California Design: Why The Golden State Is The Ultimate Address
The weather. The views. The lifestyle. The access. Living in California offers a pathway to the things you can’t put a price on, which perhaps underscores why so many people (around 12% of the U.S. population, including the largest number of 1-percent earners in the nation) choose to reside in the Golden State. Cali-based homes can double as status symbols, conveying the idea of a superior quality of life and leisure achievable on the West Coast—an idealized belief that dates back to the 1849 Gold Rush. This gilded promise is no mere veneer, though; the glitter is real. Designers in California report their clients have higher overall home values compared to any other region.
The state’s size and scope create a diverse, innovative and ever-evolving design scene. There’s the glossy cultural hotbed that encompasses Los Angeles, which contrasts the vibrancy of the Bay Area, beautifully framed by a San Francisco town house by Kendall Wilkinson Design (below, left). Take in the Dionysian pleasures of wine country—a Napa Valley dwelling by Wade Design Architects and Jennifer Robin Interiors (below, right) shows this idyllic setting to perfection. Relaxed sophistication defines Santa Barbara County and other coastal enclaves like Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Newport Beach and Dana Point—where a hillside home by Brandon Architects and Morrison Interiors (right) commands panoramic views of SoCal’s iconic shoreline. And don’t forget the desert-resort playground comprising the Coachella Valley. A Palm Springs home by Stephen Strugala Design and Mark Brunetz + Co. (bottom) characterizes the area’s visual appeal.
From wine country to the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara County to Los Angeles, the Coachella Valley to an endless array of coastal enclaves, the diversity of the Golden State is unmatched.
All of the above plays into why we, both Midwesterners who heard Cali’s siren song, are now decades into our lives in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, respectively. All that California dreamin’? It lives up to the hype.
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Paul Dyer
Photo: Paul Dyer
Designers Report That Nearly A Quarter Of Their California Clients Own A Home Valued In Excess Of $20M
Photo: Lance Gerber
San Francisco + Northern California
Written by Mary Jo Bowling
When I arrived in California by way of Chicago, I was enchanted by the design melting pot here. Elaborate Victorians sit next to midcentury dwellings; Mediterranean-style residences live near stark modern abodes; mansions and modest Junior Fives (a Bay Area housing type with two bedrooms, a single bath, a kitchen and a living room) sometimes reside within a stone’s throw of each other. In my 10 years as a LUXE homes editor, design variety has been the spice of my personal and professional life, and I love it all.
Northern California’s natural beauty, enterprising spirit and monetary means make for a potent design brew. Let’s start with the landscape: Ever since the First Bay Tradition kicked off in the late 19th century, architects here have wrapped their arms tightly around nature with less-formal, landscape-centered designs.
Now, pair that with the risk-taking and adventure that is in the DNA of this region. In the 1800s, it took a special brand of fortitude to head for the hills in search of gold. A similar type of grit was required for early Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to ditch their corporate desks for garage start-ups. With that mindset, it’s only natural that we see design fearlessness and experimentation here today, applied to create private worlds that are excitingly intrepid or soothingly calm, but rarely boring.
“Privacy has become increasingly important and is considered on multiple levels.”
—Claudia Juestel
Photo: Paul Dyer
Open Wide
Today’s Northern California design pros have taken the melding of indoors and out to new heights. In many of the homes we feature, floor-to-ceiling walls of glass roll completely away (sometimes on two or even three sides of the same space) to allow an alfresco experience from the comfort of the living room sofa. As architect Clare Walton of Walton Architecture, whose Tahoe project is featured here, says, “When you can open up spaces easily and connect with nature, it creates a sense of well-being.”
Photo: Paul Dyer
“We have found that clients are increasingly drawn to a more edited material palette, with fewer finishes, but executed at the highest level of craftsmanship and durability.”
