Designer Michael Fullen Brings His Pro Touch To His Laguna Home

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Living room with beige couch...

Interior designer Michael Fullen’s Laguna Beach home is a celebration of personal style. The living room’s scale let him create “a central seating area with the fireplace as a focal point plus an additional seating area to enjoy the morning light in the large front window,” he says. Over the mantel is a 19th-century portrait. The Jim Thompson Fabrics sofa materials is from Kneedler-Fauchère, as are the Fox Linton drapery panels, edged with Samuel & Sons trim from Thomas Lavin. The daybed is upholstered with Great Plains fabric; the coffee table is from Formations. Anchoring the room is an Aga John rug.

Entry to michael fullen's house...

The entrance “offers a welcoming feel even before entering,” Fullen says. “Opposing benches also make a great spot to sit and chat with passing neighbors.” He found the sconces at the Brimfield Antique Show in Brimfield, Massachusetts.

Fullen considered selling the Italian armoire but instead decided to give it new life. “I had the interior painted a rich persimmon lacquer inspired by 18th-century chinoiserie cabinets,” he says. With a mirror now at the back, it’s in service as the dining room’s cocktail cabinet.

Dining room with long light...

Generously proportioned custom chairs in a Jim Thompson Fabrics neutral flank the Holly Hunt table in the dining room. For light, the designer selected a Williams-Sonoma Home fixture. The draperies are in a Jim Thompson Fabrics pattern; the portrait by James Koskinas is from Selby Fleetwood Gallery.

Breakfast nook with pair of...

The kitchen was designed “to reflect the period architecture of the home,” says Fullen. Chairs from J. Alexander join a custom banquette, both upholstered in a Great Plains covering by Holly Hunt. Vintage French hardware adorns the custom cabinets.

Overall shot of kitchen with...

For an eclectic feel, the designer used a mix of butcher block, soapstone and marble for the kitchen countertops and painted the cabinetry Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy. The Viking range and hood are from Ferguson; the Rohl sinks and faucets are from Pirch. The counter stools are by Holly Hunt.

BEdroom with dark accent wall...

Against a backdrop of a Phillip Jeffries wallcovering from Harsey & Harsey in the master bedroom is a Moyes Custom Furniture bed dressed with Sferra linens and upholstered in a Jim Thompson Fabrics solid. Rounding out the room are Nancy Corzine nightstands, Visual Comfort & Co. lighting and a Kravet rug. The etchings date from the 19th century; the painting is by Siddharth Parasnis.

Bathroom with view of tub,...

In the master bathroom, Fullen paired Made Goods vanity mirrors with Visual Comfort & Co. sconces and a lantern. A shade in a Christopher Farr Cloth print hangs at the windows. The cabinets, painted Sherwin Williams’ Gauntlet Gray, sport brass hardware from RH. The plumbing fixtures are by Rohl.

Garden view with tree, loungers...

“The yard was designed to be an extension of the house—fully furnished and ready for entertaining,” says Fullen, who shares the home with his husband, John Isaza. Near the fire pit are a Janus et Cie sofa, Sutherland side chairs and Dedon loungers. The designer turned his prodigious talents to the landscaping as well, opting for reclaimed brick for the patio and adding in lush hedges and layers of flax and ornamental grasses. He furnished the dining area and adjacent seating area with Kingsley Bate pieces.

Terrace view with dining area...

The designer turned his prodigious talents to the landscaping as well, opting for reclaimed brick for the patio and adding in lush hedges and layers of flax and ornamental grasses. He furnished the dining area and adjacent seating area with Kingsley Bate pieces.

Just a few blocks away from some of Southern California’s most idyllic beaches is the unexpected Laguna Beach neighborhood El Mirador. There, homes are built in historical styles following curving, tree-lined streets that conjure images of European villages rather than grid-like suburbs. That charm wasn’t lost on interior designer Michael Fullen, who fell for one of the area’s most well-preserved examples. “The house sits on a large lot with old-growth trees, and the architecture is in the Provincial Revival style,” he explains. “We were drawn to its historical value, creative architecture and timeless quality.” All it needed was Fullen’s professional touch.

“The house had been renovated by a couple who appreciated its historic character, but it was begging for a cosmetic refresh,” continues Fullen. The designer, who has two grown children with his husband, attorney John Isaza, replaced carpeted areas with hardwood floors, updated light fixtures, added steel windows and doors, and repainted (inside and out), all in keeping with the residence’s original spirit. “The rest was accomplished with new furnishings, window treatments and our art collection,” he says.

If he makes it sound easy, it was—mostly. “I was able to buy and mix anything that felt right in the moment,” he explains. “That’s almost impossible for clients to embrace. Most want a plan, and to see exactly what they are getting. Very few trust the process and allow this much to chance.” Here, Fullen was free to let the rooms develop organically, though he does admit to occasional moments of doubt, which he resolved by simply trusting his gut. “It can be paralyzing to make a committed decision in your own home, but this house spoke to me, and decisions came easily,” he says. Adds John: “I let Michael do what he does best. He knows not to overwhelm me with choices and would present his top three schemes for a given room. From that point, it was easier for me to inject my ideas and preferences. I’m all about color, textures and functionality—but I push back on things that are fluffy or whimsical unless it serves a purpose. Though, once in a while, I surrender function for fabulous.”

To make the home truly theirs, Fullen relied on furnishings of his own design, like the living room’s sofa and daybed. “The rest easily filled itself in,” he says. “To my eye, the best-looking homes have a mix of styles and values. Just because something is expensive doesn’t make it remarkable from a design perspective. It takes a keen eye to meld high and low with new and old, including a blend of modern, transitional and traditional,” he says. To that point, the living room also features a saber leg chair found years ago in Los Angeles, a tall case clock given to the couple by friends, and a boldly contemporary steel cocktail table, “the centerpiece to bind it all,” Fullen notes. What is not there is a television, a conscious decision by the couple to keep the room a quiet, more formal space.

Fullen took a more relaxed approach in the den, freely mixing the couple’s existing pieces even though they were “completely different styles—beach cottage and midcentury.” What unites everything is their ebullient art collection. On one wall is a John Randall Nelson painting of a bicycle, and on another is a grouping of vintage portraits and plein-air paintings from California and Cape Cod. “The display of our artwork makes me smile,” John shares. “When we met, we realized we had many things in common, and one of them was an appreciation for art of all kinds. Over the years, we’ve found great pieces while on vacation, in local galleries, through Instagram, at antique stores, consignment shops and at charity auctions. We’re by no means art snobs,” he says.

The couple’s collection continues in the dining room, where a portrait by James Koskinas overlooks the table, and to their bedroom, where Fullen placed 19th-century figurative etchings above the bed and a colorful architectural painting by Siddharth Parasnis nearby. With its painterly pillow fabrics, even the rear patio is imbued with artistry.

“Our home is a reflection of us and holds the things we love,” says Fullen. But the charm that first lured them has made an even greater impression of late, as the designer and his husband’s hectic travel schedules were grounded by the pandemic. “The dining room became my home office, the living room a place for conference calls, and the yard a place to escape it all,” he reflects. “We fell in love with the house in a whole new way. It has become our sanctuary.”