Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Nixing Neutrals to Create a Colorful Craftsman
L.A. homeowners toss beige and white to make way for vibrant blue, purplish gray and cheery peach
For a couple who decided to name their cocker spaniel Color, a beige and white interior just wasn’t going to cut it. That’s the situation designer Caitlin Murray and film editor Mike Parzynski faced with their historic Craftsman bungalow in Los Angeles.
Murray took charge, introducing colorful accessories against a gray backdrop for the living room, electric blue cabinets for the kitchen and quirky art pieces for the bedroom to amp up the lifelessly neutral home.
Murray took charge, introducing colorful accessories against a gray backdrop for the living room, electric blue cabinets for the kitchen and quirky art pieces for the bedroom to amp up the lifelessly neutral home.
A healthy dose of purple in the gray paint also provides a cool-toned backdrop for the colorful accessories, which have a lot of pinks and blues in them — specially the ikat fabric on the throw pillow Murray brought back from a trip to Istanbul.
She says she tried to strike a balance between her boyfriend’s aesthetic and hers by mixing pastel colors with the gray walls and a chunky leather sofa. “It was a fun experiment to find equilibrium between all of the elements, and ultimately create a home that exudes both of our personalities, creating our perfect starter house,” she says.
To provide additional harmony, she threw in a warm metallic gold Moroccan pouf. “I love the effect of brass and gold with the rich leather and cool gray,” she says.
A previous renovation blocked up the fireplace and tiled over the opening, so Murray painted over it with a matte black paint so it would recede to read more like an opening. The mirror above the mantel is original to the house.
Sofa: H.D. Buttercup; area rug: West Elm; throw pillows: Domino, West Elm and custom-made; coffee table: Mastercraft table from the 1950s, Craigslist
She says she tried to strike a balance between her boyfriend’s aesthetic and hers by mixing pastel colors with the gray walls and a chunky leather sofa. “It was a fun experiment to find equilibrium between all of the elements, and ultimately create a home that exudes both of our personalities, creating our perfect starter house,” she says.
To provide additional harmony, she threw in a warm metallic gold Moroccan pouf. “I love the effect of brass and gold with the rich leather and cool gray,” she says.
A previous renovation blocked up the fireplace and tiled over the opening, so Murray painted over it with a matte black paint so it would recede to read more like an opening. The mirror above the mantel is original to the house.
Sofa: H.D. Buttercup; area rug: West Elm; throw pillows: Domino, West Elm and custom-made; coffee table: Mastercraft table from the 1950s, Craigslist
Lined with board and batten and painted black, the built-in shelving to the left of the fireplace provides ample space for Murray to show off some of her vintage finds. She pulled colors from the rest of the room, mostly pinks and blues, and aimed to keep it restrained.
Paint: Black Panther No. 2125-10, Benjamin Moore; spiky sculpture: Two’s Company
Paint: Black Panther No. 2125-10, Benjamin Moore; spiky sculpture: Two’s Company
More decorative trim adorns the wall opposite the windows. Murray picked up the pastel portrait of the lady signed by “Federico ’47” from a flea market.
The print on top of the console table is by an artist named Arefi, and the 1920s piece on the left side of the ledge is from a thrift store. She found the other pieces on the ledge at West Elm.
The print on top of the console table is by an artist named Arefi, and the 1920s piece on the left side of the ledge is from a thrift store. She found the other pieces on the ledge at West Elm.
A midcentury portrait found online rests on a vintage bar cart that Murray also found online. “I had a lot of random artwork I wanted to incorporate in a whimsical way whenever it felt like the walls needed it,” she says.
To support the hanging chair, Murray hired a carpenter to install a 2-by-4-foot wooden board in the attic with an eyelet screw. It came at the cost of repairing drywall on the ceiling that cracked from the carpenter’s footsteps, but Murray says it was worth it in the end.
Artwork on corner ledge: Urban Outfitters
Artwork on corner ledge: Urban Outfitters
When they bought the house, Murray and Parzynski knew the existing dark wood finish on the kitchen cabinets and overall dinginess of the space had to change.
The cabinets were in decent shape, and the couple didn’t have the budget to add new ones anyway. “So I decided to just have some fun and paint the cabinets a crazy color,” Murray says. The bright blue cabinets, crisp white walls with black trim and the existing black granite countertops brought some “modern sense” back into the kitchen, she says.
Cabinet paint: Florida Keys Blue No. 2050-40, Benjamin Moore
wall paint: Decorator’s
White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore
The cabinets were in decent shape, and the couple didn’t have the budget to add new ones anyway. “So I decided to just have some fun and paint the cabinets a crazy color,” Murray says. The bright blue cabinets, crisp white walls with black trim and the existing black granite countertops brought some “modern sense” back into the kitchen, she says.
Cabinet paint: Florida Keys Blue No. 2050-40, Benjamin Moore
wall paint: Decorator’s
White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore
Brass cabinet hardware adds contrast and warmth to the vibrant blue. A patterned indoor-outdoor rug resists stains.