—Claudia Juestel
Living Large
A popular meme recently exhorted people to “take the trip, buy the shoes, and eat the cake,” and that same seize-the-day mentality has swept through homes in this region. There’s an inclination to go for “more” when it comes to luxury features, be it a dream wine cellar, a museum-worthy art collection or a private spa with all the amenities. In the wine country compound by Claudia Juestel featured here, the founder of Adeeni Design Group worked hard to bring the owners’ dreams to life with personal details and bespoke elements. Notice the rugs crafted with motifs from local Native American tribes and a fireplace clad in cold-rolled steel that reflects one of the owner’s passions for industrial objects.
Second To None
Today’s luxury vacation retreat isn’t necessarily a rustic cottage or cabin. Instead, we are seeing second homes that are as well-appointed as a primary residence, complete with bespoke furnishings, notable art collections, immersive wellness areas and hotel-worthy amenities. The ability to work remotely means that getaways last longer, and owners aren’t content to relax in second best.
Los Angeles + Southern California
Written by Kelly Phillips Badal
After growing up in the Midwest, spending a decade in New York City, and now living for a decade-plus in Los Angeles, I’m a convert to the “West Coast, Best Coast” adage. Southern California, in particular, calls to the dreamers. Here, there exists a deeply ingrained sense of optimism, a feeling that you can do anything, build anything, get discovered and make it big…or perhaps just find yourself. It doesn’t hurt that the climate is pleasant and that the varied landscape—the scenic shoreline, the desert tableau, the dramatic mountains—is beautiful.
There’s terrain for every taste on Cali’s southern end. Want to sculpt a hideaway into the Santa Barbara County foothills like this residence by architect Ron Radziner of Marmol Radziner? You can. The home encapsulates what SoCal offers in spades: Indoor-outdoor living ringed by awe-inspiring views of both the mountains and ocean. The structure converses directly with the land, a take on California modernism that nods to SoCal’s history of boundary-pushing architecture. This is, after all, where pioneering modernists like Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler and Charles and Ray Eames transformed residential design, treating the area as a laboratory for experimental design.
It still is. The design community continues to evolve, trends often originate here and real estate data backs up what our own survey results say: Southern California—from Montecito and Santa Barbara to greater Los Angeles and down to San Diego—is one of the country’s most desirable places to live.
Photo: Roger Davies/OTTO
Photo: Roger Davies/OTTO
Photo: Roger Davies/OTTO
“The best Southern California homes have a strong sense of restrained drama.”
—Adam Hunter
Outside-In Design
Southern Californians crave interior spaces that connect to outdoor living and recreational areas (think private pickleball and padel courts, personal wellness centers, pools, spas, saunas, etc.)—the more effortlessly, the better. From open-air courtyards and atriums to glass curtain walls that pocket away, homes that organically embrace the outdoors are a SoCal signature. This Pacific Palisades home by IR Architects and Adam Hunter is a perfect example. “We made everything about the windows,” says Hunter, pointing out a wall of glass that opens to outdoor entertaining spaces backdropped solely by ocean and sky. “The landscaping plays such a key element, creating a picture frame while keeping it vastly open to focus on the views.” With landscape architecture by Bailey House Ltd, the result is a backyard on par with a luxury resort.
Cinematic Influence
Call it the Hollywood effect. Whether a home is located in Santa Barbara or San Diego—and no matter the style—SoCal houses often resemble film sets and many designers hew to Tinseltown for inspiration. Beyond the neutral hues and natural materials that have come to define the relaxed “California look” comes a rising desire for atmospheric spaces, immersive environments and a bit of flair. “The best Southern California homes have a strong sense of restrained drama,” notes Hunter. Cue the cameras.
Health Is Wealth
Cold plunges, infrared saunas, oxygen rooms, salt spas, circadian lighting, air and water filtration, living green walls—SoCal homeowners’ punch list of elements aimed at enhancing wellness and longevity goes way beyond carving out space for a gym. Plus, a growing awareness of choosing low-toxicity materials, as well as the recent impact of L.A.’s Palisades and Eaton fires, has underscored the importance of sustainability and safety for new residences.
Photo: Douglas Friedman
Photo: Douglas Friedman
