A Kid-Friendly Home Goes Traditional With A Twist

Details

eclectic living room gray sofa...

For the living room of an Oakland residence, designer April Powers paired a sofa by O. Henry House and Livia chairs by Marcali, all from Hewn, with a custom walnut coffee table. A Paul Ferrante chandelier and a wallcovering by Gregorius Pineo lend color to the space. Residential designer Mark Becker added beams to the ceiling and a new fireplace surround by Napa Valley Cast Stone.

eclectic kitchen blue island and...

The light-filled kitchen features a generous island, which is painted a shade of blue and capped with a walnut butcher-block countertop by Restoration Timber. Custom swivel counter stools by Kroll Furniture offer comfortable seating, and pendants by E.F. Chapman hang above.

eclectic white kitchen blue island...

The kitchen's vibrant floor tile, from Martyn Lawrence Bullard's Eastern Promise collection for Ann Sacks, was handcrafted in Morocco. The sleek cabinetry by Mueller Nicholls is painted in Benjamin Moore's Snowfall White.

eclectic dining room fireplace striped...

Custom chairs upholstered with Anatolia Stripe by Jim Thompson Fabrics surround a walnut table by Formations in the dining room. A custom chandelier by Bone Simple Design hangs above. The Reed Anderson artwork was sourced by Laura Grigsby Art Consulting.

eclectic living room bookcase brown

In the living room, Powers had a bookcase custom-made by Mueller Nicholls and stained to match the structure's millwork. The shelves hold the owners' albums and decorative objects.

eclectic sitting area leather poufs...

The upstairs sitting room, which serves as a lively retreat for the owners' children, features built-in daybeds fabricated by Mueller Nicholls and appointed with cushions custom-made with a Holland & Sherry fabric. The leather Moroccan poufs and Moorish sconces are by Tazi Designs.

eclectic bathroom sink and mirror...

Glass wall tile by Walker Zanger adds a glamorous touch to a powder room, where Powers designed a custom mirror framed with cerused white oak. Huntley sconces by The Urban Electric Co. hang above the vanity.

eclectic purple bedroom colorful chair

An aubergine-hued wallcovering by Romo from De Sousa Hughes lends depth to the master bedroom. Cisco Home's Tulip chair, upholstered with a Casamance fabric from Shears & Window, stands next to a Parquet Chest by Jayson Home. The Astinn rug is by Stark.

eclectic purple bedroom grey sofa

An Asilah chandelier by Ironies from Kneedler Fauchere suspends above the master bedroom, where Powers crowned the bed with a custom headboard upholstered with Tambo fabric by Harlequin. A Field bench by Cisco Home is covered with Kenmore fabric by Clarence House.

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.”