After living for more than a decade in their 1980s-era Mediterranean-style home in Menlo Park, California, the owners had grown tired of the beige wall-to-wall carpeting and dark cherry kitchen cabinetry. Attached to their charming tree-lined street and tight-knit community, they decided that moving was not an option. Instead, they turned to interior designer Sindhu Peruri, whom the wife had met at Zumba. “Her style is tasteful and modern but warm,” the wife describes. “I gave her one hundred percent carte blanche.”
Peruri took advantage of the creative freedom they afforded her, repainting the exterior, switching the location of the formal living and dining rooms to create a better flow and touching nearly every surface throughout the interior. The client’s elegant yet understated sense of fashion – and the verdant setting – inspired the restrained palette of neutrals Peruri selected for the interior. “It’s very lush and green outside, and I wanted to sort of pull those colors in,” she shares.
Brightening up the space was also a key part of Peruri’s design. To freshen up the kitchen, she painted the dark cherry cabinetry white and replaced the former backsplash with a natural stone-and-metal mosaic that perfectly complements the dark stone countertop. “It livens up what was once a dark and dingy space,” she maintains. In the same spirit, she recruited muralist Caroline Lizarraga to faux paint the neutral stone fireplaces to resemble Nero Marquina black marble.
Flanked by floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinetry with open shelving, the family room fireplace creates a striking focal point for a tailored linen sofa and a pair of contemporary green leather armchairs around a two-tiered wooden cocktail table with rounded edges. The palette flows into the new formal dining room, where a glass chandelier, fittingly dubbed “The Wave” for its flowing shape, illuminates a long wooden table and complementary chairs. “Lighting elevates the space and adds that element of sparkle,” Peruri explains.
Indeed, a cloud-like glass bubble chandelier adds a touch of whimsy, both visually and metaphorically, to the intimate champagne lounge. There, a black ceiling both complements and juxtaposes a light black-and-white floral wall covering. The wife enjoys hosting girlfriends here, and it’s also an ideal spot to enjoy a martini with a book at the end of the day.
A more vibrant floral wallcovering likewise distinguishes the powder room, which the designer outfitted with a custom oak vanity with an arch detail that plays off the architecture. An oblong-shaped mirror flanked by smoked glass sconces completes the mélange. “It’s a small moment of luxury, a place where you can really go bold,” Peruri shares. “It’s moody and impactful.”
Fearful of disrupting their busy lives, the owners originally didn’t intend to redo the powder room. When Peruri learned they would be traveling for a month, she convinced them to move forward with the renovation, promising to complete it before they returned. She also pushed them out of their comfort zone on occasion. When they weren’t sure about the bench in the front entry, for example, she urged them to wait until the rug arrived before they made a final judgment. “She was right,” the wife admits. “I tend to play it too safe, so I like to be pushed a bit.”
Indeed, Peruri’s changes gave the home a new life and made the owners realize they had made the right decision to stay put. They recently hosted a birthday party for friends, opening the doors between the new, larger dining room and the adjacent patio as a private chef prepared a delectable meal with Japanese, Hawaiian and California influences. “It was so fun to sit and enjoy the beautiful space,” she declares. “I just love our cozy home and see us spending many more years here.”
Photography by Brad Knipstein.
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