Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Globetrotting Couple Make a New Start in California
When a job transfer brings a couple to the West Coast, they create a stylish home for their young family that reflects their love of travel
Ryan and Alexa Talbot have explored 53 countries together. When it came time to settle down in Silicon Valley, California, they instilled this spirit of adventure into their 1990s home.
A tall steel bookcase displays the Talbots’ beloved old-school record player, a collection of vinyl records, books and assorted collectibles. The lower shelf provides a home for a pair of baskets for toys and blankets.
Bookshelf: Ikea
Bookshelf: Ikea
The existing kitchen sits right off the family room, and the Talbots plan to update it at a later time. “We like the open layout and the new appliances, but the cabinets, counters and sinks are killing us,” Ryan says. “We plan to go with thick-slab white quartz counters and probably flat gray cabinets to clean up the look of the space and fit in with the rest of the house.”
Photo by Ryan Talbot
Photo by Ryan Talbot
In the entry, a clear glass console table joins a custom bench Riccoboni designed from a colorful Mexican serape blanket. The Southwestern print is a nod to the family’s time spent living in Texas.
Wall paint: Decorator’s White; trim paint: Baltic Gray, both by Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Decorator’s White; trim paint: Baltic Gray, both by Benjamin Moore
The living room, which sits just to the right off the entry, features some of the Talbots’ existing furniture pieces, including a medium gray felt sofa. The mango wood coffee table has a hinged top that opens to provide storage for toys.
Coffee table: HomeGoods
Coffee table: HomeGoods
A light gray wool area rug anchors the space, with a large painting from Alexa’s mother providing color for the sofa wall. Ryan and Alexa hung hexagonal mirrors in the shape of the United States above the painted fireplace.
A collection of city maps with black frames (the six cities the couple have lived in together) decorates the wall space above an armchair.
Next to the armchair is a ceramic side table with a gold metallic coating on the bottom that the couple sometimes uses on their front porch.
Area rug and children’s table: Room & Board; armchair and console table: West Elm; side table: Target; hexagonal mirrors: Ikea; wire wall sculpture: Etsy
A collection of city maps with black frames (the six cities the couple have lived in together) decorates the wall space above an armchair.
Next to the armchair is a ceramic side table with a gold metallic coating on the bottom that the couple sometimes uses on their front porch.
Area rug and children’s table: Room & Board; armchair and console table: West Elm; side table: Target; hexagonal mirrors: Ikea; wire wall sculpture: Etsy
In the dining room, Riccoboni covered the existing beadboard with plywood painted gray for a more modern look.
An industrial-style chandelier that Ryan found online creates a focal point and gives off a warm glow. Stone pieces that the couple saw during a trip to Yosemite National Park inspired the purchase of the two agate stone slices seen hanging on the wall. Framed panoramic travel photos (including a shot of a glacier Ryan and Alexa saw in Greenland) hang on another wall.
The door on the right leads to the kitchen; the large window on the left looks out to the front porch.
Dining room table frame and chairs: Room & Board; plywood paint: Baltic Gray, Benjamin Moore
An industrial-style chandelier that Ryan found online creates a focal point and gives off a warm glow. Stone pieces that the couple saw during a trip to Yosemite National Park inspired the purchase of the two agate stone slices seen hanging on the wall. Framed panoramic travel photos (including a shot of a glacier Ryan and Alexa saw in Greenland) hang on another wall.
The door on the right leads to the kitchen; the large window on the left looks out to the front porch.
Dining room table frame and chairs: Room & Board; plywood paint: Baltic Gray, Benjamin Moore
Tucked off the kitchen, the more informal breakfast room gives the family a place for casual meals. A round table with a black granite top sits center stage, paired with white chairs for contrast.
A matte black pendant with a gold interior provides light and style. “I like the modern shape of it and the warm glow it gives off,” Alexa says. The couple also included four recessed lights above for general illumination.
“This space is one of the main arteries the family uses to get outside,” Riccoboni adds. “That’s why we wanted to go with a round table, so you can move around it easily and have that access to the backyard.”
A large framed photograph of a black sand beach taken by Ryan during a trip to Iceland hangs on the wall on the left. A collection of black and white framed family and travel photos sits on a floating wall shelf to the right.
Table: Room & Board; chairs and pendant: Dot & Bo
A matte black pendant with a gold interior provides light and style. “I like the modern shape of it and the warm glow it gives off,” Alexa says. The couple also included four recessed lights above for general illumination.
“This space is one of the main arteries the family uses to get outside,” Riccoboni adds. “That’s why we wanted to go with a round table, so you can move around it easily and have that access to the backyard.”
