{"id":84213,"date":"2021-04-22T19:12:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T02:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sunset.com\/home-garden\/design"},"modified":"2025-08-01T16:27:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T23:27:02","slug":"home-garden-design","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sunset.com\/home-garden\/design","title":{"rendered":"Decorating & Design"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\n \n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Designs and decorating ideas to inspire your home style","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"landing-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_should_modify_publish_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,43207],"tags":[],"layout":[67],"class_list":["post-84213","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-design","category-home-garden","layout-article"],"acf":{"display_row_fields":"yes","page_subheadline":"Design and decorating ideas to inspire your home style","display_row_1":"yes","stories_row_1_top":[{"ID":190623,"post_author":"98","post_date":"2025-07-28 03:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2025-07-28 10:00:00","post_content":"\n

Eighty years after the Case Study Houses program famously challenged architects such as Richard Neutra, Charles Eames, and Eero Saarinen to create easily replicable architectural home designs to help address the postwar housing crisis in L.A., Case Study 2.0<\/a> is similarly rising to a new challenge: accelerating the rebuilding of architecturally beautiful homes for victims of the L.A. fires<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Case

\u00a9 2025 Standard Architecture<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"Case

Backen & Backen<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The brainchild of Steven and Jason Somers at Crest Real Estate<\/a>, the city\u2019s leading land use and permit expediting consultancy, Case Study 2.0 is creating a comprehensive catalog of single-family homes designed by 40 of the most talented architects in the world, including Standard Architecture<\/a>, Backen & Backen<\/a>, Morphosis<\/a>, Oppenheim Architecture<\/a>, Lovers Unite<\/a>, and Marmol Radziner<\/a>, to name just a few. The architects were prompted to design for the most common lot sizes, with strict fire resilience<\/a>, zoning standards, and construction budgets. The dozens of designs that homeowners can choose from range in style from traditional to hyper-minimalist to brutalist but will be realizable in less time and at\u00a0a lower cost, given that the designs are templated, and the architects, material partners, and other parties are discounting their products and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Case

Lovers Unite<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"Case

Courtesy of Marmol Radziner<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With instantly executable designs, homeowners can immediately cut four months out of their development process by skipping the design discovery stage. The efficiencies only grow from there, with a preferred set of construction, consulting, and material partners. Even with such elite architecture on deck, Case Study 2.0 sits comfortably between the truly custom and prefab. \u201cWe're trying to provide this middle option that is architecturally beautiful, something that people can be proud of building, but that is less expensive and faster than the custom home options,\u201d says Steven. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out how you rebuild 100 years of character in the next five. And we think by bringing these high-level architects to bear on this problem, that's how we can help solve the problem.\u201d To learn more about the program, visit casestudy2.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","post_title":"This Program Is Helping Wildfire Victims Rebuild Architecturally Beautiful Homes","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"case-study-20-program","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-08-04 08:51:39","post_modified_gmt":"2025-08-04 15:51:39","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.sunset.com\/?p=190623","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"stories_row_1_bottom":[{"ID":187257,"post_author":"98","post_date":"2025-07-30 03:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2025-07-30 10:00:00","post_content":"\n

