,  — Photographer:  / December 5, 2023
backyard with pool surrounded by trees, lounge chairs, vintage Chinese garden stools and a covered outdoor dining area

“I love when spaces tell a story of who lives there,” designer Nicole Green says. For this Orange County home, that tale is one she knows particularly intimately. When her parents purchased a Spanish-style abode within a serene estate overlooking Bommer Canyon, they readily asked her to lead its interior renovation. It marks their second project together (Green handled the design of their Park City, Utah, getaway several years ago) and, while her parents followed her usual client process in the past, she admits this one came together a bit differently. “It was hard not to talk about the renovation casually over Sunday dinner,” she shares of their close relationship.

Her parents, whom Green describes as frequent travelers, avid entertainers and “a stylish, youthful couple,” brought some design know-how to the table themselves. “They’d been in their previous home for twenty years, so this was a chance to bring their interiors up to date with their current style,” the designer says. “My father is a builder with an eye for detail and my mother has wonderful taste and was very involved in the process.” While Green drove the renovation in every sense, the pair were involved collaborators and companions on sourcing trips to France and Italy, even finding a few special items themselves.

Home Details

Photography

Malissa Mabey

Interior Design

Nicole Green, Nicole Green Design House

Landscape Architecture

Molly Wood, Molly Wood Garden Design

To kick things off, Green updated the taupe-hued exteriors with a warm white shade and placed a stone patio set purchased on a family trip to Provence in the front courtyard beside a fountain. The water feature’s look—and soothing sound—sets the scene for the tranquil modern Mediterranean spirit found throughout the property. Inside, the designer gutted and recast key spaces like the kitchen, opening it up to a family room and carving out a dining nook. She was able to retain the abode’s exterior French doors and windows, staining them a darker hue to create contrast, plus sanded and restained the family room’s beams. Smooth plaster was added to the walls for texture and depth. She also chose soft neutrals and earthy hues that flow naturally throughout the home, exuding a subtle elegance. “The palette is influenced by the breathtaking views of the rolling hills, which change color throughout the year,” Green explains.

Then there’s all the storytelling elements—those pieces that speak to the character of the owners. The foyer displays some of her parents’ beloved books and photographs while the piano room just off the entry features artwork, artifacts and even more of their library within distinctive coves. The dining room, also located just beyond the foyer, is drenched in cocoa-colored paint (“which just envelops you,” Green muses) setting off a distinctive Murano-glass chandelier the designer chose as an element of surprise. “I knew my parents’ style and what they would love, but I also knew when to challenge them,” she notes.

entry with a mirror, sconces, low bench and console table topped with framed art a mirror in home by Nicole Green

In the entry, ambient lighting and beautiful art by the owner’s sister serve as an elegant greeting. A console from Oly Studio, small bench from Mr. Brown London and Articolo Studios sconces mingle with a custom burnished mirror.

The formal living room provided an opportunity to introduce stronger colors. “The sofas are dressed in a bold but calming blue-green velvet that adds a lot of personality,” the designer says. “We wanted this room to feel very sophisticated but still loungy.” She also specified a new fireplace surround in a size that nods to a grand, old-world scale.

Quieter neutrals adorn the family room, with a cream-colored sectional anchoring the space, and continue into the adjacent kitchen. And, in her parents’ serene bedroom, Green brought in meaningful touches including an antique desk (a family heirloom) and floral artworks by Lourdes Sanchez, whose work also appears in the kitchen, to reinforce the house’s connection to its site.

living area with green velvet sofas, coffee tables, sculptural floor lamp, fireplace, two stacked cushions and an armchair

Bespoke sofas in a Ralph Lauren Home velvet add a bold touch to the formal living room. The floor lamp is from Mr. Brown London, the coffee tables are Arteriors and the side chair is Bernhardt. Artwork is by Laura Naples.

