Designer Carolyn Espley-Miller decorated her Carpinteria, California, beach house she shares with her husband and two sons, with white walls, slipcovered seating, and antiques to create a tranquil and serene space. Almost all the rooms and all the hallways are Benjamin Moore's White Heron, a nice, soft white, not glaring, not too bright. The kitchen and master bath are a seafoam color, Silver Sage by Restoration Hardware.
A trestle-leg desk is positioned in front of French doors in the office the designer shares with her husband.
A large mirror over a long French serving table gives the dining area the feel of a café in Paris. Sea grass rug and slatted chair complete the look.
In the entry, a well-worn Gustavian bench and blue and white striped rug.
Ocean breezes waft in through the entry's screen door.
Espley-Miller's living room has an expansive view of the Pacific Ocean, a massive stone fireplace, and big, comfortable sofas and chairs slipcovered in white cotton denim. A huge antique dhurrie defines the seating area.
In the kitchen, a light with a Victorian wicker shade hangs above a table made of antique corbels topped with glass.
Just about everything in the kitchen got a coat of white, including the hood. The light fixture is trimmed with antique fabric.
A distressed cabinet from a milk factory and the shutters against the wall make a statement in this corner.
A black banister and black chandelier help ground the bright, airy, open upstairs hall landing.
A winsome flea market portrait leans against a wicker lamp
In the upstairs hall, skipping ropes with brightly colored handles are piled under a French poster.
Stripes of red tile lend definition to the shower walls and tub surround in a boy's bathroom.
Striped bedding and a striped rug echo the lines of wooden French blinds in the bedroom of one of Espley-Miller's two sons.
The master bath opens to an oceanside deck. "It's very white and very simple," Espley-Miller says. "I wanted nothing to detract from the incredible view and the light."
Barn doors with their original seafoam color for the headboard in the master bedroom.
Shells fringe a custom shade on a lamp in the master bedroom.
The bedroom's mantel is a wooden French window frame. A framed grid of shells on fishing wire "sparkles and catches the light from windows and the fireplace," Espley-Miller says.
The patio fire pit takes the chill off after sunset.
All images and information from House Beautiful.
