A Relocation Didn’t Mean a Reinvention for This California Family – They Left SoCal for the Suburbs and Designed a House Inspired by Their Favorite L.A. Restaurant

When a young family relocated from Los Angeles to New Jersey, they weren’t looking for a reinvention – they were looking for a way to bring their California soul with them.

Their new home on Hickory Drive – 'a magical street,' says designer Hollie Velten-Lattrell of SPACES by Hollie Velten – was charming and move-in ready, with a grand porch and idyllic tree-lined front yard. But inside, it was missing the personality that had defined their life out West.

With a color palette borrowed from a seasonal menu, references from hotel lounges and oyster picnics, and plenty of Californian memories, Hollie has reimagined this 'happy loud house' into something nostalgic yet new.

Set on one of Maplewood’s tree-lined streets, the house design had all the makings of a suburban dream. 'It felt quite idyllic with their family mascot pup Josie sat in the window, neighborhood kids playing out front, and cozy evenings inside,' says Hollie. It was, by all accounts, turnkey.

This project, for Hollie, closely reflects how she often works – guiding young, busy, city-dwelling families as they transition their lives to the suburbs. 'We help them navigate the intimidation of older homes, increased square footage, and fragmented room layouts, while avoiding the all-too-common, builder-grade additions that strip away original character.'

'Inside, the wide hall, ribbon-inlay floors, and original crown details guided us toward a respectful, architectural response – honoring the home’s character while allowing it to live comfortably and confidently today with some layers that felt much cooler, relaxed, and with a little more irreverence,' Hollie explains

That sense of respect became central to Hollie's approach. Rather than altering the home’s bones, she leaned into them. 'Our specialty is layering in personality and modern life while preserving what makes these homes feel singular and storied.'

No walls were moved, no square footage added. Instead, the transformation came through paint and pattern choices, custom millwork, and joinery that reshaped the scale of each room to give it a new personality and purpose.

But where the architecture hails from New Jersey, its soul came with the clients from California. Hollie looked to an unexpected Californian source for the color scheme for the whole house: the restaurant Chez Panisse. 'Poached leeks, earthy olive, summer fig, and persimmon peel accents are borrowed from a seasonal menu tablescape at Chez Panisse.'

'French blues, ink, and woodsy tones ground, referencing David Lance Goines distinctive images and lettering,' Hollie notes, adding that she was also inspired by German Art Nouveau and Japanese woodblock prints in the early restaurant’s iconic posters of the '70s and '80s. Crucially, all of this color sits against a simple backdrop. 'Our ‘white’ was Farrow & Ball's Au Lait, which is clean and warm,' she notes.

'They wanted to help retrofit some of their previous furniture from L.A., such as their sofa, but it felt unsupported in these new big blank spaces,' Hollie explains of the living room.

'We pulled things tighter together in a conversation square around the sofa with a large custom ottoman, squared off with cylinder ottomans and generous vintage leather chairs for a low-slung, rough and worn seating set, and added a large paper ceiling light and ceiling medallion for architectural finish. The relaxed bubbled window treatments are traditional but slightly undone – the way we like to work.'

'The custom bookcase helped block out the room that felt sparse and empty, and since the clients were hoping to reuse their sofa, which was a little small for the space, the millwork brought in a new scale that we could work with,' she continues.

Drawing directly from the layered, earthy palette of Chez Panisse, mixed with 1970s influences, the dining room embraces warmth.

The space was 'meant to invite homework and crafts to elaborate family dinner hosting,' Hollie explains, noting that she designed this home not only as somewhere to entertain, but also as somewhere that 'holds you'. And no scheme feels as enveloping as this serene dining spot topped with an ochre-painted accent ceiling.

At first glance, you might miss that the decorative molding that sits halfway down the walls was specified in a soft, barely-there blue (Farrow & Ball's Skylight) in a glossy finish, but it's a detail that both nods to the Swedes and was inspired by a vintage Chez Panisse poster that also hangs in the room.

