Houzz Tour: Boutique Hotel-Inspired Makeover for a San Diego Loft
Check out these before-and-after pictures to see the dramatic transformation of a downtown industrial loft in California
Before. An open guest room featured two twin-size daybeds with storage underneath and a tall built-in storage unit to the left. When rolled up, the woven window shades left the homeowners feeling exposed to the street.
After. Since the neighborhood had plenty of hotels for guests, the Horners felt comfortable transforming the guest room into a dining space. The design team replaced the old built-in storage unit with an Art Deco-inspired unit that has open shelves on top and cabinets below. High-gloss electric-blue paint covers the custom piece built by a local carpenter. “My husband and I are not really fans of blue, but this blue makes such a bold statement that once we saw it, we fell in love with it,” Laci says.
A burnished brass Emile collection chandelier from RH adds a touch of elegance to the space. The homeowners already had the dining chairs, table and rug. New pleated window shades, operable from the top down and the bottom up, allow the Horners to preserve views and maintain privacy at the same time.
Storage unit paint: Navy Teal, Dunn-Edwards
A burnished brass Emile collection chandelier from RH adds a touch of elegance to the space. The homeowners already had the dining chairs, table and rug. New pleated window shades, operable from the top down and the bottom up, allow the Horners to preserve views and maintain privacy at the same time.
Storage unit paint: Navy Teal, Dunn-Edwards
Before. The open living area included a dining area at the end of the entrance hallway. The space featured LED track lighting, midtone wood flooring and pale yellow walls.
After. The design team added Art Deco-inspired wainscoting to the bottom half of entrance wall, which leads from the front door, past the kitchen and into the main living area. The wainscoting is coated in the same electric blue that covers the built-in storage unit in the new dining area.
On the wall are three photographs of animals taken by Paul Looyen, an Australian photographer that the Horners discovered while living Down Under.
Find interior designers and see their portfolios
On the wall are three photographs of animals taken by Paul Looyen, an Australian photographer that the Horners discovered while living Down Under.
Find interior designers and see their portfolios
The former dining space is now a chic lounge area with an armchair covered in peacock-blue velvet and a ventless fireplace that hangs from the ceiling and uses gel canisters to create a warm glow.
“It’s amazing how much we use this area now,” Laci says. “It’s the perfect spot for taking on and off shoes, lounging with a drink or curling up with a good book.”
Fireplace: Aeris, Cocoon Fireplaces
“It’s amazing how much we use this area now,” Laci says. “It’s the perfect spot for taking on and off shoes, lounging with a drink or curling up with a good book.”
Fireplace: Aeris, Cocoon Fireplaces
Before. The kitchen featured midtone wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances and mottled brown granite countertops.
After. The design team covered the cabinets in an almost-white light gray paint. The countertops are now topped in marble-look quartz with a waterfall edge running off the island. The backsplash of mirrored subway tile was inspired by a similar wall treatment found at the Pendry Hotel in San Diego that the Horners wanted to re-create in their own home. Three globe pendant lights over the island add an industrial touch to the space. The leather, steel and wood counter stools bridge industrial and midcentury styles.
A Buyer’s Guide to Kitchen Counter Seating | Find midcentury-style counter stools
A Buyer’s Guide to Kitchen Counter Seating | Find midcentury-style counter stools
Before. The guest bathroom featured a shower-tub combo and a vanity with closed storage underneath.
After. “One of my favorite things about boutique hotels are the bathrooms,” Laci says. “They tend to be bold and daring. I wanted that same feeling for our bathrooms.”
To create the bold and daring look the homeowners craved, the design team added wainscoting to the vanity wall that has the same Art Deco-inspired pattern found throughout the home. Above the wainscoting, a tropical print wallpaper from Schumacher adds a vivid splash of color to the black-and-white space.
The tub was removed in favor a new walk-in shower with a steel-and-glass enclosure. The new marble vanity has open shelving underneath.
Before and After: 6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
To create the bold and daring look the homeowners craved, the design team added wainscoting to the vanity wall that has the same Art Deco-inspired pattern found throughout the home. Above the wainscoting, a tropical print wallpaper from Schumacher adds a vivid splash of color to the black-and-white space.
The tub was removed in favor a new walk-in shower with a steel-and-glass enclosure. The new marble vanity has open shelving underneath.
Before and After: 6 Bathrooms That Said Goodbye to the Tub
Before. The master bedroom featured a bed surrounded by built-in cabinets. The space also included a desk and woven shades for the windows.
After. The design team removed the built-in unit surrounding the bed and added a mirror-covered wall about 5 feet farther into the bedroom. The area behind the wall now serves as a walk-in closet. “Even though the bedroom is smaller, it feels just as big because the mirrored wall tricks the eye,” Maggio says.
New floor-to-ceiling plum-colored velvet curtains block out the morning sun and add drama to the space. A new Victorian-inspired glass chandelier completes the scene.
New floor-to-ceiling plum-colored velvet curtains block out the morning sun and add drama to the space. A new Victorian-inspired glass chandelier completes the scene.
Before. The master bathroom featured a side-by-side shower and a built-in bathtub. A solid wall and a door separated the shower and toilet from the bathtub and vanity.
After. The design team removed the door that split the master bathroom in half to create one large space. The floors are covered in new marble tile. A double vanity has a marble countertop and rustic wood cabinets underneath.
A glass partition between the shower and the freestanding Whitby bathtub from Penhaglion keeps the bathroom feeling light and airy. The living wall above the tub is covered in preserved moss from Evergreen Interiors. “I was always saving pictures of living walls on Houzz,” Laci says. “So adding one to my own house felt very special.”
More
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Before and After: 19 Dramatic Bathroom Makeovers
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More
World of Design: Moss and Its Modern Uses
Before and After: 19 Dramatic Bathroom Makeovers
Travel in Style: 10 Designer Hotels to Inspire You
Loft at a Glance
Location: Downtown San Diego
Size: 1,400 square feet (130 square meters)
Designer: CM Natural Designs
Laci Horner, a Houzz regional sales manager, and her husband, Kendall, have spent a lot of time traveling the globe and living abroad in Australia the past few years, so when they got the chance to put down more permanent roots in San Diego, they jumped on it. The industrial loft they bought provided a blank slate to create a chic boutique hotel-inspired space that reflects their love of travel and bold design. The Horners reached out to designer Corine Maggio and her associates to transform their space.
The design team covered the walls in High Reflective White paint from Sherwin-Williams to create what Maggio calls a “gallery wall effect” for the space. “Laci and Kendall already had a great collection of colorful art, furniture and rugs, so besides a few pops of color on the walls here and there, white walls were the best way to showcase their colorful collection,” she says. They left the original concrete pillars unchanged to keep the room’s industrial feel.
Having traveled around the world, the Horners acquired a fondness for the bold and daring design found in many boutique hotels. Wanting to create a similar effect in their own home, the couple requested a dramatic oversize chandelier for the open living area. The design team fulfilled this request by installing a two-tier candelabra chandelier that complements the industrial architecture. “It definitely gives that wow effect when you walk into the room,” Maggio says.
Chandelier: Camino, RH; see more industrial-style chandeliers