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Savvy Interiors
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Pro Spotlight: 3 Ways to Give Your Home a Modern Makeover
A San Diego designer shares ways to update a space with a fresh, new look
Sponsored Content
Who: Susan Wintersteen of Savvy Interiors
Where: San Diego
In her own words: “I will tear down your home, and rebuild it with design direction, and make it fun.”
Is the home you love starting to look a bit tired? Designer Susan Wintersteen, the owner and creative director of Savvy Interiors, says that’s when the fun begins. “I love creating something unique to the architecture and character of the home,” she says. Wintersteen adds that because Savvy Interiors has its own general contractor license, her team can handle the entire process, from design development to building. “It goes beyond textiles and tile,” she says.
Where: San Diego
In her own words: “I will tear down your home, and rebuild it with design direction, and make it fun.”
Is the home you love starting to look a bit tired? Designer Susan Wintersteen, the owner and creative director of Savvy Interiors, says that’s when the fun begins. “I love creating something unique to the architecture and character of the home,” she says. Wintersteen adds that because Savvy Interiors has its own general contractor license, her team can handle the entire process, from design development to building. “It goes beyond textiles and tile,” she says.
Hobbyist-turned-pro. Wintersteen was exposed to design from a young age thanks to her grandmother, an interior designer, but it wasn’t something she considered as a career path until later on. Instead, she was enjoying doing design as a hobby when a friend asked her for help. “It’s all been uphill from there,” she says with a laugh. Wintersteen opened Savvy Interiors in 2002.
Experience counts. Over the years, Wintersteen honed her design and build skills to create an experienced-based firm. “I’ve grown from the learning curve, the things they don’t teach in school, and I’ve turned into an educator,” she says. She’s also learned how to shepherd homeowners through the design and renovation process while keeping things on track and as stress-free as possible. “We want to make it super special from start to finish,” she says.
Looking for ways to give your home a fresh look? Wintersteen offers some tips below.
Looking for ways to give your home a fresh look? Wintersteen offers some tips below.
1. Transform Your Style
Use a sophisticated color palette and a clean-lined design for a contemporary twist on a familiar style. Wintersteen turned the dark, Tuscan-style kitchen in this Santaluz home into a new version of the traditional blue-and-white kitchen. “It’s a Spanish-inspired modern look,” she says.
The floor-to-ceiling Shaker-style cabinets set the tone with their smoky blue-gray finish. Wintersteen offset the dark color with white quartzite countertops and a white tile backsplash. The light wood of the island’s base creates an airy feel in the space, which is echoed in the chandelier. Wintersteen also replaced the expected corner cabinet with two wood shelves, giving an otherwise dark spot a more open feel.
See more of this project
Use a sophisticated color palette and a clean-lined design for a contemporary twist on a familiar style. Wintersteen turned the dark, Tuscan-style kitchen in this Santaluz home into a new version of the traditional blue-and-white kitchen. “It’s a Spanish-inspired modern look,” she says.
The floor-to-ceiling Shaker-style cabinets set the tone with their smoky blue-gray finish. Wintersteen offset the dark color with white quartzite countertops and a white tile backsplash. The light wood of the island’s base creates an airy feel in the space, which is echoed in the chandelier. Wintersteen also replaced the expected corner cabinet with two wood shelves, giving an otherwise dark spot a more open feel.
See more of this project
2. Streamline the Look
Open up a compartmentalized space by removing barriers between different parts of the room. In this San Diego kitchen, Wintersteen removed the arched alcove that isolated the stove. The resulting unbroken row of cabinetry visually expands a room that previously felt cramped and small.
The centerpiece of the redone space is the sleek new island with a white oak base that Wintersteen custom-stained. “It’s a refined, organic look that is unique,” she says. The lower cabinets are finished in the same wood as the island, while the white upper cabinets blend in with the walls, backsplash and countertops. Wintersteen finished the look with touches of black and gold, including the brushed champagne-gold open shelving in front of the window.
See more of this project
Open up a compartmentalized space by removing barriers between different parts of the room. In this San Diego kitchen, Wintersteen removed the arched alcove that isolated the stove. The resulting unbroken row of cabinetry visually expands a room that previously felt cramped and small.
The centerpiece of the redone space is the sleek new island with a white oak base that Wintersteen custom-stained. “It’s a refined, organic look that is unique,” she says. The lower cabinets are finished in the same wood as the island, while the white upper cabinets blend in with the walls, backsplash and countertops. Wintersteen finished the look with touches of black and gold, including the brushed champagne-gold open shelving in front of the window.
See more of this project
3. Mix Classic and Modern
Add contemporary accents to bring new life to an established style. The owners of this Del Mar home wanted to update their existing Tuscan look, but they wanted it to fit in with their home’s European feel.
As a nod to tradition, Wintersteen installed Shaker-style cabinets in a dark green and added a wood medallion over the stove, which replaced the heavy arch that was there. She gave the room a modern sensibility with stylized harlequin-look ceramic tiles as the backsplash, and gold and black marble tiles behind the stove. White countertops, gold knobs and mirrored cabinet doors add the finishing touches. “Even with the changes, it still has a European feel,” Wintersteen says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Susan Wintersteen and examples of her work, visit Savvy Interiors’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Add contemporary accents to bring new life to an established style. The owners of this Del Mar home wanted to update their existing Tuscan look, but they wanted it to fit in with their home’s European feel.
As a nod to tradition, Wintersteen installed Shaker-style cabinets in a dark green and added a wood medallion over the stove, which replaced the heavy arch that was there. She gave the room a modern sensibility with stylized harlequin-look ceramic tiles as the backsplash, and gold and black marble tiles behind the stove. White countertops, gold knobs and mirrored cabinet doors add the finishing touches. “Even with the changes, it still has a European feel,” Wintersteen says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Susan Wintersteen and examples of her work, visit Savvy Interiors’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Only North County San Diego Designer with a General Contractors license along with inSIDE by Savvy Interiors... Read More
Review by Scott:
We hired Savvy Interiors to design and execute a large kitchen/nook/butler pantry remodel and are THRILLED with the result. Susan has an amazing eye for design and helped push us outside of our normal...More
I love the green color. Can I find this in an interior paint for my bookshelves?