Cali Chalet: Inspiration & Direction

The Cali Chalet is a new kind of beast for me to wrestle with so I had to search long and hard for inspiration and direction.

It’s a 90’s Contemporary Mountain Home decorated straight outta the heart of a Mediterranean Wine & Coffee lover with a flair for bird themed stained glass and tiffany lamps.

The pre-renovation kitchen

When we met this house, she did not present an easy solution to me for what she could become. Some obvious needs included toning down the mix of pine, oak trim, bamboo, tile, slate and 7 (YES LITERALLY 7) various shades of paint, all visible at once in the main living area. So, I’m taking this as a challenge and will do my best to bring it around to a cooler Southern California Cabin style that our family can relate to.

It’s so interesting to see how families manifest their own style. The Mediterranean Wine Lovers that lived here before told me that when they renovated in 2006, the entire home was covered in floral on floral from furniture to wallpaper. Boy, would I love to see that!

The laid back mountain version of our family’s style will be another fun exploration. With this home we are looking toward a more rustic and cozy application. We will lighten up the main living spaces again and seek a neutral backdrop. But, I’m leaning into some moody colors in the bedrooms – appropriate for the cold winters in this pine forest.

I’ve started to amass some inspiration on my Pinterest Board. The overall desired vibe is coming together! Here are some examples and the thinking behind the pin!

For a little while I was seeking complimentary floor finishes for the orangey knotty pine ceilings. This A-Frame had a nice combo with some light oak flooring.
Another shot of the same home as above.

And then, our girl Emily Hendo made it known that stripping the orangey ceiling stain was an option, so I started dreaming about a raw pine ceiling instead, and so it looks like that is where we are headed.

This image caught my eye and got me thinking about what could be in regards to the ceiling.

Do you think we can turn the Cali Chalet kitchen (seen below) into something more like the image above?

Hello random closet

These dark greens are giving me the warm, cozy vibes that I think we will love on snowy mountain house weekends.

I love the moody green of the reading nook at the Chris Loves Julian Mountain Cabin

Besides toning down the main living area and darkening up the bedrooms, the Cali Chalet needs a decor direction for furniture and accessories. When I think of this home, I’m dreaming along the lines of creamy neutral tones for the large pieces and I’d like to keep the colors minimal and mix textures where it comes to textiles and accessories. I’m sure our bedrooms will include a lot of moody blues and greens to maintain that pine forest feeling.

It will be interesting to see how the elements unfold at this home away from home vacation spot. Find more Cali Chalet here.

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