Notably, there’s no rug underfoot. Instead, the ribbon inlay flooring is left exposed to show off its warm tones and intricate details. Hollie opted for 'gorgeous wood, chunky furniture, and vintage glass lamps, which were a sweet marketplace find for a steal' to finish the room.

Originally, the home’s front room was envisioned as a music room – a relaxed space to house the family’s organ and create a soft landing just off the wide entryway. But midway through the design process, priorities shifted.

With two young children and the realities of suburban life setting in, storage quickly became the more pressing need. So, the music room was scrapped in favor of something far more practical: a mudroom.

'This room brief pivoted midway, and we wanted to give it a proper utility quality,' Hollie explains. 'This ended up being a great challenge as the room felt complete. The beadboard walls we added were color-drenched in a 50% cut-version of the paint color we used on the millwork, so it felt connected, cohesive, and purposeful. The challenge was to fill and finish a space to feel utility-like, but as it is right off the wide entrance and quite large and open, creating qualities of a traditional boot room that still connects with the rest of the room.'

'It really ended up working successfully with the window seat, sconce, and wall hooks. The textiles and rug warm up the space, while the curves we achieved with our millwork partners, Purple Lights, are sumptuous and look like antique furniture that's always been there, passed down.'

In the moody powder room, the references lean fully into coastal nostalgia with subtle references to Hog Island oyster culture and fishermen’s shacks. It’s the smallest room in the house, but arguably the most dramatic.

'I pulled some of the Hog Island oyster references and the 1975 houseboat book Water Squatters, and thought of this space as a bit of a fisherman's shack,' says Hollie of the small bathroom.

The walls are wrapped in a hand-printed wallpaper by Marthe Armitage, depicting an intricate seaside town that brings soft blue tones and movement to the bathroom, while the sheer, low-slung panel at the window gives a more casual take on the cafe curtain trend.

Leaning further into that feeling of being held, the TV room is where the family can fully unwind, so it had to welcome and appeal to both the adults and the two toddler-aged daughters who use it.

Hollie explains that this family room was drenched in Farrow & Ball's Treron to create a 'subdued, space to retire at night. We flooded the walls, ceiling, and fireplace to feel contained and customized the hearth with check tiles.'

Meanwhile, a generous custom ottoman anchors the seating area, sturdy enough for puzzles, board games, or putting up your feet at the end of the day. A vintage Swedish floor lamp adds character and personality to the corner, while the throw pillows bring in some chintz.

In contrast to the energy of the living spaces, the primary bedroom was designed as a true retreat.

'We wanted this to feel very serene, and boutique hotel-like,' says Hollie. 'The striped custom headboard, Nickey Kehoe quilt, large plum area rug, and the togetherness of the traditional nightstands and sconces are perfectly unexpected,' she adds. 'Farrow & Ball's Jitney paint is calming and mushroomy.'

It's a bedroom that feels polished enough to belong in a boutique hotel, as per Hollie's vision, yet relaxed enough to truly live in. 'It's napable with a little whimsy,' she adds.

Ultimately, this home is less about individual moments and more about how everything works together and works for the family that lives within.

The color palette is quiet but oh-so nuanced, and furniture is arranged in tight, conversational layouts that balance the generous proportions of the home. Even practical elements, like built-ins, hooks, cabinetry, and window seats, read as intentional or heritage design statements.

Hollie describes it as a 'happy loud' house, and it is clear that this is a space designed to be really loved. The personality comes from a mix of memory, comfort, color, texture, vintage, new, and nostalgia. 'A home that feels like you to live in and enjoy,' she adds.

Ask what Hollie hopes people feel when they walk through the front door, and the answer is simple: Welcome. Comfortable. Cozy and cool. She wanted it to feel well-appointed, but unfussy. A house that holds conversation easily and doesn’t mind a little noise.