One good look was all it took. To Kevin and Lauren Carraher, the sweeping ocean views of this La Jolla property recalled those of Saint-Tropez, and the pair were, well, swept away. The couple had imagined raising their three children in San Diego (where Kevin grew up) and the discovery of this north-facing lot overlooking the shoreline sealed the deal. “As soon as we found it, there was no other,” Kevin recalls. “We were going to find a way to make it work.”
The Carrahers envisioned a coastal Californian take on a farmhouse-style home, drawing design inspiration from houses found in Napa Valley and Montecito, but knew that the steeply sloped hillside lot, which drops more than 35 feet from street level to its lowest corner, would be a construction challenge. Friends steered them to architect Tim Martin—no stranger to San Diego County’s bluff-side lots—who plotted out a structure that steps down the hill. From the entry gate, guests descend to a front courtyard and into the main floor living spaces, set 10 feet below street level for privacy. Another level down is a walkout basement entertaining area that opens to the rear yard and pool. To execute the multitiered dwelling, the architect suggested bringing in general contractor David McGuiness, a frequent collaborator, alongside landscape architect Theresa Clark.
Home Details
Architecture:
Tim Martin, Martin Architecture
Interior Design:
Wendy Blackband and Rylee Resnick, Blackband Design
Home Builder:
David McGuiness, McGuiness Construction
Landscape Architecture:
Theresa Clark, TCLA Studio
Martin designed the home’s voluminous great room as “a big barn,” he quips, with timber ceilings and trusses emphasizing a ceiling that soars to 19 feet. This is the space where the residence’s wine-country-inspired vernacular is on broad display—“It’s more Napa farmhouse than modern farmhouse,” notes the architect—while other rooms incorporate elements that nod to this architectural style more subtly. Balancing the home’s heavier features became the focus for interior designers Wendy Blackband and Rylee Resnick. It was a complex process, says Blackband. “Our clients liked the Napa aesthetic but wanted a coastal home with a lighter and brighter palette, one with a glamorous feel that still worked for their family,” she explains. Marrying these concepts required ample attention to color. Pale white and beige create negative spaces, Blackband notes, while metal materials serve as eye-catching accents. See the dining area’s copper-hued tin ceiling panels that add gleam or the kitchen’s brass moments, from the counter stool frames to the detailing of the hood and stove. Statement lighting, like the great room’s artfully draped sparkly chandelier and the sculptural fixture floating atop the primary bath’s tub, adds a dose of sophistication. And graceful pendants like the trio suspended over the kitchen island help bring down the room’s massive scale.
The open kitchen’s centerpiece, a La Cornue range and hood in British racing green, is actually a wink to a favorite family film: the owners fell for the elegant French appliances after admiring an animated version of them in the movie Ratatouille . The designers set it off with patterned tiles framed by a white border. “We love the geometry of this kitchen; it’s a picture within a picture,” remarks Blackband. (A scullery is tucked behind, which helps keep the area tidy). The designers also collaborated with the homeowners for whimsical moments like the butterfly wallpaper that drifts across their twin daughters’ bedroom ceiling and moodier departures such as Kevin’s teal-drenched home office.
Alongside these personality-driven spaces, though, the home’s most essential characteristic is how effortlessly the layout encourages the family to head outside. Glass sliders in the great room roll away to connect a covered lanai that makes the most of the striking vistas, with a dining area, barbecue and outdoor living room. In the lower level, the common room echoes this layout, with gaming and gathering areas that lead out to the pool and yard. The spaces are all stylish yet casually informal, per the family’s preferred modus operandi. And the result is a residence that the Carrahers hardly want to leave. “We’re homebodies, and we love to hang out and entertain, to throw open the doors and move seamlessly from the kitchen to the outside,” shares Kevin. “We definitely feel at peace and at home here.”
