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Pro Spotlight: 3 Tips for an Inviting, Family-Friendly Home
A Bay Area interior designer shares ways to create welcoming spaces for easy living
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Who: Julie Cavanaugh of Design Matters
Where: Los Gatos, Morgan Hill and Redwood City, California, and Jackson, Wyoming
In her own words: “Good design has a subtle thread of continuity that runs from the front door through the entire home.”
A welcoming home that makes life easier is more important than ever. “People have realized that home is not just a place to drop off your handbag and charge your phone,” says interior designer Julie Cavanaugh, who owns Design Matters. She sees homeowners taking a more holistic approach to design, looking for simplicity, open layouts and views of nature that enhance day-to-day living. “They want interiors that add value to their lives,” she says.
Where: Los Gatos, Morgan Hill and Redwood City, California, and Jackson, Wyoming
In her own words: “Good design has a subtle thread of continuity that runs from the front door through the entire home.”
A welcoming home that makes life easier is more important than ever. “People have realized that home is not just a place to drop off your handbag and charge your phone,” says interior designer Julie Cavanaugh, who owns Design Matters. She sees homeowners taking a more holistic approach to design, looking for simplicity, open layouts and views of nature that enhance day-to-day living. “They want interiors that add value to their lives,” she says.
A perfect fit. Upon discovering interior design, Cavanaugh knew it was the right career choice — she has always been fascinated by homes and three-dimensional relationships. “I realized I didn’t have to be an architect to be involved in homes,” she says. A California-licensed interior designer since 2002, Cavanaugh opened her flagship showroom in Los Gatos in 2007. She has since opened showrooms in Morgan Hill and Redwood City and works throughout the Bay Area, Teton County in Wyoming and beyond.
Solid underpinnings. Cavanaugh believes that every redesign needs to be based on a clear understanding of how the space will work and best suit the clients’ needs. Then, she says, you can add the details. “I can make the frosting any color and add as many toppings as you want, but you have to make the cake first,” she says.
Want a more relaxing and inviting home? Cavanaugh shares some tips below.
Want a more relaxing and inviting home? Cavanaugh shares some tips below.
1. Streamline Your Kitchen
Eliminate the stress of visual kitchen clutter — small appliances, storage canisters and the like — by adding a secondary workspace that can be closed off. “I find people are loving the idea of hidden pantries,” Cavanaugh says.
What appears to be a tall storage cabinet in the kitchen seen here, in San Jose’s Almaden Valley, is actually a bifold door to a pantry. The team stole the space from a little-used closet and utility area, added a window for more light and installed cabinets and open shelving. A wood countertop provides plenty of prep space and easy access to items such as the toaster.
See more of this project
Eliminate the stress of visual kitchen clutter — small appliances, storage canisters and the like — by adding a secondary workspace that can be closed off. “I find people are loving the idea of hidden pantries,” Cavanaugh says.
What appears to be a tall storage cabinet in the kitchen seen here, in San Jose’s Almaden Valley, is actually a bifold door to a pantry. The team stole the space from a little-used closet and utility area, added a window for more light and installed cabinets and open shelving. A wood countertop provides plenty of prep space and easy access to items such as the toaster.
See more of this project
2. Double Up on Islands
Give your family more room to spread out and enjoy added functionality with two islands. “Clients like having a working island as well as a clean island for seating,” Cavanaugh says.
The team opened up the kitchen to the adjoining rooms in the older Los Gatos home seen here to create a spacious family area with double islands. The island closer to the windows offers casual seating, while the other functions as an area for serving food and drinks, complete with a small sink and wine refrigerator. “Having two islands improved the flow and also kept a single island from being too massive,” Cavanaugh says.
See more of this project
Give your family more room to spread out and enjoy added functionality with two islands. “Clients like having a working island as well as a clean island for seating,” Cavanaugh says.
The team opened up the kitchen to the adjoining rooms in the older Los Gatos home seen here to create a spacious family area with double islands. The island closer to the windows offers casual seating, while the other functions as an area for serving food and drinks, complete with a small sink and wine refrigerator. “Having two islands improved the flow and also kept a single island from being too massive,” Cavanaugh says.
See more of this project
3. Show Off Your Personality
To create appealing spaces, choose a style that reflects your tastes. The owners of a Los Altos home, for example, requested an elegant transitional feel with a bit of drama for their interiors.
Cue the shower in the master bathroom, seen here, lined with statement-making quartzite tile. “The large tiles make it feel very clean,” Cavanaugh says. The same quartzite tops the double-sink vanity, contrasting with the gray cabinetry, white tiled floors and white stand-alone tub. A stained glass window complements the floor’s black tile detailing and provides both privacy and light.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Julie Cavanaugh and examples of her work, visit Design Matters’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
To create appealing spaces, choose a style that reflects your tastes. The owners of a Los Altos home, for example, requested an elegant transitional feel with a bit of drama for their interiors.
Cue the shower in the master bathroom, seen here, lined with statement-making quartzite tile. “The large tiles make it feel very clean,” Cavanaugh says. The same quartzite tops the double-sink vanity, contrasting with the gray cabinetry, white tiled floors and white stand-alone tub. A stained glass window complements the floor’s black tile detailing and provides both privacy and light.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Julie Cavanaugh and examples of her work, visit Design Matters’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
GORGEOUS MENLO PARK, LOS GATOS, MONTEREY PENINSULA, MORGAN HILL/SOUTH VALLEY, SONOMA & WINE COUNTRY, AND JACKSON,... Read More
Review by HU-4217144373848:
Julie is an absolute pro in every aspect of interior design. From conceptualization to execution, she handled every detail flawlessly. Our project encompassed construction design, custom interior fini...More