Westchester Home Gets a Cape Cod Look

When touring this home with our developer client, Blu and White Homes, they specifically asked for a Serena & Lily look in the staging. In other words, fresh, traditional, beachy and with an East Coast vibe. Oh, and lots and lots of blue and white, the developers’ signature color palette! Armed with catalogs, Pinterest and a showroom visit — combined with an already developed devotion to the S & L brand — we began to plan the staging. White linen English roll-arm sofa: Check. Woven cocktail table: Check. Fresh neutral swivel chairs in a dot-dash stripe: Check. Our client already had the Serena & Lily counter stools and dining chairs. So, it was off to the races! All photography by Christopher Lee.

Light coastal wood floors and white cabinetry show off the French cafe lines of the iconic Riviera chair and counter stool. And S & L’s signature basket pendant lights over the kitchen island convey a laid-back take on beach living, perfect for a California family’s lifestyle.

Blue and white striped and solid pillows, a soft blue Persian rug and a few books and shells sum up this nod to the nautical. But because it’s Southern California, we just had to throw in a fiddle leaf fig.

We reached into our vast supply of blue and white Chinese ginger jars and porcelain plates to accent the living room’s casual charm. It’s our way of bringing in the trad feels. But a bamboo side table and modern beach photo take it down a notch to just the right level.

If there’s a better leaf out there for maximum impact than the Monstera, please raise your hand, er, stem. See, we didn’t think so!

Trad is rad. There, we’ve said it. But when trad looks this awesome, how could it be anything else? The secret to modernizing is in keeping it reeeeeeaaaaaalllllyyyyy simple. As in, try putting absolutely nothing on your woven table. See, now wasn’t that easy?

A white painted pedestal table gets to play atop a round jute rug, playfully peeking out from under the chair legs. A woven tray on the tabletop and a couple of leafy stems are all you need to lure guests to this dinner-party-about-to-break-out.

We fell for these chairs as soon as we saw them in the showroom. Comfy, downy-soft and just begging for a cat, a nap and a cup of tea, these are chairs that love you right back.

Oh, built-in bar cabinet, how we love thee! With your wine bottle cubbies and wine fridge and plenty of shelf space for all those fancy bar gadgets that we love to accumulate (what do all those gadgets do anyway?) Drinks, anyone?

Oh, and, mudrooms. Don’t get us started on mudrooms. For all those dog leash, sunglass, beach hat and market basket emergencies, we feel a mudroom is now practically required in a home of a certain size. Once you have one, we’re pretty sure you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Ode to the home office. Serene, peaceful and motivating. A Pottery Barn chair in white linen pulls up to a campaign-style desk in weathered wood and provides a comfy place for writing, bill-paying, blogging or web browsing. Matching bookshelves offer ample space for organization at an epic level.

We kept the master bedroom neutral as a respite in a blue and white home. A burlap-hued nailhead linen bed supports a plethora of pillows and wide windowpane bedding. Nightstands with a bottom shelf hold your fave bedtime read.

The upstairs hallway was large enough for a console, a large pearlized mirror and a soft blue modern lamp. A wide-striped runner completes the look.

A custom headboard in a Nate Berkus fabric and a vintage life preserver imbue this child’s bedroom with oodles of charm. Add a Jonathan Adler lamp, a simple basket and a stuffed white unicorn and it becomes any kid’s dream room.

A guest bedroom reveals a gray shiplap wall, a wooden farmhouse bed and a set of rattan nightstands. A woven rush bench at the foot of the bed entices with a throw tossed casually on top. White ceramic lamps round out a basically neutral room that is anything but basic.

Another child’s room is outfitted for play with woven and bamboo accents like the vintage headboard and elephant basket. Blue and white return here in the form of nightstands and bedding. White shiplap walls recall a vaguely nautical feel and an overall sense of warmth.

On the other side of the room, a boho macrame wall hanging reminds us we are, in fact, in California and not Massachusetts. A built-in window seat and woven pouf bring on the charm, full force.