Here are some pictures of some rooms in the house. They are from the MLS listing, and show the house as staged by the seller's realtor :-)

IMO do not start adding trim to this very comtemporary CA. home My suggestion is live in it for awhile with your stuff and see what is needed. BTW if you start an idea book it is always best to post some ideas .I would aslo like to see tsome pics of your stuff and ideally pics of your old home. I aslo do not think the choices for furniture in the staging was appropriate for the house.

Thank you very much Patricia. May I push you a bit and ask why? What makes this home contemporary? I really value your opinion and would like to understand it more.

What does the outside look like?

Front (Roadside):

Rear (Backyard)

External colors are regulated by an HOA :-(

All of that natural light, with no crown mouldings - anywhere, nothing ornate, the shapes and sizes of some of the windows, the paint on the walls, the minimalism, all give it a contemporary feel.

Enjoy your beautiful new home! I would furnish it with comfortable casual sofas with natural fabrics, leather chairs, and warm natural wood furniture. Maybe some indoor plants.

What a beautiful place! Can I come? ;-)

See this project for inspiration.

https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/spanish-colonial-traditional-living-room-santa-barbara-phvw-vp~1212838

You could add trim for sure but mostly focus on beautiful wood floors. Maybe add wood beams in key areas. It’s a perfect blank slate to get the look you like. Type in ‘formal Spanish colonial’ here and you will find tons of projects that you could like that have architecture similar to yours. Don’t be shy to interview local designers in your area whose portfolios reflect a style you relate to. Beautiful home and good luck!

No trim , those windows are for sure contemporary style but the furniture they used for staging is a far cry from that style. Since you are in a new place maybe try to embrace the contemporoary style and move a bit out of your comfort zone. The house is lovely and IMO a good interior designer could help you maybe mix some of your old stuff with some new for an interesting mix that is your own style. BTW remove those shutters please.

I’m sorry Mark, some people value their own opinions more than the consultée’s. Don’t let it derail your own vision. Take your time to find a way to honor the style and colors that you feel comfortable with in your new setting. Modify your space as you see fit. Looking forward to see how it all works out.

I live in the San Diego area, and that looks like standard builder’s tract interior to me. I dont know where your home is, but easily looks like a $3-$5M + home, at least, depending on location. That is a huge backyard, for the area.

With the mediterranean sort of style, I would definitely put in some tall white baseboard and at least do window trim and sills. your choice to go white for your aesthetic, if you dont care for stained.

Anything you do will be in keeping with So Cal. I know plenty of folks without a design sense, ahem, who sort of do what would be considered ”mucking up” the interiors and guess what? Their home values increase about as much as everyone else’s because that’s the market here, esp if youre in a great public school district.

That said, you probably need some designer input, and you can join Nextdoor in your new area to find some help.

I really appreciate all comments, thank you all and please keep them coming. I need to move out of my comfort zone, this is the whole point of my post. For example, take untrimmed windows. Where some see minimalist style, I see unfinished, ha! When we were viewing the house, I saw the 'empty' windows and thought 'sheesh...the builders really cheaped out here' :-)

San Diego prices would leave folks from other parts of the country confused. The interior architecture seems purposefully contemporary, but it is really just standard tract interior, despite the house price.

I think you may be onto something there @Mrs. S.

So, as I’m looking closer at the photos you shared, I can see better why you’re reaching out. It looks like the house was all painted bright white to neutralize it for selling. It’s a common sellers trick to keep buyers from being distracted by another person’s personal style. Unfortunately it leaves the house stark and without much style at all. It’s obvious you need more contrast, but truthfully an in-person consultation is better to get more details from you and to see the furnishings you already have.

One of the things that can help define those windows is to hang long straight panels. You can always consider millwork later, but dressing them will really cut that starkness right away. The next thing I would address is your architectural details like the fireplaces. Painting the walls will give some contrast and help make them more noticeable, but you could always paint them as well. Looking ahead, since I don’t sense you want to do any major remodeling just yet, the flooring could help quite a bit. I’d take out that tan tile & carpet and replace it with either a nice natural white oak, or a rich whiskey colored oak. I would also consider Belgian bluestone as a color more in keeping with the style you prefer.

Back to the topic of wall color. It’s hard to say. Beiges are not trending these days, and you’ve got plenty on your floors already. Darker shades of whites can be tricky with different colors in the undertones. And greys, while very popular, aren’t very cheerful, plus they could clash with your floors. Other colors are less easy to give counsel about since they’re so specific. That said, blues & greens are colors that are most universally popular. I would try a barely-there sagey grey green on your walls. In your kitchen, maybe stay in a neutral warm grey just to keep it brighter. Speaking of which, please share a photo of the kitchen, if you’d like. If you decide to venture into a different colorful style, you will find plenty of Spanish & Mexican influences in that area, like brightly colored pottery and otomi embroidery. Similarly, the simple cobalt blue and white tiles are very pretty and would be easy to incorporate that influence into your decor.

Another suggestion I can make is the chandelier over the table. It could be bigger, bolder and hung lower. The fans are fine, I think. My preference is for white to visually disappear since they’re mainly just better when they aren’t an extra design distraction. (Keeping the focus at eye level, rather than upwards) of course, artwork and your other furniture, et al, with dictate more specific choices. MOST IMPORTANTLY, don’t get hung up on what you “should” or “should not” do. I think if you want larger base and other millwork, it’s perfectly fine to add that. I would not say yea or nay, but ask you to just hold off for a while and try the other suggestions first. Good luck and keep us posted.

Wow, thank you for that response @Therese N! Here's the kitchen:

and BTW, the sellers confirmed it was painted stark white for selling :-)

Yikes. That’s a lot of white. LOL Great kitchen, though! Have you browsed photos here or Pinterest for inspiration? It’s hard to make suggestions without some direction, except for that light too. Definitely need those two replaced. And since it looks like it’s just those two, you can go with something dramatic. Would you like ideas for them?

We do plan on getting an interior decorator to help once we move in. Totally open to any and all ideas though!

Mark,
After reading your initial comments and seeing your beautiful home, I thought of British Colonial, Tommy Bahama, a Caribbean vibe. Rich woods, plantation shutters, potted palms, higher baseboards, etc.
Whatever direction you decide, please update us with pictures!
As far as your dislike of the exterior color...after you have lived there awhile get on the architectural committee of your HOA and try to get some additional colors approved :)

I just can't imagine me on the Architectural Committee of an HOA. It would be like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse, or the lunatic in charge of the asylum :-)

If you are a lunatic, you’d fit right in on an HOA board.

When are you moving in?

August

Hey Peeps, I found some examples of a style that I think will suit me:

To my eye this remains very Californian, but the wood trim around the windows, door and openings make it look a lot more finished. What say you?

My home is a MCM (authentic), furnished with modern furniture , however, the 6” tall baseboards & window trim are flat ( for lack of a better term ), no curves or any ornamentation, i think you could have something similar installed in your home . But i have no crown molding, it woudn’t be appropriate for my house.