Eschewing the trend of tearing down an existing home and replacing it with a newer, larger dwelling, these homeowners chose to embrace the charm, and footprint, of their 1960’s ranch-style home. SALTHOUSE collective meticulously reimagined every corner of the 1500+ sq ft home, weaving together minimalist aesthetics with quintessential California cool. The result is an inviting sanctuary where airy spaces seamlessly merge with the lush, tree-shaded yard, preserving the home’s essence while embracing contemporary sensibilities. Charlotte Lea Photography captured the incredible transformation in the tour below.
From the designer… My clients bought an early 1960s, 1500+ sq ft, ranch-style home on over an acre of land in Olivenhain, CA, which sits just north of Rancho Santa Fe. Olivenhain is home to horse trails and ranches and is an area that has increasingly seen larger and larger homes being built in place of some of the original smaller ranch-style homes as more money has come into San Diego over the years. My clients, a young family of three, decided to go against the trend of tearing down and building a mansion on their large lot, and instead, we worked within the existing 1500+ sq ft home, re-working pretty much every inch of space, to breathe new life into it.
We opened up the kitchen to create a large L-shaped great room to create an entertaining space that feels large, but also intimate. We re-worked both bathrooms, the hallway widths, and the primary bedroom to ensure maximum functionality. The result is a beautiful, minimalistic meets California modern style home. It’s open, inviting, bright, layered, and a calming oasis from the moment you step inside. As you walk out the back of the great room’s massive sliding door you’re immediately immersed in the private, natural tree-covered yard.
My clients wanted the home to feel open and inviting, but also modern and interesting so we used a variety of tiles with nuanced color and size variations to make the spaces feel less “new” and layered in quirky yet interesting artwork, large-scale plants, and textured elements like baskets and ceramics to give the spaces a more gathered feel. Lastly, we opened up the home with a large wall-to-wall slider in the great room and primary bedroom and replaced the paned kitchen window, similar to the original style, as a nod to the original home.
The new home is fresh and feels right for our era, but also preserves the beautiful and natural vegetation on their lot so the home remains a part of the environment, versus a massive standout structure. As a San Diego native who has seen more and more land continue to be replaced with development, I love when homeowners can preserve the original home and update within the footprint. I find those types of projects – the ones where we’re editing a space inch by inch to maximize rooms – the most exciting and enjoyable. I think we modernized this home so beautifully and it’s such a perfect home for my clients.
Like what you see? Take a peek at the talent behind the story… Interior Design: Leigh Jendrusina of SALTHOUSE collective · Photography: Charlotte Lea Photography
