would be to leave it open, forget the glass walls and have it serve as a space for the guys to watch shows or do gaming. It could also be a spot to play family games or read or work on a laptop, when we want a cozier space.

You see part of the space is the walkway in from the garage and so there wasn’t much left to call an official ‘room.’ I love skylight we added here.

For perspective, the original kitchen was an 1980’s addition with greenhouse windows and a slanted roof. I loved the light in this space, but the single pane widows were deteriorating and California kitchens aren’t really the climate for a full ceiling of skylights…

To better use the space, the kitchen was moved to the center of the house and this area became the extra den/media space. The ceilings were raised to meet the rest of the roofline and the entry/ walkway from the laundry was relocated – marked above, and the X is the skylight. The rest of the area became the leftover room in the top photo.

To open up this tight space, we swapped out the window for French doors. Now we open up this room when we want to use the pool area for entertaining and also acts as a kind of adjunct lounge for when we hang or entertain around the pool. The view out to the pool visibly enlarges the space, a great trick.

Once the French doors were installed it became clear to me this room was going to have to have a water theme. It made sense to create a ‘California Room.’ If you Google California Room, it says it is an indoor-outdoor living space- a relative of the sunroom, but with open air. That is exactly what I was hoping for so I call it our California Room, plus it sounds way cooler than a den/media room!

I had two Serena & Lily chairs I had been saving just for this room. I built the space around these and the rug. These Mattituck Armchairs have the prettiest details – caned back and brass accents. They seem like the perfect chairs for a California home. (My throw here is Serena & Lily’s Avery Alpaca.)

This is how the space looks currently with my chairs and the new rug which I am obsessed with!

I was fortunate to find a nearly matching ottoman to the chairs at a local Homegoods. A total lucky find. I also added my vintage tennis racquets which feel kind of fun in here.

This part of the wall has a recessed space where I will be adding a bookshelf.

I also bought two upholstered chairs that swivel, found at my local Harvest home store in Los Gatos.

Our acrylic table fit in here perfectly to hold my turntable under the television. The basket below holds the guy’s gaming things and we just stacked our vinyl albums under the table…

I had an old marble table that I used between the chairs.

Our vintage glass console in the walkway is a good catchall for keys and sunglasses as we mostly leave and enter through the garage.

I’m still trying to figure out the perfect mix of pictures and objects for this wall. I think once I have the bookshelf it will come together..

To finish this space, I still need a coffee table and the book shelf. This rattan bookshelf is on the top on my list. I can imagine the styling possibilities and space for my books!

I tried to think like a designer and created an inspiration board with a few other things that might work to pull this little space together. Here is my idea board for the room and I hope to add these bits as it evolves..I began with the chairs and my rug…

Items from above:

The Marco Rug (on sale now!), was my jumping off point for the color scheme with it’s ocean hues. It’s fun, beachy, a little Boho and would be the perfect flooring for a room that people might enter with wet feet. It’s recycled denim which is super cool too. The Ryder denim/wool rug is another great option in this tone so cute!

I love to mix in some navy as a little punctuation in this space with the carpet. This is especially a cute item -the new navy Ibiza Pillow Cover.

We will need a table in here for games and to hold drinks and The Market Coffee Table is the perfect table for a California Room as I can move it outdoors when I want to expand the room to the pool deck. I like that it’s lightweight and small in size so it doesn’t overwhelm the room. More than anything though, it brings me back to happy Hawaiian vacations when I look at it!

I envisioned a chunky white lamp for the entry table here and this lamp fits the bill and has a coastal feel, but is still a classic to have for a long time. Good lamps are such a great investment. Don’t we always keep them for decades?? I know I do.

I love these navy stripe baskets in varying sizes to hold throws for chilly nights when we open the French doors and for getting cozy while watching shows. They come in three sizes and also in an Indigo Black. I am a sucker for anything with stripes.

On the stripe theme, I love these frosted glass vases that remind me of beach glass. They would be cute with cuttings from the yard and could double as hurricane vases on the coffee table for alfresco evenings.

This Palomino Alpaca navy throw has been on my wish list for a while. My Serena & Lily throws are some of my favorite houses items. This blue stripe baby alpaca throw is lighter and would also be a cool addition to the beach vibe in here!

I had the walls prepped in this room for wallpaper and this Owens Wallpaper in sand color seems just right for this coastal theme room.. plus the stripe thing.. I love it!

Serena & Lily just began carrying these cute Campania Beach Towels and I am thinking of getting a few for just outside the French Doors in a basket.

They come in a pretty navy too.

Serena & Lily is having their Summer Tent Sale right now! It’s a great time to get some of their beautiful things at a discount. I bought my Marco rug during this sale – at a big savings, so it’s worth watching this sale to what gets listed. Things do get added so I check often. I love the quality of their products, so I am always thrilled to get one of their lovely things on sale.

Thanks for following along and all your kind words about the house updates. You all have made me feel so good about it. It’s a lot of decisions and still I am working away. I hope to do a video walk through of the house very soon. The master bath video is on my Instagram. Please follow there for more regular updates and videos if you are interested in the house remodel.

Thanks to Serena & Lily for help with this design project and the beautiful Mattituck Chairs for this room. I am honored to be a design partner with them. Some links on this post may generate a commission. Thank you for supporting the blog!

Kim

P.S. Look – this room is already being used a lot with the husband working from home… another good reason to make it inviting and comfy!