Nothing can beat the location of this four-bedroom, six-bathroom home on Balboa Island in Newport Beach<\/a>, California: a cozy, tight-knit community that\u2019s accessible by ferry, bridge, or boat. But the home itself had potential, but needed an update when its current homeowners\u2014a couple with three school-age daughters and a dog\u2014bought the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Great
There is an open flow between the kitchen, living area, and dining area.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt needed significant updating in both style and layout to meet the family\u2019s needs,\u201d says Wendy Blackband, principal and lead designer of Blackband Design<\/a>. \u201cThe floor plan felt tight, and the design leaned heavily into dated cottage charm that wasn\u2019t making the best use of the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Great
\"They\u2019re active, down-to-earth, and love bright, happy, unique design\u2014finally, a client who truly embraces color! We were thrilled to pull out new colorful swatches,\" Wendy says.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wendy\u2019s clients envisioned a space where their daughters could hang out with friends as they grew older, and where guests could comfortably stay. They\u2019re active, down-to-earth, and love bright and happy designs<\/a>, so they were definitely looking for an eclectic, personal, and character-filled aesthetic. Functionality<\/a>, better flow, and more open spaces were also a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kitchen
The kitchen has function and style.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe philosophy of this project was summed up early on: \u2018Why do what everyone does when the design could be fun and different?\u2019\u201d Wendy says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stairs
Tropical green wallpaper runs up the staircase ceiling.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The renovation was a down-to-studs transformation, with the design inspiration coming from nature, the island\u2019s relaxed charm, and artwork from both the wife and other artists. The clients weren\u2019t afraid of color<\/a>, which is music to any designer\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Green
\"We converted a bonus room into a personalized, eclectic space for the family, complete with a kitchenette for functional living,\" Wendy says.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"Bonus
The fireplace in the bonus room has a fun design.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal was to find the sweet spot between bold and timeless, layering rich color selections with soft, coastal-inspired neutrals,\u201d Wendy explains. \u201cWe pulled inspiration from coastal nature scenes: burl wood, live-edge furniture, sea-blue tiles in the main bath, natural material light fixtures in the kitchen and dining room, green kitchenette and palm tree wallpaper, and bougainvillea pink front door. Turquoise fabric with an animal menagerie print covers the great room's swivel chairs and a tropical green wallpaper runs up the staircase ceiling\u2014two fun surprises in the home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dining
The house's Dutch door is painted pink as a nod to the island's bougainvillea.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first big change was relocating the front door from an alleyway to the street-facing side. Inside, the main living space was reworked to create a natural flow between the living room, dining room, and kitchen. For an indoor-outdoor feel<\/a>, they installed large sliding doors in the great room to open it up to the front patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fish
\"The husband wanted an office that felt connected to the rest of the home but could still offer some acoustic separation\u2014and he had dreamt of having a built-in fish tank that could be enjoyed from both the great room and the office,\" Wendy says.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"Home
The quiet home office.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The original home office was dark, small, and closed-off, but it was relocated with an entrance in the great room. The husband dreamt of having a built-in fish tank that could be viewed from the office and great room, and he got his wish\u2014it separates the two spaces, along with a glass door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Primary
The primary bedroom was rearranged so the homeowners could enjoy the bay views.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"Coffee
There's a coffee bar in the primary bedroom.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The main bedroom also got a major makeover, with the design team making several modifications to the floor plan. \u201cOriginally, there was a fireplace where the headboard now sits,\u201d Wendy says. \u201cRemoving it was a must\u2014it was important to both the clients and our team to use that wall for the bed, allowing them to wake up to a bay view. The original closet was very small\u2014in fact, it's now where their coffee bar is located. To create a proper walk-in closet, accessible through the bathroom, we borrowed space from the adjacent secondary bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Primary
The primary bathroom features colorful tile.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A notable renovation<\/a> addition is the rooftop deck, which was expanded over the entire footprint of the home and is now a big space for entertaining and enjoying the views. Another noteworthy details is the restoration of the lighthouse on the post of the home\u2019s stair rail.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rooftop
The expansive roof deck is perfect for entertaining.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt had undeniable charm and serves as a mini time capsule from the original home,\u201d Wendy adds. \u201cBringing it to life\u2014especially making it functional and actually light up\u2014was a fun and rewarding challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lighthouse
The stair's original lighthouse detail was restored.<\/figcaption>

Ryan Garvin<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The final design feels easy breezy, stylish, and fun. It very much evokes its beachy environment, and the homeowners agree. \u201cThey\u2019re so happy to be living on Balboa Island in a beautiful home that reflects their love for the area\u2014enjoying their coffee from the sitting area of their bedroom watching boats pass by, filling the bonus room with teen friends on the weekends, and hosting many birthday parties on the rooftop deck!\u201d Wendy says.<\/p>\n","post_title":"A Kitschy Balboa Island Cottage Got a Colorful, Quirky Makeover","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"balboa-island-beach-cottage","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-08-07 11:12:57","post_modified_gmt":"2025-08-07 18:12:57","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.sunset.com\/?p=187257","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":190231,"post_author":"98","post_date":"2025-07-28 03:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2025-07-28 10:00:00","post_content":"\n

Brightly colored chew toys, dog beds that solely focus on function<\/a>\u2026 it\u2019s easy to assume your furry family member\u2019s favorite things can cramp your interior design style<\/a>. However, a number of renowned designers have confirmed that there are plenty of surprisingly chic dog-friendly items that can add to your thoughtfully crafted space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we\u2019re not just talking about dog beds and toys (though there are some in here!)\u2014designers weigh in on specific, easier-to-clean upholstery and decor that are better for unpredictable spills, scratches, and more from beloved pups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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