Privately situated in a canyon in Rancho Santa Fe, Mary and Steve Pierson’s newly remodeled home was originally a dark 1970’s style spec house. Having just returned to the States after living in Europe, the Piersons called upon Paul and Shannon Wehsener, the husband and wife team behind Paul Allen Design, to help them transform their new home into one that incorporated the essence of the elements the Piersons had encountered in their travels.
“They wanted a European Villa type of look,“ says Paul of the Pierson’s vision for the home. To give the exterior of the house a more vintage feel, the Wehseners changed the painted wood columns to stone, and to the balconies they added wrought iron work they personally designed themselves. To add more light to the interior, the designer couple toned down the dark hue of all the woodwork, lightened the floors, and removed several walls. To achieve a warmer, mellowed look, all the walls were painted in a soft, very subtle faux paint to look like plaster, and the ceilings were coved to soften the wall to ceiling transition. “The travertine floor has a craggy edge and a texture to it as well,” adds Paul, “and the new cabinetry and beams have a distressing to them, so everything has a little bit of aged look to it.”
The living room was designed, as were the other rooms, to incorporate the many antiques the Pierson’s already owned. Two arched French door pairs were added to flank the fireplace and access the new courtyard and garden paths. The living room was previously separated from the foyer and upper balcony with walls, and a sunken bar was filled in where the piano now resides. The room was opened to provide a visual connection to the other rooms, and to transform the previous loft into an elegant balcony. Iron railing, clad columns, new false beams and corbels were then added to tie all the new elements in place.
The space the Wehseners created in the patio area provides the perfect sanctuary for both personal contemplation and social mingling. The first change was to pull the BBQ away from the house, creating a larger area for entertaining and seating options. A fireplace was then added, as well as a wall behind the patio area which serves to incorporate the end of the pool, draw that area closer to the house for entertaining, and partition several gardens that lie behind it.
“Nothing worked before,” says Shannon of the kitchen. The core of the house actually had to be replanned in order to open up the kitchen to the family room, which involved removing several walls in the kitchen area. A spacious island was then added in the middle of the room that harmoniously connected the eating area to the work area. The Wehseners created more doors leading out, which allowed light to flow in from the spacious patio adjacent to the kitchen. With the new open island and reverse L arrangement, more than one person can now work in the kitchen while others gather around them to eat and socialize. “It’s just really conducive to that,” adds Shannon, “because now you can walk inside and outside the house through the kitchen without walking through the main work area.”
One of the focal points of the adjacent family room is the large, limestone fireplace the Wehseners designed to be reminiscent of one the Piersons grew attached to in a Belgian house they had resided. The windows on either side were redesigned to arch at the top, and beams and corbels were added to the ceiling. “The motif on the hand-painted beams reflects the border of the rug,” explains Shannon. “This room has the most color and pattern out of all the rooms so as to create a cozy gathering place.”
Initially, one walked through the foyer of the house directly into the sitting room of the master bedroom, which was a sudden, awkward transition from the public to the intimate. To ease this transition, the Wehseners created a personal foyer for the master bedroom. They also designed a new fireplace and sitting area, and further opened up the room by adding doors to the private patio that lie outside the room. The bathroom, which had been compartmentalized and drowned by an abundance 70’s brown colors, was lightened and opened up as well.
Before committing to any fabric or color schemes, the Wehseners traveled with the Piersons to Los Angeles to select the rugs together. “The rugs and the couple’s art were what we wanted to stand out,” says Paul. “Those are the timeless things. We think that keeping the upholstered pieces more simple and plain, in contrast, creates more of a classic, timeless look.”
“With this project we were fortunate to redesign the entire exterior and interior house—space planning, the cabinetry, the finishes, and the furniture,” adds Shannon. “And we really enjoyed the challenge and the outcome.”