“It’s an area known for some OG mid-century homes and architecture,” designer Katie Betyar says of Tustin, California. “This house is a one-story, ranch-style property with a really cool overall footprint to work with. I love the charm of the area—and that it feels like home to so many ranch-style, mid-century homes. Some old, some new, it’s a mix of different ways people pay homage to such a popular style, both with interiors and architecturally.”

Her firm, Solstice Interiors, was hired by a young couple to honor the original details while bringing the space fully into the present day. “They came to me with a fairly clear vision as far as inspiration goes,” she recalls. “The house had some special, original mid-century elements, and they wanted the design to incorporate some of those details while still introducing newer elements and inspiration of theirs—including Australian design we all know and love: effortlessly minimal yet lived-in.”

The couple referenced styles from Bali, Tulum, and Australia—giving Katie carte blanche to interpret them in a way that made sense for the house itself. “The design needed to make sense and feel cohesive, not like you’re walking into a different place in each space of the house,” she notes. “And there was the goal of incorporating some fun details for their fur baby, Willa.” (Peep the pet bowl station at the kitchen island and the dog-wash zone!)

Katie’s scope focused on finishes and material selections throughout the home, custom cabinetry design, an overall lighting layout, some procurement, and overall project management. “While the clients had already worked with a draftsperson on the layout as a whole for permits and the kitchen/family room area where they were adding onto the house, we helped with any final floor plan and layout tweaks as well,” she says.

In the entry, they brought in grand, solid oak vertical tongue-and-groove double doors with fluted glass sidelights. “It just feels like a warm hug as you enter the home,” the designer shares. “Once inside, there is an original rock wall that wraps around a living room fireplace to the left and extends towards the new family room to the right before transitioning into what became an open floor plan for an expansive space that includes a family room, the kitchen, and a round dining room. Both the round shape of the dining room and the rock wall were original and stayed!”

In the kitchen, she added polished manganese bronze hardware from Pruskin Hardware. “If I could use his hardware in every project, I would,” she admits. There are frosted glass-and-wood wall sconces, ceramic pendants from Rory Pots, and a speckled brick backsplash from Clé. On the far side of the island is the aforementioned pet station. Behind the kitchen, Willa’s still the star resident—there’s a dog-wash zone with two-toned tile from Concrete Collaborative.

“The guest bathroom might be one of my favorite spaces in the house,” Katie tells us. “It’s hard to tell from photos, but the wall you see with the ‘random’ tile pattern is actually completely curved. It was a fun design challenge to differentiate that wall and make it a statement as you enter the bathroom. The mirror mounts from the ceiling and is just offset from the wall to clear the curve, and the vanity appears straight from the front but actually follows the curved wall from behind. Some serious millwork wizardry had to happen there!”

Merging different styles and inspirations could have been a challenge, but Katie says it was a lot of fun. “Throughout each space, it was a delicate dance and balance of not wanting to lean too minimal, Bali, Australian influence… or not leaning too mid-century and losing sight of the other elements we were trying to bring in,” she tells us. “Blending those styles while putting our own spin on it—and catering to the preferences, wants, and needs of a client—is always a tricky balance that takes trust. It’s these very unique combinations of client and style that lead to really special, unique, and different types of finished projects.”