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The active family of five wanted a “a crisp, light-filled modern home with a transitional twist.” Cami Luppino and her team at Lulu Home worked closely with architect Teo Siguenza to design an addition that would allow for a new, larger kitchen. After the construction phase, Luppino and company moved on to the interiors. They “layered a neutral color palette with pops of color, warm wall coverings, custom storage units, and millwork,” she says.
The result is functional and highly styled.
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“I approach every home in a similar fashion,” Luppino says. “I feel it’s important to understand that every space wants to tell a story while being thoughtful about the clients’ needs and wants. We balance livable space with high design, creating a multifunctional, family-friendly environment.”
Luppino says she gravitates toward an organic, modern, California-cool aesthetic — and this home exemplifies that.
The Kitchen
“We began this project focused on the kitchen, where the family desired a place with ample room to gather and entertain,” Luppino says. “Our goal was to develop an architectural element, which we accomplished with the ceiling plan: a grid of like-sized skylights directly over the center island.” This creates an open and airy space and the “illusion of being outside.”
In addition, Luppino and her team added a homework station in the core of the kitchen. An orange Lucite chair, which plays off the modern art in the eating area, provides a pop of color.
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Everything else in the house flows from the kitchen. “The client was comfortable with a muted color palette, using gray throughout,” Luppino says. “We used this continuity as a backdrop to introduce textural elements to make the monochromatic colors more alluring. This approach is successful because it is relaxing to the eye and creates an uninterrupted vantage point in which to view important features in the home.” Features could include an architectural detail, a piece of furniture, an important work of art, or a pop of saturated color to “give that ‘wow’ moment.”
The Details
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Although the overall aesthetic is cool, calm, and modern, there are some surprises as well. The homeowner is an avid tennis player who sometimes finds himself working from home. “In his office we incorporated a cheeky play on words in pillows on a vibrant orange microsuede sofa and mixed in a vintage racket collection.”
In the powder room, the design team also had some fun. “We used a black, highly textured grasscloth wallpaper to juxtapose the lightness of the polished statuary marble floor,” Luppino says.
And in the dining room, the designer played off the square dimensions. “We mimicked the structure of the room with a custom, 3-inch-thick, square dining table,” Luppino says. “We softened the space with traditional tufted button-back chairs and incorporated an unexpected, vintage-inspired Sputnik chandelier, which has lines that mimic the detail on the window treatments.”
The team also updated a Jack-and-Jill bathroom for the children. “We wanted to marry the tastes of the three children in the house,” Luppino says. “I designed a rift oak vanity with lighting on the underside to enhance the floating appearance.” Then she used porcelain wood-grain tile for the floor, oversized linen-like wall tiles for the shower, and a Romo vinyl covering for the walls. “The emphasis was again on texture and the balance of light and dark,” she says.
Favorite Moment
Luppino’s favorite part of the home is the master suite. She used a cubist light fixture from Kelly Wearstler found on a recent sourcing trip to High Point Market as the jumping-off point.
In this space, the color palette was kept monochromatic to create the “luxurious, serene retreat my clients were seeking,” Luppino says. “The silk wall covering in the master suite creates a layered element, which subtly draws you into the space and sets the stage for the understated yet intentional pattern play marrying the lighting to the draperies, bedding, and carpeting.”
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She incorporated a TV into the floating cabinetry, which was finished with a cerusing technique to draw the eye away from the electronics and to the millwork.
As you move into the master bathroom and dressing areas, the spa-like feeling continues with a free-standing oval tub as the focal point. “We used a beige and cream to enhance the lightness of the space and added a lofty illuminated tray ceiling detail, which was the perfect backdrop for the ethereal hand-cast chandelier,” Luppino says.
The design for the lady’s dressing room needed to be a bit more glam. “We used a fun, metallic snakeskin-print wallpaper and a very sculptural silk Osborne & Little fabric on the roman shade, which allowed the brass and Mongolian fur chair to really pop,” Luppino says. There is also plenty of storage for makeup and jewelry in the cabinetry, which is topped off by unlacquered brass hardware.
In contrast to the lady’s dressing room, Luppino used more serious, dark wood cabinetry and Phillip Jeffries vinyl grasscloth wallpaper in the gentleman’s closet. “We maintained the connection of the spaces with the patterned wool and viscose Stark carpeting,” she says.