A large framed photograph of a black sand beach taken by Ryan during a trip to Iceland hangs on the wall on the left. A collection of black and white framed family and travel photos sits on a floating wall shelf to the right.
Table: Room & Board; chairs and pendant: Dot & Bo
Ryan and Alexa picked out the turquoise bed in their spacious master bedroom. Stainless steel reading lamps sit on low wood side tables with white painted drawers.
Two strings hung between window frames display moments from some of the couple’s favorite trips. “I really like it because it’s movable,” Alexa says. “It’s like an art installation, really.”
Bed: Blu Dot; bedside tables: HD Buttercup
Two strings hung between window frames display moments from some of the couple’s favorite trips. “I really like it because it’s movable,” Alexa says. “It’s like an art installation, really.”
Bed: Blu Dot; bedside tables: HD Buttercup
A nearby seating area incorporates furniture pieces Ryan and Alex already owned. “It was a stroke of luck their existing sofa, left over from their previous home, fit the bedroom’s window nook perfectly,” Riccoboni says.
A leaning bookcase holds a large collection of travel books.
A leaning bookcase holds a large collection of travel books.
A navy blue accent wall with oversized gold circle decals in Evelyn’s nursery was inspired by a photo Alexa saw on Houzz. “We wanted the circles to be playful and organic, and not perfect,” Alexa says.
The nursery offers different kid-friendly storage options, including a woven basket for stuffed animals and a storage unit that holds books and pullout bins for small toys.
Accent wall paint: Very Navy, Behr; crib: Babyletto; dresser: Ikea; rocker: Four Hands Home; striped storage basket: The Land of Nod; circle wall decals: Etsy; Roman shades: The Shade Store
The nursery offers different kid-friendly storage options, including a woven basket for stuffed animals and a storage unit that holds books and pullout bins for small toys.
Accent wall paint: Very Navy, Behr; crib: Babyletto; dresser: Ikea; rocker: Four Hands Home; striped storage basket: The Land of Nod; circle wall decals: Etsy; Roman shades: The Shade Store
The lighter wall on the other side of the nursery has three magnetic boards and floating bookshelves. “The shelves are such a great design element for the room,” Riccoboni says. “I love using books as decor—they’re so colorful and fun. They’re not just items to store, they’re things to display.”
A soft neon “love” sign found online adds color to the wall, and fits this light and airy side of the room.
A soft neon “love” sign found online adds color to the wall, and fits this light and airy side of the room.
Margaret’s nursery was designed to do double duty as a guest room when needed, with a black-framed queen bed fit for an adult.
A collection of framed travel photos hangs above the bed, with a blue bedside chest that serves as a nightstand.
Bed: Room & Board; bedside chest: Ikea; rocker: Joya, Monte Design
A collection of framed travel photos hangs above the bed, with a blue bedside chest that serves as a nightstand.
Bed: Room & Board; bedside chest: Ikea; rocker: Joya, Monte Design
Since this bedroom has limited natural light and is considered the darkest room in the home, Riccoboni proposed painting an accent wall in a cheery tangerine color. “It made a huge difference. It makes it feel so much warmer,” Alexa says.
She adds: “I feel like we were able to create spaces we want to linger in and spend time with our girls. We really do live in all of the spaces. It really does feel like a family home.”
Crib: Babyletto; accent wall paint: Cheerful Tangerine, Behr
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
She adds: “I feel like we were able to create spaces we want to linger in and spend time with our girls. We really do live in all of the spaces. It really does feel like a family home.”
Crib: Babyletto; accent wall paint: Cheerful Tangerine, Behr
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
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Ryan Talbot, a global supply manager in the tech industry; his wife, Alexa, a stay-at-home mom; and their two young daughters, Evelyn and Margaret
Location: Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, California
Size: 2,800 square feet (260.1 square meters); four bedrooms, three bathrooms plus a separate in-law suite
The Talbots hired JC Riccoboni of Ricco Style Interior Design to strip away unwanted details and create a blank slate of dark walnut-stained floors and white walls and introduce a hip, family-friendly style with lots of framed photos of their trips abroad.
While Riccoboni didn’t have any walls moved or eliminated during the makeover, she did have some existing details (like country-style salmon-colored built-ins in the family room) removed.
Here, Ryan and Alexa sit in their updated family room with their daughters, Evelyn (left) and Margaret. The couple commissioned Riccoboni to create the colorful painting over the navy blue sofa. “We knew we wanted a really large statement piece for that large wall, and wanted something playful, bold and colorful,” Alexa says.
Sofa: Room & Board; area rug: Pottery Barn; lamp: Target; coffee table: Cost Plus World Market