Get up close and personal with exclusive, inspiring interviews and taste profiles delivered with a cheeky twist to your inbox daily.

Success! You’re all signed up. 🎉
Please enter a valid email address.

By subscribing to our email newsletter, you agree to and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy and Terms.

Traditional Elements Get a Modern Makeover in This Manhattan Beach Home

Where floral wallpaper meets simple silhouettes.

Interiors
kate lester interiors

The word traditional, especially when referenced in the realm of interiors, often conjures up a certain image in the mind—heavy floral patterns, grandfather clock ticking, tasseled ottomans, and overbearing window treatments. Many shy away from super-traditional elements, but there's a way to implement them without looking like an episode of Antiques Roadshow. In a recent project of interior designer Kate Lester, her clients found a traditional Cape Cod–style home in Manhattan Beach, CA, and taxed Lester with the project of softening the feel of the space.

"I think the design of this house was all about using traditional elements in a new way," says Lester. "Getting rid of that boring, traditional box and upping the ante with playful details and personality!" In doing so, she found ways to implement comfort—often thought of as the antithesis of traditional design—and clean lines with softer paint colors and cozy furniture, which she juxtaposed against quirky wallpaper and unique artwork. As Lester says, "Trad is rad." Discover more about her process below.


Shop the Story:

Campion

The Urban Electric Co.
$6788

Fig Leaves I

Juniper
$40
Part of the series:

WWWRN

VIEW THE SERIES
You May Also Like