Though this Huntington Beach, California house was technically “move-in ready,” the designer finishes didn’t suit the homeowner, a single professional in his 30s. He called on Lada Webster, Principal Designer at Squarefoot Interior Design. It was their third project together, so Lada knew exactly what he’d want – a clutter-free, minimal space with striking design moments. Over the next 6 months, she got to work transforming it into the gallery-like space we see today. Read on to learn more. 

Tell us a bit about your client. It wasn’t your first time working together, right?
The client is a professional single male in his late 30s. This is our 3rd project together. He’s probably the most fashion forward man I’ve come across and has an incredible eye for all things. It’s all about lifestyle and how everything is connected aesthetically. 

Because of our history in working together, it was a smooth process in relaying his vision for his new home. He gives me some key words and I start to translate it into a design concept. In this case, he said he wanted a place of Zen. When he comes home from work, he wants to be able to decompress and relax. An environment that is tranquil, peaceful and chill.

You describe this as “one note” in color, texture, contrast, but it’s still quite interesting and overall, an exciting design. What are some of the ways you avoided it being “one note” in a boring way? 
Monochromatic spaces can be so pleasurable and soothing. It’s like drinking a cup of tea. Your eyes can move through a space with little disruption because the neutral colors all melt into one.  While still being very stimulating and as you said, exciting. Adding layers of texture, subtle pattern, collections and sculpture keep it from being boring, but boring truly is defined by the person viewing the space.  

You made an unexpected choice with the artwork, or lack of artwork. Tell us about that!
In regard to artwork, we felt no artwork or wall decor contributed to the overall look. Bare walls throughout, with the exception of the lounge. Prior to the photoshoot, I was thinking about how I was going to style this room. It only houses an Eames lounge chair, an area rug, and a media cabinet. When I arrived in the morning, my client had all of the pictures he wanted in the space propped up on the floor against the wall and all of his shoes lined around the perimeter of the area rug. It was perfect. Totally unintentional. It’s probably my favorite space in the house because it was created by him, in his home. Sometimes as designers we forget that it’s not about us.