Mediterranean Makeover | Home Remodel

Stephanie Bedrosian of RSVP Style and Mary Papaleo of
Stems at the Palatine were featured in the
Spring 2018 CV Lux Home & Garden issue.

“Finding the right furniture and accessories to elevate the everyday life is key.”

This magnificent property, located in a canyon entrance to California's golden Central Coast, radiates a traditional Mediterranean estate. Lush landscaped gardens hug the iconic salmon exterior. Our challenge - to decorate and update the previous confused genres of aesthetics, into our client's clean, contemporary tastes!

Keeping within the dominant Mediterranean elevation of the home, we created a fusion of natural elements, mechanizing heavy woods, stone, metals and glass, amongst the existing terra cotta paver flooring throughout.

This second home called for a relatively neutral palette, rich in textures and crisp in styling, yet comfortable and welcoming for the many family and friend's weekend retreats to come. Walking into the entry, you are welcomed by a large foyer that teases you. Should you go straight ahead into a serene, sophisticated living room, up the majestic spiral staircase to the overhead landing, fitted with marbled upholstered, sleek tall back chairs, hugged up to a portable bar cabinet, for a bird's eye view of the apple orchards lining the street... or to your left, into the gathering-centric kitchen and family room. It's a win, win, win triad.

Forward we proceed.. The sublime living room invites you to sit and gaze out of the arched-paned windows into a courtyard boasting agave, bougainvillea and a bounty of California native botanicals. To accentuate this view, the room surrounds you with a pair of soft upholstered, tonal print, fixed back sofas with low profile silhouettes, so as not to obstruct your gazing. The large travertine, free-form, rounded "rock" coffee table, along with chamcha wood cube end tables, topped with freeform coral lamps, humbles you amongst the canyonous background, hinting at the Pacific Ocean just over the hill.

The living room forks around a stone fireplace into to a beautiful dining area. Hosting up to fourteen guests at a time, the rectangular deep midnight brown walnut table top, rests on dual cast architectural bases, pulling together the original columns in the foyer to the far reaches of this formal, yet practical gathering point. Antiqued mirror lengthens this linear space, as it is nestled between built-in shelving and cabinetry at the west-end of the room. The oval, multi-crystal drop chandelier dances above the stout dining table, like a starry night over the dark sea. The contrast of the heavy furnishings to the playful glass oblong dangles, entertains the eye, almost as much as the view to the pool outside the double French doors.

Backstepping to the kitchen, we enter past a hand finished solid copper lined wine refrigerator. Using a blow torch, we created an oxidized work of art to offer a fitting backdrop to showcase their collection of vintages. Reminiscent of a coastal sunset, the warm tones of this treated copper play well against the iron arms and bottles in the wine racks. These tones are pulled cohesively back to the center of the kitchen island with a warm rose-toned gold metal sculpture chandelier. The oversized casual, yet bold, metal framed open figure eight fixture illuminates the marble counters flawlessly.

Stepping through the kitchen, you may stop and grab cowhide counter-height barstools at the custom made round game table. The wooden "X" base supports a 54" diameter wooden top, "decked" out, no pun intended, with a Michael Aram triangular bowl, brimming with faux succulents and room to hold cards, and dice, of course. To the rear of this table, sits a custom built bar, filled with bar accessories for playing hard after working hard.

Continuing through into the most used spot in the home, the family room. Two ivory upholstered, low back club chairs provide the perfect conversation area to frame in the custom leather sectional. Made of beautiful full-grain aniline leather from Italy, the back cushions were quilted to give a tailored and somewhat glamorous edge to it. In the heart of this room, two large cube, distressed wood coffee tables lay the ideal foundation for trays of snacks, cocktails and vacation reads. In the interim, the tables rest upon a berber rug, cream-blend in tone for an uplifting effect against the hand painted gold and cooper leafed wall and are embellished with stacks of coastal coffee table books, bone and onyx tray filled with more photo books and architectural accents. Calling all attention to this leafed wall, two vertical, multi-cylindrical, hurricane light wall sconces frame the arched picture window with contemporary, yet bold presence.