coastal goes urban-style in venice, ca

f there is such a thing as urban coastal style, this home would qualify. It’s a well-done remodel of a corner-lot home in a great neighborhood. Namely, the Westside’s artsy jewel, Venice. Blessed with near-perfect weather, family-friendly neighborhoods and easy access to the beach, Venice has much to offer the prospective buyer.

We love a house with good architectural bones, white walls and lots of light. And this one has it all.

The home begged to be treated with some coastal respect… and that’s just what we did. Coastal gone wrong is so, well, wrong. So we wanted to do coastal right. In other words, hints of sand, sea and sky colors with subtle references to the briny blue sea without the need to sing sea chanteys in unison… If you know what we mean. Hence the term: Urban Coastal. I believe you heard it here first, folks.

First we put down a sisal rug for some beachy sand color, topped it with a cowhide rug at a jaunty angle, and a glass cocktail table for maximum show-through potential. We chose a sofa in a wet-sand color.

We love how the found manzanita branch intertwines against the other accessories on the cocktail table’s glass top.

The blue canvas is a Rachel Moore original. We love how it reads coastal but with attitude.

A view toward the fireplace reveals a root table accessorized with books and a basket. We kept the art minimalist, featuring a lot of B&W photography, especially of nature themes. The floors are hickory and the fireplace features tile insets.

The low credenza holds matching tall lamps with a Jonathan Adler-inspired Regency design and an eclectic display of global and modern accessories.

A view toward the wall of windows shows this home’s indoor-outdoor living concept. The doors open onto an expansive deck.

We love to style cocktail tables. In this case, a combination of books, a brass tray, a quirky toucan ashtray, a vintage wooden box and a manzanita branch all tell a unique design story when they share a tabletop.

We put an Eames-style molded plastic dowel-leg chair next to the fireplace.

Next to the living room is a dining area. We used more sea colors here, tempered with B&W, adding a pop of orange as an accent color.

We put a sea-glass colored antique demijon on the modern Parsons style dining table for beachy color.

The dining area as viewed from the other side. Almost every vantage point in this room offers views of the back yard and deck. Rust place mats and square white stoneware provide contrast and pick up on the colors in the Picasso print. A vase of orange flowers adds just the right note.

The owners put a vintage Wedgewood stove into the completely remodeled kitchen for a bit of charm. We loved that bold move on their part. (Hey, it takes guts to buck the whole Wolf range trend).

We kept our kitchen styling to a minimum, featuring complements to the earthy colors.

The master bedroom is awash in white and about as calm, soothing and coastal as it ever has to get. Aaaaahhhh…..

The painting is a DIY collage that Robin put together and the gray ikat throw at the foot of the bed was sourced at a neighbor’s garage sale.

We styled one of the other bedrooms in shades of burlap and navy, textural and neutral. A starburst mirror over the bed creates a mesmerizing effect.

A Nelson bench is accented with books, a basket holding a throw blanket and fresh yellow flowers in a hand-thrown vase.

A small white pedestal table holds a simple lamp. A stack of books is nearby for easy access.

The third bedroom is staged as an office, with B&W medallion print curtains, a black desk and a modern white chair.