A Kid-Friendly Home Goes Traditional With A Twist

Creating a kid-friendly space was high on the list of priorities for a California couple who purchased a 1929 Spanish Colonial-style house in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood.

Enamored by the bones of the residence, the homeowners set their sights on paring down the formal tone of the estate and developing a more a welcoming atmosphere for family, friends and little ones.

“We took a covered sleeping porch upstairs and turned it into a lounge for the kids, with retractable windows,” says architectural designer Mark Becker, whose client wanted the room to feel like it was outside.

Designer April Powers washed the room in a deep blue and added custom banquettes sized to accommodate twin-size mattresses with built-in drawers to store bedding. Colorful patterned pillows and other details, like Moroccan pouf ottomans and intricate metalwork sconces, dovetail with the home’s Mediterranean-style architecture.

“My kids use it a lot for sleepovers,” says the homeowner. “You can easily get four kids on those cushions. My kids are also big readers, so they use it to escape and read books.”

Aside from imagining playful hideaways for the children, the team flipped the layout of the home to allow for an open flow with natural light. Bright colors, textures and patterns also define adult living spaces, such as the master bedroom and upstairs sitting room.

“The architecture definitely inspired the overall design of the interiors,” says Powers, “along with the owners’ appreciation for traditional with a twist.”