A Venice Family Brings Adventure Home

A Venice Family Brings Adventure Home

Meghan and David were hunting down the ideal fixer-upper when they stumbled upon this 1970s tri-level in California. Both having artistic backgrounds meant that the two were eager to design every detail of their space. “We were looking for a house with low ceilings that we could vault. Add some drama!” Meghan says with gusto.

It took about five months to complete the core of the renovations. Throughout all the rewiring, wall-moving and basically total rebuilding, the couple remembers there being some unique renovation laughs. “There was a period for about three weeks where, because of the classic construction-domino effect, we didn’t have a bathroom,” Meghan says. “So I would stop drinking any kind of liquid at 5 pm so as not to have to go… not joking.” For every challenge that came with the renovations, however, there were strokes of luck that kept surprising the couple. The home’s 30-year-old carpet had seen better days, but thankfully underneath all that shag was the perfect slab of concrete. “Having all boys (I am including my husband in that grouping) means that nothing can be too precious,” Meghan says. The concrete surprise, as well as a black leather sofa and black wood floors, were chosen as they’d only get better with age.

When it came to decorating their new place, the family curated items that reflected their rock ‘n roll, unfussy attitudes. Meghan and David love the adventurous stories — real or imagined — that their accessories seem to tell. As you glide through today’s Sneak Peek, it’s easy to imagine the homeowners having gone on all of life’s monumental adventures, but it’s clear after getting to know them that their biggest adventure is still in the making. “I am thankful that it is our very own little base for life’s little adventures. And it’s the backdrop for all our fun, chaotic, important and most special memories,” David and Meghan share. “When the boys are 35 and looking back, this space will be in the background for all that nostalgia. What will future ‘us’ remember about this? That’s why it’s important to me to be considerate of what [we] put in [our] space. It’s, in a funny way, a family legacy.” Enjoy! —Garrett

1/27 "We couldn’t decide which turquoise to paint the front doors… so we used both! With two art directors making decisions, sometimes you come to an impasse and have to compromise. These doors are original to the house."

2/27 An array of thrift-shop finds fill the couple's entryway. The rug is from Anthropologie and the bench is from Urban Outfitters.

3/27 "This American flag has 48 stars. I found it at a surplus store in SoHo. It makes for some drama when you walk in, and Oscar loves hanging out here. He is very patriotic."

4/27 "The [dresser] is full of travel paraphernalia including a pewter teapot from Vietnam, a sea fan we found at the beach, and the skull of a coyote we found in Colorado." The couple added wooden beams throughout the home and vaulted the ceilings themselves.

5/27 "When we tore down walls in the kitchen we were able to open up a large space for the dining room, so we wanted a huge, long table to fill the space." Benjamin Moore "Simply White" covers every wall throughout Meghan and David's home. The table is by Timothy Outlon.

6/27 David's Great Aunt Nance gave the couple the Italian, vintage, inlaid chest. The couple brought the masks back with them from Mexico and Vietnam. The exposed beams throughout the home are sandblasted Douglas Fir.

7/27 "This is a collection that has happened over many years. The rocking chair was in David’s room when he was a baby. His mom had it lovingly refinished and gave it to us. We used it with Bodhi and now the new guy! The green chair is one of my favorites. I bought it for $5 at a garage sale in Boulder and had it refinished in vintage army laundry bags."

8/27 "This couch is awesome for kids and dogs. You can wipe it off, and the black leather gets better with use. The rug is placeholder. We are looking for a blue tribal rug with a fish motif."

9/27 Being an art director means Meghan occasionally gets to keep some on-set goodies for herself, like this feather headdress. David carved the fish sculpture himself.

10/27 "The fish is holding branches from a bunch of different places. I am a collector by nature so I am always picking up driftwood and shells or feathers. The driftwood on the wall was a cool find, and I added butterflies to it from a photoshoot."

11/27 "I fished that hunk of wood out of a pile at a nearby construction site and refinished it and turned it into a table. It’s perfect for the requisite vintage globe and books, etc. The suzani I found on eBay and had made into a floor pillow." This credenza is from Marco Polo in Santa Monica.

12/27 Another gift from David's Great Aunt Nance, this portrait is easily the most popular piece of art in the couple's home. "We love the juxtaposition between the... classic subway tile and this antiquated oil painting of an old woman."

13/27 Meghan covered the stool with a vintage grain sack. The floor's lines show where the kitchen extended to before the renovation. "There used to be walls here... so we expanded the kitchen/cooking area, added the peninsula and opened the entire space up."

14/27 The simple IKEA clock was one of the couple's first purchases. David often cooks the family meals, and, "everyone has to stay behind the peninsula while he makes his magic." The countertops are Casesarstone "Organic White" and the lighting is from Restoration Hardware. The range and hood are from Bertazzoni.

15/27 Meghan and David love adding drama to small spaces. "In every house that we have lived in we have painted the guest bathroom black, including the ceiling." Here the couple chose to douse the room in Benjamin Moore "Trout Gray."

16/27 "The black also makes for a nice background for my creature collection."

17/27 "We often wake up with everyone piled in bed, so the cozy factor is extremely important!"

18/27 Nautical-themed elements, including a tiny captain figurine carved by David's grandfather, were all inspired by this painting of a ship. Meghan made the table lamp from old science equipment and the octopus came from Anthropologie.

19/27 "The Explorers Club in New York is a huge inspiration for me. The adventure and romance! We try to instill that vibe throughout the house... that there were adventures and faraway places visited and interesting people met along the way. This may be my favorite room in the house." Meghan made the shower curtains out of marine flags she found on eBay. The dresser came from the Long Beach Flea Market, and David made the black vase.

20/27 The vintage flag came all the way from SoHo. "This room is a work in progress, and we are constantly adding fun things we find to the walls." The unique, striped, overhead lighting is by Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.

21/27 The family dog actually sleeps in this Land of Nod teepee from Bodhi's room. "The lion on the wall is from this awesome guy on Venice beach who carved it from a palm frond." The couple tries to support the local art scene as much as possible.

22/27 "I found this bed at a local vintage furniture store. It was the worst color and in terrible shape. Some elbow grease, sandpaper and several layers of white paint later and it’s perfect for our little personal hotel - aka, fam and friends that come visit!"

23/27 "This shelf is perfect for displaying the treasures brought back from travel. I am constantly changing out little items."

24/27 Meghan found this giant lamp on Craigslist. It was green, but a simple coat of white paint gave it a new life. "The black and white photo is a really great memory from many years ago when we lived in Chicago."

25/27 "This is a studio space I recently made room for. It keeps all of our half-completed projects off the kitchen table. Well, most of them. Someday I will finish that bear! The curtain is actually a parachute."

26/27 What we love most about our home is...

27/27 David and Meghan made this table from the beams that used to hold up the house's ceiling. David handles the garden and started it from trimmings of friends' plants.

Original article and pictures take www.designsponge.com site