Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Modern California Style Meets Cape Cod Design
Modern touches and organic elements update traditional architecture
Curb appeal: The exterior palette of white, black and wood reflects classic Cape Cod style, which was also translated in the interiors. Metal roofing and dark trim are among the modern twists.
Kitchen
Palette: The design and construction team wanted to maintain a traditional feel but do something more unexpected than a classic white kitchen. “By inverting the colors and doing gray cabinets with white counters, we were able to maintain the same neutral palette as the rest of the home, but with more visual interest,” Payne says.
Cabinet paint: Gray Huskie, Benjamin Moore; find bar stools
Palette: The design and construction team wanted to maintain a traditional feel but do something more unexpected than a classic white kitchen. “By inverting the colors and doing gray cabinets with white counters, we were able to maintain the same neutral palette as the rest of the home, but with more visual interest,” Payne says.
Cabinet paint: Gray Huskie, Benjamin Moore; find bar stools
Open shelves: Interior designer Sharon Taftian designed the suspended brass shelving on either side of the hood that drove many of the other design decisions in the kitchen. White and brass pendants tie in with the shelving.
Shelving: Brandino Brass; hardware: Alno; pendants: Visual Comfort
Shelving: Brandino Brass; hardware: Alno; pendants: Visual Comfort
Countertops and backsplash: To complement the gray and brass, pops of crisp white appear in the Caesarstone countertops and glossy ceramic backsplash tile.
Tile and countertops: Caesarstone; faucet: Newport Brass
Tile and countertops: Caesarstone; faucet: Newport Brass
Living room
Furnishings: Natasha Kozlowski, who found many of the furnishings, calls the modern classic look “a blend between modern farmhouse, modern organic and California cool.”
Here, she and the team mixed a custom table with an antique mirror and contrasting pieces for an eclectic look.
Lighting: SH Lighting; rug: West Elm; sofas: custom; pillows: Target
Furnishings: Natasha Kozlowski, who found many of the furnishings, calls the modern classic look “a blend between modern farmhouse, modern organic and California cool.”
Here, she and the team mixed a custom table with an antique mirror and contrasting pieces for an eclectic look.
Lighting: SH Lighting; rug: West Elm; sofas: custom; pillows: Target
Dining Room
Windows: Black painted window trim provides contrast and cohesion throughout the home.
Dining table: AllModern; rug: Ikea; artwork: Svetlana Talabolina
Windows: Black painted window trim provides contrast and cohesion throughout the home.
Dining table: AllModern; rug: Ikea; artwork: Svetlana Talabolina
Guest Bathroom
Tile: Playing off the white subway tile in the kitchen, the team made over a main-level bathroom with a reverse palette, using black as a focal color to give a modern twist to a classic design element.
“I referenced the black, white and gold palette I had established in other areas of the home and modified it in a slightly unexpected way by choosing a black subway tile with a high-contrast white grout,” Taftian says. “It still feels familiar and traditional, especially with the marble tile mosaic on the floor, but because the subway is an unexpected twist and black, it keeps the space feeling fresh and modern.”
Tile: Westside Tile and Stone
Tile: Playing off the white subway tile in the kitchen, the team made over a main-level bathroom with a reverse palette, using black as a focal color to give a modern twist to a classic design element.
“I referenced the black, white and gold palette I had established in other areas of the home and modified it in a slightly unexpected way by choosing a black subway tile with a high-contrast white grout,” Taftian says. “It still feels familiar and traditional, especially with the marble tile mosaic on the floor, but because the subway is an unexpected twist and black, it keeps the space feeling fresh and modern.”
Tile: Westside Tile and Stone
Master Bathroom
Bathtub: A custom tub creates a stunning focal point. “The brushed stainless steel finish was chosen to complement the honed surfaces of the marble floor and wall tile,” Payne says, adding that honing the materials kept the marble from feeling too flashy — something a Cape Cod definitely is not.
Custom tub: Penhaglion; fixtures: Rohl, tile: Westside Tile and Stone, hardware: Restoration Hardware; sconces: Visual Comfort
Bathtub: A custom tub creates a stunning focal point. “The brushed stainless steel finish was chosen to complement the honed surfaces of the marble floor and wall tile,” Payne says, adding that honing the materials kept the marble from feeling too flashy — something a Cape Cod definitely is not.
Custom tub: Penhaglion; fixtures: Rohl, tile: Westside Tile and Stone, hardware: Restoration Hardware; sconces: Visual Comfort
Suite retreat: “The master suite was envisioned as a luxurious retreat, like a hotel suite within the home,” Payne says. “Sharon Taftian wanted the homeowners to be able to enjoy waking up, making an espresso and unwinding on the private deck.”
Bedroom
Palette: White walls and bedding mix with a gray headboard, bench and concrete fireplace surround to establish a comfortable, easygoing look.
Light: Visual Comfort, fireplace: custom
Palette: White walls and bedding mix with a gray headboard, bench and concrete fireplace surround to establish a comfortable, easygoing look.
Light: Visual Comfort, fireplace: custom
Other Spaces
Floors: Hand-distressed French oak was used on the floors and stairs.
Floors: Hand-distressed French oak was used on the floors and stairs.
Stairs: A custom iron handrail offers a modern update to the Cape Cod style.
At the top of the stairs, a 14-foot V-shape tongue-and-groove ceiling gives a true Cape Cod feel. “The height and the run of skylights provided an abundance of light, allowing us to add a beautiful detail with the shiplap, drawing the eye upward and also serving as a nod to the exterior details,” Payne says.
Kozlowski designed the church-pew-inspired benches, which were made by local artisans MoCa Handcrafted.
Pillows: Parrish Workroom; artwork: Svetlana Talabolina
Kozlowski designed the church-pew-inspired benches, which were made by local artisans MoCa Handcrafted.
Pillows: Parrish Workroom; artwork: Svetlana Talabolina
Backyard: A sitting room opens to a covered poolside patio of Montauk black slate tile.
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House at a Glance
Location: Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles
Designers: Sharon Taftian (interiors) and Natasha Kozlowski (staging); Bijan Azadi (architecture)
Builder: Boswell Construction
The backstory: To “break the mold” of the traditional Cape Cod-style homes being built in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood, Boswell Construction and Sharon Taftian Interiors aimed to give this three-level new build a modern spin. “This translated into a mix of materials,” says Keia Payne Payne of Boswell Construction, worked on the project with construction manager Joe Velasco. For the exterior, painted white spruce boards offset cedar shingles.