Our Design Edit
Sacramento’s Diverse Homes and How We Approach Them as Interior Designers
Mar 11, 2022
I love cycling or driving through Sacramento’s neighborhoods, underneath big oaks and sycamore trees. There’s not one architectural style that dominates here but rather a diversity of many styles: from Arts and Crafts, Colonial, and Santa Barbara or Tudor style homes; especially in the Fab Fourties, where every home is uniquely historic. Land Park’s architecture is decidedly less grand, with its Midcentury homes, including many Eichler homes, dotting its quiet streets, while other neighborhoods like Sierra Oaks Vista pay homage to Ranch homes and California’s Spanish influence.
Considering that the residential architecture is anything but basic, it’s no surprise that the interiors match the exteriors in their range of styles. With quirky architecture, full of unexpected lines and actual rooms (remember those?) rather than large open living spaces, these homes have a legacy of working with their bones rather than against it. This isn’t a city that tears down their history; instead they embrace floor plans of a different era. They lean into spaces that are sometimes lacking in natural light and put vintage details in the spotlight. The result is often a moodier space instead of the soaring, bright, white, open rooms we’ve become used to in the design world. We love working with the uniqueness and historical details of these homes. Below are a few inspiration images that highlight some of the considerations we take when working on remodels or furniture and lighting selections in Sacramento or Bay Area homes that have a few years on their back.
Casual Elegance
Elegance is back if you ask me – big time! Yes, we still like to instill that California casual feel but elegant collected homes that exude character and culture are our jam. We recommend to use high performance fabrics to make it livable so you can enjoy your time with kids and pets without having to be stressed out about spills.
Design by Christina Cole
Vintage Elements
While secondary bathrooms usually don’t receive much attention in the design process, that doesn’t mean that they can’t make a great impact. This inviting, spa-like shower incorporates the best of vintage design elements and clean modern lines. This balance is exactly what’s needed to bring your home up to today’s standards while also honoring the history of the whole house. Our focus is always on design integrity to achieve a cohesive flow throughout the home. We love this bath for its brass details, vintage mirror, and sparkling Zellige tile.
Design by Amber Interiors
Moody Vintage Touches and Modern Silhouettes
Combining old and new is key in making old homes feel styled rather than stuck in a time warp. Jessica Alba’s home embraces the dark space by creating a cozy, vintage-inspired home that gives equal attention to furniture with lots of history, as well as clean-lined shearling chairs, which are a nod to an of-the-moment look.
Design by Clements Design
French Vineyard Ambiance in Northern California
This patio looks like the perfect spot to pour a glass of champagne with its French vineyard ambiance. It appeals to all the senses with cool white brick, striking steel windows, and pebble gravel, which brings in a multi-sensory appeal, moving under every step you take. With the fireplace and light fixtures, this space brings the comforts of indoors out, creating an entire outdoor experience that feels like a private world, far away from the busyness of the city.
Design by M.Elle.Design
Unexpected Color and a Luxury Range
While white kitchens are always classic, color is having a moment. But not just any color, we’re seeing subtle, pastoral colors like this calming sage green. Paired with luxury ranges like this stunner from LaCornue, the result is both timeless and on trend, and would be right at home where character and elegant substance is desired.
Design by Jessica Helgerson
Minimalistic yet Formal Details
Another meeting of modern and historic, this staircase blends traditional details like picture frame molding and an impressive rounded staircase with the stark minimalism of the straight, simple balusters. Can’t you see this fitting in perfectly in a grand old Tudor?
Design by Christina Cole
Soothing Colors
We love a bedroom that’s quenched in soothing colors and textures. Kick off your shoes and take a seat.
A monochromatic color scheme always provides a calming retreat while the rest of the house might be very busy.
Design by Studio Lifestyle
Bathroom Zen
A bathroom should be a serene retreat and this unusual floor plan gives the opportunity to add a sense of movement in an otherwise intimate space.
Design by Katie LeClercq
Let’s Have a Conversation
For the many one-story ranch style midcentury homes in Sacramento, this open floor plan living area would be perfectly at home. It features the low slung, loungey lines of the 1960s to create multiple sitting areas and conversation spaces, and the result is a room that’s comfortable and lived in, perfect for both hanging out and entertaining. This space shows that you can explore different furniture layouts within one large space to determine what works best for your family.
Design by Clements Design
Sacramento’s neighborhoods are lined with old trees and exhibit a great diversity of architectural styles: from Arts and Crafts, Colonial, Mediterranean, to grand Tudor style and Midcentury Modern homes . There’s tremendous history within each of those homes that we like to honor with every remodel we undertake with our clients. Let’s explore some of the unique opportunities this diversity provides us with as designers – along with the challenges that come with it. We hope this post inspires you !
