A Designer Merges Two Styles In A California Home

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contemporary living area layered coffee...

Two Arteriors iron table lamps from Loggia Showroom stand behind a custom sofa, covered with a Romo fabric, which defines one side of the open living area. Macfee designed the space with a tailored and feminine slant, while still including masculine accents.

contemporary living room coffee table...

Playing off the traditional space, Macfee designed the coffee table as a set of three nesting tables that are made from white oak with forged-iron bases. The materials lend interest and edge to the area.

contemporary kitchen metal stove terra-cotta...

The kitchen was reimagined with a French-farmhouse feel. A new metal stove hood crowns a backsplash of Spanish handmade terra-cotta tiles from Country Floors, and the existing cabinets were refreshed with a custom finish. The hammered-nickel sink and Rohl faucet are both from Jack London Kitchen & Bath.

contemporary kitchen neutral limestone floors

Quartzite counters from Integrated Resources Group cap the refinished cabinetry, which is offset by solid-bronze hardware by Du Verre from Belmont Hardware. Limestone floors by Francois & Co. lend a tactile feel to the space, and the forged-iron pendants are custom.

contemporary dining area brown and...

In the dining area, a Paul Ferrante chandelier from Hewn casts a soft glow on the parquet-oak-topped table. Macfee designed the chairs, wearing Archimedes by Classic Cloth, to have a slipcovered look. An antique ebonized mirror from JF Chen in Los Angeles hangs above a custom walnut console.<

contemporary living room gray velvet...

In the living area, Macfee designed wingback chairs with a modern twist and upholstered them with a Stroheim fabric. A painting by Charles Eckart hangs above a new limestone fireplace surround by Francois & Co., and the wool rug is by Stark.

contemporary living room timbers neutral

Existing timbers lend a rustic feel to the family room, which was enlarged with the help of builder John Buestad. Macfee anchored the space with custom-designed armchairs upholstered with antiqued leather and detailed with nailheads. She balanced those pieces with a custom sofa upholstered with a textile by Calvin Fabrics and two armchairs, which she dressed in a bold Osborne & Little textile. The Astrid carpet is by Stark.

contemporary sitting area staircase neutral

In updating the interiors of a Diablo home, designer Catherine Macfee created many custom furniture pieces, including a pair of antique-inspired wingback chairs positioned in the entry. A contemporary abstract by Bradford Stewart hangs in the stairwell against the newly glazed wall paneling. The antique Turkish rug is from Aga John Oriental Rugs.

contemporary sitting area leather base...

In the game room's sitting area, commodious custom sofas combine leather bases and cushions covered with fabric by Castel. The coffee table, a bench topped with an antique leather gym mat, is from Sonoma Country Antiques and rests on a Moroccan rug from Aga John Oriental Rugs.

contemporary game room living area...

Often referred to as the man cave, the game room features an area clad with reclaimed barnwood to accommodate a pool table. A one-of-a-kind hand-forged steel light fixture by Daniel Hopper Design commands attention in the space.

contemporary neutral bedroom wing bed

In the master bedroom, a wing bed is upholstered with Opuzen fabric and dressed with a duvet made with an ikat by Schumacher. Club chairs are upholstered with a Zimmer + Rohde textile and pair with a tufted ottoman covered with a fabric by Romo. The Paul Ferrante lamp is from Hewn, and the rug is from Stark. The bedroom leads out to the grounds designed by landscape architect David Thorne of David Thorne Landscape Architect, Inc.

In the 1970s, Donny and Marie Osmond crooned “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock N’ Roll.” For one California couple remaking a New England shingle-style home in Diablo, the lyrics to the song might go, “she’s a little bit traditional classic; he’s a little bit rustic and modern,” but the sentiment is still the same.

To merge the two design styles, the couple called on designer Catherine Macfee. “The owners are the same but different, in that she is whimsical and casually refined, while he is more modern yet rustic and playful,” she says.

To start, the designer crafted a living room with modified wingbacks in a comfy gray velvet, plus a cool white sofa, which matched the wife’s sophisticated yet approachable style. To complement the husband’s taste, Macfee faced a game room with reclaimed barnwood wall and worked in a pool table, dark brown sofas and chairs scaled with heft in mind.

The spaces in between include a dining room defined by big swaths of printed fabrics, a French farmhouse-inspired kitchen with glazed oak cabinets and handmade tiles, and a family room where a tailored gray sofa and antiqued leather armchairs balance each other.

“The success of the design was expressing bits of each of them in every room,” Macfee says.