Morrison Interiors renovated this Spanish-style San Clemente home to create modern moments and a comfortable SoCal feel.
Morrison Interiors worked with landscape architect The Burns Company to reimagine the exterior by adding limestone, curated plants, and a new pool and spa lined with handglazed ceramics. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
The living room was designed to comfortably host the clients’ extended family, with a boucle Dmitriy & Co sofa and a limestone Ollin fireplace. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
“Regardless of style, size or location, our homes feel warm and approachable,” says Rachel Morrison, vice president and senior designer at the Newport Beach-based interior design firm founded by her mother-in-law, Denise Morrison. In February 2020, Morrison Interiors (morrisoninteriors.com) connected on design platform Houzz (houzz.com) with the owners of a Spanish-style home newly constructed in beautiful San Clemente, located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
“The Spanish-leaning architecture of the home and views were great bones to start with, but the interiors needed to be elevated,” says Rachel, whose firm considered that the owners split their time between California and Texas. “Our clients wanted this home to embrace the SoCal lifestyle and not feel like a second home. It was important for them to feel completely at ease in all the spaces and to have all the comforts of home.”
Textural Sonoma Tilemakers kitchen tile serves as a backdrop to white oak shelving, steel and glass cabinetry, and a steel-wrapped hood. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
She loved the laid-back charm of the area and the home’s unobstructed views of the coast. “San Clemente is a really special place in Orange County—it still has a small beach-town feel to it,” says Rachel, whose firm leaned into that Southern California beach vibe with the interior design.
“Our clients wanted to infuse a lot of blue tones throughout the home and have a more modern-leaning approach. In fact, the wife’s favorite color was a brighter Tiffany Blue.” Morrison Interiors created a palette of more grounded tones like warm ivories, terra cottas, blackened steel and earthy greens. “We then also popped moments of bolder blue in pieces like the Thomas Hayes counter stools in the kitchen, accent pillows, and really went for it in her office cabinetry and wallpaper,” Rachel says.
Our clients wanted to infuse a lot of blue tones throughout the home and have a more modern-leaning approach.” –RACHEL MORRISON, VICE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR DESIGNER, MORRISON INTERIORS
Allied Maker rein pendants hang over the island in the open kitchen. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
Built in 2018, the 5,553-square-foot home consists of four bedrooms, two offices and five baths. “Like many Spanish homes, this home has a centralized courtyard in addition to its backyard,” notes Rachel, whose firm worked with landscape architect The Burns Company (theburnsco.com) to reimagine the exterior by adding limestone, curated plants, and a new pool and spa lined with handglazed ceramics.
“We also designed custom powder-coated steel cabinets for the exterior kitchen through Moya Living (moyaliving.com)—another pop of blue!” she says. Inside, Morrison Interiors created modern and exciting moments. Dimensional wood wall paneling extends up the stairwell, and on the landing hangs an Andrew Myers artwork with thousands of handpainted screws that create a sculptural relief of a shirt and tie. “Together, all of these elements took this space from transitional to an area that makes you stop, pause and admire,” Rachel says.
Morrison Interiors customized every label on matching canisters in the butler’s hall. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
With the kitchen and connecting butler’s hall on the first floor, Morrison Interiors wanted the clients to feel like they had “everything they needed and more,” says Rachel. Textural Sonoma Tilemakers tile serves as a backdrop to white oak shelving, steel and glass cabinetry, and a steel-wrapped hood—with additional metal elements such as Allied Maker rein pendants over the island.
Behind steel and glass pantry doors, Morrison Interiors customized every label on matching canisters—for items from sunflower oil to Australian red licorice. Notes Rachel, “From a walk-in pantry—of our dreams!—stocked and styled perfectly, to comfortable and inviting furnishings, we wanted this to be a perfect landing spot.”
The wine room features custom leather-wrapped Amuneal wine racking. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
For their wine connoisseur clients, Morrison Interiors also crafted a wine room with custom leather-wrapped Amuneal wine racking mounted on a rich Ann Sacks ribbed tile. “It was important to strike a balance between storage and a wow moment,” Rachel says. The first floor also houses a junior suite and bath; a mudroom; the living room—designed to cozily host the clients’ extended family, with a boucle Dmitriy & Co sofa and a limestone Ollin fireplace—and offices that reflect each client. “His office leans more masculine and simplistic,” says Rachel of the Hermès leather-wrapped desk and custom Andrea Claire chandelier. “Her office fully embraces the love of color and a play of geometric shapes.”
The serene primary bedroom pairs an oak T&G ceiling with a Lindsey Adelman branching bubble chandelier, and also includes an inviting sitting area with views of the ocean. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
Upstairs, the serene primary bedroom pairs an oak T&G ceiling with a Lindsey Adelman branching bubble chandelier. “This space was designed to do it all—from a warm and inviting sitting area with ocean views to the built-in coffee bar, there’s no need to leave,” Rachel says.
For a seamless transition, they carried the wood from the bedroom into the primary bath, where antique brass mirrors hang from the ceiling over the vanity. The upstairs also includes an en suite guest room, the clients’ daughter’s room and bath, and a bonus lounge.
Antique brass mirrors extend from the ceiling over the vanity in the primary bathroom. Photographed by Michael Clifford Photography
Nearly every element in the home was renovated and transformed by fall 2021—to great effect. “The clients were so happy with the result, they want us to come to Texas to finish their main home!” Rachel says. A perfect match, indeed.
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