A note from our editors: Thank you so much for all your support of Rue in 2018.  Before we launch into new content for the new year, we wanted to share the posts of 2018 according to you, our readers! So we’re republishing our most popular posts, including this one. We hope you enjoy it!

Carissa Duncan of SALT + BONES is an interior designer that we have on our radar as one of the industry’s biggest up-and-coming talents. Her design point of view is her own, with a particular look that feels fresh. Her home in Carmel Valley serves as a place for her to experiment and bring to life her vision for a liveable, relaxing space.

“I am a person that loves to be at home – it is my nest, my sanctuary and is important that everything feel good, texturally and energetically, and be comfortable. I don’t surround myself with things that are too ‘precious’ in terms of being delicate,” Carissa shared. But her home, 100 miles south of San Francisco, wasn’t immediately a place that fit her design aesthetic. Butter yellow walls, a periwinkle exterior, and light pink toned whitewashed cabinets made up a mishmash of unattractive and dated choices. “I started by painting all the walls white,” she said, “I wanted a blank canvas to build on. Being that I deal with color and pattern on such a regular basis, I wanted a space that was relaxing and a sea of neutrals ranging from white to black.”

Some of the choices she made in her home, though, show bold confidence. Instead of replacing the cabinetry in her kitchen or simply painting it, she decided to clad each one with a blackened steel cover. Matching her kitchen’s finishes, she designed a round dining table that had “better energy and flow around the space”. One of her favorite possessions is the Ben and Aja Blanc Half Moon Mirror in the living room: ” I absolutely love this piece, it is modern in its shape and simplicity, and yet so textural when partnered with hand-spun, hand-painted silk fiber. I am a big fan of this duo’s work for this exact reason, what they do feels like a perfect metaphor for my aesthetic – modern, minimal, yet textural and hand-crafted,” Carissa explained.