Often used for filming, the kitchen island features an induction cooktop and handmade stools from Mexico. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
INTERIOR DESIGNER MINDY GAYER USED LIMESTONE FLOORS, WHITE OAK CABINETRY AND A SEPARATE “DIRTY KITCHEN” TO CREATE A WARM, TWO-STORY LA JOLLA HOME FIT FOR A CHEF AND HER YOUNG FAMILY.
“I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN ORANGE COUNTY, so local California living plays a big influence in my style,” says Costa Mesa-based interior designer Mindy Gayer of Mindy Gayer Design Co. “The homes we design are tailored to everyday living: They’re designed to be beautiful but also very livable, and to feel like home from the moment our clients step inside.”
A separate “dirty kitchen” contains a refrigerator and double wall ovens, plus purposefully designed custom cabinetry. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
When previous clients of Gayer’s relocated from Newport Beach to La Jolla, designing their San Diego dream home near the beach became her first project in the area. “This was a very extensive remodel,” says Gayer of the transformation that began in early 2019 and finished in summer 2021. While technically a redesign of the fourbedroom, six-bathroom abode with playroom, laundry room and dual offices, Gayer treated it like a new build. With three young boys, the family wanted the space to suit their active lifestyle and better reflect their taste. “The original home was completely different from our clients’ personal style, but they loved the location and privacy. Our clients described their dream aesthetic as soft contemporary, so that’s the overall style we went for.”
A new spiral staircase makes an architectural statement in the great room. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
As her client is a food writer, cookbook author and TV host, Gayer began with the open kitchen—that is often used for filming. “We offset the sink so our client could stand at the island with the range and integrated hood as the main focal point behind her,” says Gayer, who added an induction cooktop on the island and handmade stools from Mexico. A Viking oven is flanked by a fridge and freezer with integrated panels, and planked white oak cabinetry and a custom steel hood span the back wall. “While we love natural stone, we used porcelain slabs because our client really wanted a material that wasn’t going to stain or etch,” Gayer says. A separate “dirty kitchen” features a refrigerator and double wall ovens, plus purposefully designed custom cabinetry. “Our clients are very tidy, clean, organized people, so when possible, they always wanted the kitchen to look clean and put-together. For that reason, the dirty kitchen became very important to the overall kitchen design.”
An Apparatus chandelier hangs in the dining room PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
Opposite the kitchen is the airy living room, with wall-length glass doors that create a California indoor-outdoor feel. “It’s one of the things that first attracted our clients to the property,” says Gayer, who helped design a simplified backyard with grass for the kids, a sleek pool area and a retractable awning. In the living room, a custom sectional in a Perennials performance fabric surrounds a leather ottoman with movable cuff table, and white oak built-ins showcase art and collected items. “Our clients wanted to keep a clear path for the kids to run in and out, so we opted for comfortable furniture without a heavy footprint.”
“His” office plays off light and dark, with gray built-ins. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
Rather than engineered hardwood, limestone flooring covers the home. “The limestone fit the contemporary style and offered a softness wood did not,” Gayer says. “Limestone floors tend to hide dirt really well, and they’re great for high-traffic areas because they’re natural stone.” White oak storage built-ins line the hallways, and coats of Benjamin Moore White Dove paint on the walls and Sherwin-Williams Grizzle Gray on the interior doors create a neutral color scheme. Gayer—who calls her style “collected, casual and wonderfully curated”—added personality with greenery, eclectic decor and modern art commissions, such as the abstract Diana Presley Greenberg piece in the entryway. “Our clients wanted something colorful to invite people in and make the space feel playful and fun.”
The nursery features beach-themed decor PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
A new spiral staircase makes an architectural statement in the great room, steel doors peek into wine storage, and a dining room boasts a long wooden table perfect for entertaining. Also downstairs are three en suite boys rooms that conjure the California coast with different shades of blue and gray; his and hers offices; and a playroom that fuses patterned Rebecca Atwood wallpaper with the child-themed art and custom teal sectional from their previous home. “Our clients wanted to repurpose much of the furniture [from their prior home],” says Gayer, who’d designed that traditional Spanish hacienda. “Our task was to find a way to marry the pieces from that home with the new soft contemporary architecture.”
The main bath flaunts a dual vanity with a sea pearl quartzite countertop. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
Comprising the upstairs, the main bedroom flaunts refinished metal ceiling beams, barn doors and a repurposed custom bed in Belgian linen. “We wanted this space to feel like an extension of the rest of the house, so we played up the dark neutrals and kept it simplistic,” says Gayer. A serene gray bathroom features dual shower heads and a double vanity with a sea pearl quartzite countertop—displaying calming plants and bath products. “The magic behind a well-designed home lies in each thoughtful detail,” says Gayer. “It’s the little things that bring it to life and give each space that lived-in feel.”
Two boys bedrooms nod to California coastal style with different shades of blue and gray woven throughout. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
DESIGN DETAILS
TYPE
Single-family home
LOCATION
La Jolla
INTERIOR DESIGN
Mindy Gayer, Mindy Gayer Design Co. mindygayer.com
BUILDER
Tom Waters, TW Construction
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Karen Miller, Karen D. Miller Design kdmdesignstudios.com
A custom art piece by Diana Presley Greenberg greets guests. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
RESOURCES
ALLIED MAKER
Powder bath pendants alliedmaker.com
BAYERLEIN ENTERPRISE
Kitchen cabinetry bayerleinenterprise.com
BENJAMIN MOORE
Paint throughout benjaminmoore.com
EXQUISITE SURFACES
Limestone floors throughout xsurfaces.com
HOUSE OF ROHL
Plumbing houseofrohl.com
JAYSON HOME
Primary bedroom solid pillows jaysonhome.com
REBECCA ATWOOD
Playroom wallpaper and pillows rebeccaatwood.com
ROSE UNIACKE
Kitchen pendant lights roseuniacke.com
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS
Paint on interior doors and in “his” office sherwin-williams.com
VIKING
Kitchen appliances vikingrange.com
The backyard houses a sleek pool. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VANESSA LENTINE