To revive the large yard, the homeowners called upon landscape architect Molly Wood, who had designed their previous residence’s yard. In tandem with the interior plan, Wood chose a restrained plant palette free of distracting hues. “It’s more about texture and foliage with color,” she explains of her work. “We chose grasses for movement, white roses to keep it natural but civilized, succulents, cacti and agave for interest, and boxwood, pittosporum and dwarf olives for different mounding shapes that echo the trees on the far hillsides.” Wood also brought in strawberry trees native of the Mediterranean Basin (and which happen to be Italy’s national tree) to frame the pool and bolster the estate’s European feel. A fire pit under a graceful sycamore and a trellised seating area also create new spaces for the owners to enjoy.

Due to the personal nature of this project, Green, happily, is still able to enjoy her work during frequent visits. But, more importantly, her parents are satisfied. “They’re a little removed from the world there; it’s a welcoming sanctuary where they can rest and enjoy each other’s company, but still host grandkids and holidays,” the designer observes. “It’s fitting for this next chapter in their lives.” Which is a story they have yet to tell.

dining area with a walnut rectangular dining table, rounded back leather chairs, and a vintage Murano glass chandelier by Nicole Green

A Giopato & Coombes chandelier from Garde is reflected in a 1970s Italian mirror sourced via Galerie Half. The designer paired Hickory Chair chairs wearing Edelman Leather with a bespoke walnut table that can seat two guests at each end during larger gatherings.

entry with a mirror, sconces, low bench and console table topped with framed art a mirror in home by Nicole Green
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In the entry, ambient lighting and beautiful art by the owner’s sister serve as an elegant greeting. A console from Oly Studio, small bench from Mr. Brown London and Articolo Studios sconces mingle with a custom burnished mirror.

abstract framed artwork next to a pedestal topped with ceramic vases, backed by warm brown painted walls in home by Nicole Green
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Farrow & Ball’s Salon Drab—“the dreamiest warm brown,” Green says—coats the dining room walls and ceiling. The abstract work by Italian artist Davide Serio was found by the designer on a family trip to Florence. Atop a pedestal are two pieces by ceramicist Re Jin Lee.

bedroom with doorway open to exterior seating area, sheer curtains and lamp in home by Nicole Green
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In the owners’ bedroom, which opens to a private seating area, a bespoke bed is joined by layered linen and sheer drapery fabrics from Schumacher and Kravet. The white porcelain table lamp is Ralph Lauren for Visual Comfort & Co.

kitchen with marble counters, lamp, artwork and shelves with neutral ceramic dishware in home by Nicole Green
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Alder perimeter cabinets and open shelving play off Calacatta Colorado marble counters in the kitchen. The pulls are Rocky Mountain Hardware, with taps from Waterstone Faucets. A porcelain lamp from Molly Wood Garden Design illuminates artwork by Lourdes Sanchez.

family room with exposed beams and a cream sectional topped with cream and tan pillows in home by Nicole Green
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The family room’s custom sectional, which joins a coffee table from Kevin Bills Studio, is by designer Nicole Green. Topping it are pillows dressed in fabrics from Rose Tarlow Melrose House, Lindsay Cowles and Dedar.

dining area with a walnut rectangular dining table, rounded back leather chairs, and a vintage Murano glass chandelier by Nicole Green
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A Giopato & Coombes chandelier from Garde is reflected in a 1970s Italian mirror sourced via Galerie Half. The designer paired Hickory Chair chairs wearing Edelman Leather with a bespoke walnut table that can seat two guests at each end during larger gatherings.

living area with green velvet sofas, coffee tables, sculptural floor lamp, fireplace, two stacked cushions and an armchair
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Bespoke sofas in a Ralph Lauren Home velvet add a bold touch to the formal living room. The floor lamp is from Mr. Brown London, the coffee tables are Arteriors and the side chair is Bernhardt. Artwork is by Laura Naples.

backyard with pool surrounded by trees, lounge chairs, vintage Chinese garden stools and a covered outdoor dining area
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pool in tree-filled backyard surrounded by lounge chairs with vintage Chinese garden stools between each chair by Nicole Green
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To encourage lingering near the pool, Green selected teak lounge chairs from Sutherland upholstered with an oatmeal-hued Perennials fabric. Vintage Chinese garden stools are placed between each seat.