As soon as designer Katie Gebhardt of Solstice Interiors met her new clients, the owners of this Venice, California, address, it was clear they were going to get along. “Jack and Nicole are a very chill, very cool couple, and I knew right off the bat we’d be aligned from a design standpoint,” she remembers. “It’s special when someone’s describing what they’re going for and it’s a replica of your inherent style. But I guess that’s why they came to me in the first place!”

When the couple approached Gebhardt, they wanted to take the nearly 40-year-old property, set at the center of the famed beach community, and create a casual atmosphere that spoke to its surroundings. Jack, who works in tech, and Nicole, a retired athlete, also wanted to start a family here. (And have since done so—they now have an eight-month-old daughter.)

As it stood, the home wasn’t a bad spot for a fresh chapter. The kitchen had recently been updated and there wasn’t any reason to overhaul the refreshed primary bathroom. The A-frame structure had distinctive character in the context of Los Angeles’s Westside, and an expansive, sunny front yard that was shielded from from the street.

“The architect did a great job reimagining the floor plan, so when I got looped into the project at the end of 2020, it was all about maximizing use of the layout,” Gebhardt says. “I envisioned this modern take on a cozy, surf shack–style house. Being from Southern California myself, I’m always drawn to a neutral palette and a super lived-in feel. Jack had a simple approach to modernism while Nicole leaned slightly softer.”

Gebhardt covered the rear facade with windows and surrounded the upper loft with a glass railing for an open feel. The kitchen stayed put beside the open dining and living areas, which share the lower floor with a guest suite and office (or at times, a gym). On the second level, the primary suite was tucked behind the open loft. Glass sliders were installed on the ground floor to create an indoor/outdoor connection with the deck and pool, which are also new.

“The home already had a modern farmhouse vibe with that cool A-frame pitch,” Gebhardt says. “The clients wanted to pay homage to the original house while making it feel more up-to-date, which was already happening when we started our process. Original sconces are situated next to the modern, sleek sliders that open to the front deck. I’m a sucker for blending the old with the new, so this definitely informed the new design.”

Gebhardt kept the exterior dark, giving it a fresh shade of charcoal-colored paint and contrasting it with white interiors. For variety inside, she incorporated white oak as a recurring accent and tossed in ocean blues that tie the home to its beachy setting. At the pool, she mixed-and-matched Fireclay tiles in green, blue, mauve, gray, and cream, a palette that’s reflected by the home’s interior finishes and decor.

“Because we kept the majority of the materials throughout the house super consistent—white oak millwork pretty much everywhere, natural wood floors, white walls, and the existing white kitchen with an oak-and-Soapstone island—the bathrooms ended up being the place for punches of color,” she says. “Both downstairs bathrooms have patterned floor tiles from Popham Design, a Moroccan tile company. I loved incorporating them knowing they would be showstoppers.”

Construction started in September 2021 and the entire renovation wrapped about a year later. There were shipping delays and backorders and delivery mishaps, of course, but Gebhardt says that even those headaches didn’t put a damper on the entire experience. Between the architect and her teams, the owners, and everyone else involved with bringing this family home to life, she considers this to be one of her most rewarding projects yet.

“Jack and Nicole understood that good things take time, and that unforeseen hiccups and delays happen. They rolled with the punches,” she says. “They also very much trusted me. It was such a perfect blend of collaboration and creative freedom and I truly owe that to them.”

Related Reading:

A Venice Beach Granny Suite Exudes Serious West Coast Cool

Before & After: An Outdated Venice Beach Bungalow Becomes a Light-Filled Bachelor Pad

Project Details:

Architect of Record: Steve Schwanke, Schwanke Architecture

Builder: Ashkim Construction

Landscape Design: Ashkim Construction

Electrician: Roman Electric, Jose Rojas

Interior Design: Solstice Interiors, Katie Gebhardt

Cabinetry Design: Yeehaw Woodworks, Josh Perry

Project Manager: Adriana Beischl, Lumax Projects

Pool: Environmental Landscape Development, Inc.

Styling: En Shell Space

Other: Gjusta Flower Shop