When it comes to doing a career 180, D.C. native and former lawyer, Kristin Dion, knows how to do it well (and we’re so glad she did). From law to interiors—Kristin has built a successful design firm, all while raising her sweet 6 and 9-year-old kiddos. We took a tour of her Venice Beach home, captured by Christopher Lee, and got a glimpse into her beautiful version of organic California beach living.
Tell us a bit about your home and the inspiration behind it…
We moved into our Venice home when we were pregnant with our first child almost 11 years ago. We slowly but surely made the house OUR home reflective of our style through multiple renovations over time. Since we were raising our kids in this home, we designed it with both function and style in mind. Everything we did needed to function well for our family—safe, practical and ample storage were all high on our priority list.
How would you describe your design style?
Our design aesthetic is best described as organic modern—lots of natural elements like wood and plants combined with clean lines. Our master bathroom remodel probably best demonstrates our “organic modern” aesthetic. We used ARTO Brick tile on the floors in a hexagon pattern as a nod to the Spanish-style exterior of our home. We combined it with a clean oversized subway tile from Bedrosian Tile and a wood vanity and simple mirrors and lights. The wooden chandelier over the tub was the icing on the cake.
Walk us through the kitchen…
We designed a classic white kitchen with a wall of pantry storage, along with a built-in refrigerator. White kitchens are beautiful and bright and are the perfect blank canvas to style however you want! We opened the dining room to the side yard with bi-fold doors from La Cantina and built a deck to achieve a wonderful indoor/outdoor feel for that room. We enjoyed coffee out on that deck every morning!
We decided to use the fourth bedroom as a family room/playroom and created built-in cabinets with a desk along an entire wall. The cabinets were perfect for toy storage! I’m ok with a little bit of clutter, as long as it is behind closed doors.
We recently sold this home and bought a fixer-upper in Manhattan Beach. You can follow along with me here on Instagram to see all the fun projects we are doing in our new home!
