This single-family, Ranch-style home in Castro Valley, CA, was in its original condition when interior designer Cathie Hong first toured it. “The homeowners are a young couple with one preschool-aged daughter,” she explains. “This was their first home purchase, and given the dated wallpapers, an old and oddly positioned kitchen with an ill-working stove, and bathrooms in original condition, they wanted to renovate it before moving in.”

The first priority for the family was to open up the kitchen to allow for better flow between the living and dining space. “This meant closing up an entrance to the kitchen near the front door, removing a partition wall, adding a new beam, and modifying one of the front-facing windows in the kitchen to allow cabinets to run seamlessly underneath, maximizing the space’s footprint,” she explains. Then came more custom requests and a generous dose of style. “He is a coffee and wine enthusiast and requested a coffee bar with paneled wine fridge below,” Cathie recalls. “They both loved warm, earthy color palettes and tones, so we filled their home with a warm stain on plain slice white oak cabinetry, handmade tiles with high glaze variation, character grade white oak floors, travertine countertops, and unlacquered brass.”

The bathrooms were also taken down to the studs, the fireplaces were redesigned, the primary suite snagged a new layout, and new flooring, lighting, paint, and window treatments were added throughout the house. To complete the design, Cathie incorporated fresh furniture that complemented their new finish palette, while continuing to be inspired by the original details. “Their original guest bathroom was full of pink and burgundy tile, colors we love, so we incorporated those in a more tasteful way,” she explains.

The design and permitting took about half a year, while construction took another six months to complete. The details were the most time-consuming piece, however. “One of the most challenging parts of the project, and of many projects, was getting the tile alignment right in all of the bathrooms and kitchen,” Cathie explains. “We opted for a small format handmade grid tile from Heath Ceramics and Zia Tile in several spaces, which turned out beautiful, but required a lot of planning and coordination to make the grout lines line up correctly and be symmetrical around key areas like the kitchen hood, shampoo niches and bathroom vanity. In the end the detailed planning paid off with a beautiful result.”

Now, though the home stayed true to the original architectural style, it’s an earthy space that’s full of character and charm. “The clients were thrilled to have a home that felt like a perfect representation of them down to the color of the closet pole in their built-in wardrobes,” Cathie shares. “It was a time-consuming process, but they were happy to have a haven that felt like them and where they could host gatherings with family and friends.”