When searching for the perfect paint for this primary suite in Dana Point, designer Elspeth Keller had to think outside the box. Benjamin Moore’s Mexican Tile was the perfect color, but only Portola Paints could deliver the soft, chalky texture she craved. So, a custom match was born—and with it, the entire palette.

“Our clients are vibrant, brave, and jet-setting,” Elspeth explains. “What started as an original (1968) bedroom and very awkward bath is now totally reconfigured and renovated.” She reclaimed 146 square feet from an adjacent room, allowing space for a larger bathroom and an expansive walk-in closet.

With the functionality solved, the mood-setting could begin. Enter the custom limewash, which Elspeth says creates a portal into a space that feels at once “moody and relaxed”—like the design equivalent of golden hour.

Artwork by Kristin Giorgi hangs above the bed, layered with pillows from Linen & Cloth and flanked by woven nightstands from The Citizenry and green marble pendants from CB2. “The teal green in the lights and rug plays well with the enveloping terra-cotta,” the designer notes.

For a compact corner, Elspeth sourced a triangular desk from Pottery Barn—a clever piece that feels almost vintage and tucks neatly into the room’s tight footprint. Now, the once-awkward suite feels less like an afterthought and more like a destination.

Entering the bathroom, your eye immediately goes to the large vanity under a statement arch. Above, an original architectural skylight floods the bathroom with natural light and illuminates the Dolomite stone countertop.

The Dolomite is echoed in an arched shower niche. Star and cross tile is interpreted in two ways: terracotta on the floor and again in white on the shower walls and vanity backsplash. “What was once a primary bedroom and primary bathroom,” Elspeth says, “now truly feel like a primary suite.”