Murray covered an empty cabinet space intended for an unwanted microwave with a kitschy framed floral artwork.
A set of retro cookbooks graces a yellow table. A ceramic mail holder in the shape of a wiener dog — a late-night Internet purchase, Murray says — rests on top. A vintage green clock, a gift from Parzynski’s best friend, hangs above.
Murray painted and reupholstered two midcentury gaming chairs given to Parzynski by his mother. “They were in horrible shape — tattered maroon leather,” she says. The fabric is black linen with white vinyl piping.
Table: Saarinen; artwork: Melrose Trading Post flea market
Table: Saarinen; artwork: Melrose Trading Post flea market
Initially, Parzynski wasn’t on board with the peach-colored walls in this guest bedroom. But painting the 9-foot ceiling matte black helped balance the color and win him over.
A striped throw blanket, Moroccan pouf, black linen Roman shades and geometric print rug also help balance the peach walls. The bed frame is upholstered in a navy blue Belgian linen-cotton. The side tables are gold bases with marble tops.
Wall paint: Whispering Peach No. 2014-60, Benjamin Moore; ceiling paint: Black Panther No. 2125-10, Benjamin Moore; bed: Restoration Hardware; rug: Anthropologie; nightstands: Nuevo
A striped throw blanket, Moroccan pouf, black linen Roman shades and geometric print rug also help balance the peach walls. The bed frame is upholstered in a navy blue Belgian linen-cotton. The side tables are gold bases with marble tops.
Wall paint: Whispering Peach No. 2014-60, Benjamin Moore; ceiling paint: Black Panther No. 2125-10, Benjamin Moore; bed: Restoration Hardware; rug: Anthropologie; nightstands: Nuevo
Murray has had this Buddha chair for ages. “It seems to be everyone’s favorite piece,” she says.
The flea-market stacked trunks and artwork hide an Internet router and wires.
Buddha chair: Noir
The flea-market stacked trunks and artwork hide an Internet router and wires.
Buddha chair: Noir
A white dresser with Lucite handles continues the retro-meets-modern look. A rope mirror hangs above an animal head sculpture that holds an ostrich egg, a piece that was in Murray’s home growing up.
Dresser: Anthropologie
Dresser: Anthropologie
Murray converted one of the bedrooms into an office to run her Black Lacquer Design firm.
Warm and cool metals mix against bluish-black walls. Murray reupholstered the pair of wing chairs in rich bottle-green leather.
Wall paint: Black Panther No. 2125-10, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Decorator’s White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore; drapery hardware: West Elm; drapery panels: Belgian sheer linen drapery in spruce, Restoration Hardware; table: CB2
Warm and cool metals mix against bluish-black walls. Murray reupholstered the pair of wing chairs in rich bottle-green leather.
Wall paint: Black Panther No. 2125-10, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Decorator’s White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore; drapery hardware: West Elm; drapery panels: Belgian sheer linen drapery in spruce, Restoration Hardware; table: CB2
Murray designed the white bookshelf, made of welded steel and powder-coated in a glossy white. Its shelves are a smoky brown Lucite.
What looks like a screen on the left above the desk is actually a smoked glass dry-erase board.
What looks like a screen on the left above the desk is actually a smoked glass dry-erase board.
The office connects to a Jack-and-Jill bathroom that leads to the master bedroom. As with the peach walls in the guest room, Parzynski wasn’t initially keen on the wavy seafoam-green velvet upholstered headboard she designed and had fabricated for their bedroom, but he trusted Murray’s vision.
She pulled colors from the artwork, which she bought at a flea market, for the accessories.
Sconces: CB2
She pulled colors from the artwork, which she bought at a flea market, for the accessories.
Sconces: CB2
A black lacquer and brass dresser showcases some of the couple’s favorite retro knick-knacks, like the Siamese cat figures Murray received as a gift years ago. “They have blue rhinestones for eyes, and I love it because I had two Siamese cats as a kid,” Murray says. The blue glass head belonged to Parzynski’s grandmother.
“I just love the coziness of the entire house,” he says.
Wall paint: River Blue No. 2057-10, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Decorator’s White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore
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“I just love the coziness of the entire house,” he says.
Wall paint: River Blue No. 2057-10, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Decorator’s White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes | Homes Around the World
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design, her boyfriend, Mike Parzynski, and Color, their cocker spaniel puppy
Location: Historic South Central district, Los Angeles
Size: 1,552 square feet (144 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1907
A previous owner renovated the house before Murray and Parzynski moved in, so it was already in great physical condition. To put their mark on the home, the couple set their focus on minor updates, like changing light fixtures, painting walls and ceilings, and fully furnishing the space with a sense of freshness that didn’t detract too much from the historic character and charm.
Her first step was to choose paint colors that would play up the gorgeous original moldings and trim. Here, in the living room, this mid-tone gray contrasts beautifully with the white trim.
Wall paint: Englewood Cliffs No. 1607, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Decorator’s White No. PM-3, Benjamin Moore; TV console: vintage reproduction from Pepe’s, Silver Lake area of L.A.