When Kristen Fiore of Kristen Elizabeth Design was approached by a young family to design the interiors for their four-bedroom home in El Dorado Hills, she noted two things about her clients: “They love color and they like to have fun.”
Translating those qualities into a newly built residence that, in the wrong hands, could have felt stark and cold called for creativity. “Thankfully, the homeowners, who had come from a house with a more bohemian look, were super open to exploring different avenues of design,” says Fiore. “My job was to be thoughtful about how to integrate what they love but still achieve a contemporary look.” She also had to ensure that none of the finishes or furnishings were too precious for an active family with school-age children and indoor pets.
The designer was “adamant about making sure there was an element of warmth” in every space. In the living room, for example, the wood floors, flat-weave rug and woven poufs are textural counterpoints to a towering fireplace clad in large-format oxidized metal tiles.
The kitchen cabinetry doubles as a showcase for woven baskets and hand-painted glazed ceramics—a clever method for introducing color and pattern into the space. The island is a mix of materials: a walnut waterfall section on one end, blue azure quartzite on the other. “When your eye moves through the space, it all feels very tranquil, which was my goal,” says Fiore.
Colorful surprises abound in the bathrooms: a deep-blue wall in the spalike principal bath; a smudgy blue-and-green wallpaper in the powder room; an ombre wave of lagoon-blue tile in the pool bath. The result is a striking home where fun and sophisticated design go hand in hand.
