A vibrant life full of art, adventure, and animals calls for a space that’s equal parts colorful in personality and welcoming for a family of four plus two dogs. Built in 1943, this Cape Cod-style home sits in the historical Wooded Area in Point Loma featuring heritage elements that harken back to San Diego’s golden early days. While keeping its architectural glory, my renovation concept centered around fusing its vintage bones with a modern edge aligned to the family’s penchant for eccentric creativity and global wanderlust—pulling all decor inspiration from sentimental artwork and their travel finds from trips to Costa Rica and South America.

The journey commences with a cool beachy vibe, a prelude to more spirited chapters. Grass cloth lines the entryway and greets visitors with a laid back demeanor, leading into the living room and beckoning guests to venture further. To optimize the space, a custom console carved from maple burl by San Diego Reclaimed Woods adds a rustic flair and perfect drop-off surface for keys and other trinkets. Adding a bohemian appeal, a custom textile art piece by Alyssa, Founder of AMA Fiber Art, introduces a woven color story with textural interest, clay and wooden pieces to set the eclectic stage.

Heading into the living room, the fireplace warms up the space with both aesthetic drama and architectural relevance. I kept the Greek Revival mantle and painted it a moody rust color called Espresso Macchiato by Dunn-Edwards. Contrasting the vintage feel, I redid all of the tiling by creating a graphic checkerboard of marble and limestone 2 x 2s from Africa to cleverly balance light with dark and tie in the entire living room look and feel. A framed TV hangs above for much needed entertainment but also looks stylish and well-placed above the focal-point fireplace.

Opposite, the seating area is punctuated by a surfer painting by the family’s good friend, artist Johnny Lane, and I pulled in the color to inspire the vintage pillows and pots, new CB2 furnishings, as well as the vintage plinth.

If sitting and chatting is for the low-key social set then for those who are looking for more of a good time can take a jaunt into the music and bar room, where drinking and dancing go hand in hand. Another painting by artist Johnny Lane of the mother sunbathing on the beach sets the lively tone with bright colors and a sunny disposition. Once again, I pulled in the colors to inform the travel souvenirs lining the shelves while mixing in some fun pieces to really pop on the vacation vibes. I created a dedicated space for the records and updated the lighting, furnishings, and rug; plus, added in all new plants to freshen up the space and give it a light and airy feel.

And after a good dance party, there’s always the desire to eat so on to the dining room, I created a space that is chic enough for dinner parties while also being sleek and functional for weeknight meals at home. The space is centered around a large Mid-Century table modernized by new Crate & Barrel chairs with enough seating for a family of four plus guests. I added vintage candle holders and candle sticks in the corner to mirror the clean lines of the table and add visual interest. The room is lifted with a modern lighting fixture and fresh paint that offsets the original hardwood floors. Dotting the space, plants of all shapes and sizes also make great company as the family really loves their foliage friends.

Down the hallway, San Diego’s beach scene weaves back in with vintage buoys the family had and I created custom hooks to match the salt air-worn aesthetic. Leading to the guest bedroom, a punchy mustard yellow, Santa Fe Tan by Dunn-Edwards, invites one in with its sunshine warmth. I updated the original closets while fluffing up the space with texturally cozy, boho- leaning bedding to play off the ’70s-inspired wall paint for a bold finish to the balance of eclectic vibrancy and modern edge intertwined throughout the house.