Typically, a homeowner in search of an interior designer finds one via referrals from family or friends, or perhaps a contractor or architect. But Rachel and Eric Matteson of Bay Park lighted on Traci Taylor of Arise Interiors at a school fundraiser.
The Mattesons already had heard about her. Taylor had designed many kitchens of their friends and acquaintances, but they hadn’t met her. Taylor, who also has a child at the school, had donated a two-hour design consultation and the Mattesons had the winning bid.
It was February 2020 and the Mattesons had already hired a contractor and architect to transform their 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath 1951 house into a much larger, updated two-story home. They knew they needed more space for their family, including their two daughters, Izzy and Zoey, and Sadie, their huge chocolate Lab.
But Rachel Matteson, an educator with the Del Mar Union School District, was stuck on the kitchen design. She and Eric, a fire captain, were looking for advice on everything from layout and storage to materials and lighting, but were on a limited budget, Matteson said.
“And then we sat down with her (Taylor) and … I told my husband, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s going to save us money because she’s going to help me to make smart decisions and not have to redo things,’ ” Matteson said. “It ended up that she designed every aspect of the kitchen and then helped us with every aspect of everything else.”
The couple, who had bought the house in 2003, needed much more space and storage in general. They wanted a primary suite upstairs so that their daughters could each have her own bedroom and share an updated bathroom downstairs. They also wanted an upstairs multipurpose room that could be a movie room, playroom and office. The kitchen needed to be larger and updated, and they wanted the completed house to look like it had always been two stories.
“I’d say their style was coastal artisan with a bit of Finnish,” Taylor said. “You’ll see a touch of modernist flair, helping the kitchen appear spacious and bright.”
Rachel Matteson was deeply involved with the project. On some items, Taylor presented options for Matteson to select from and order. Arise Interiors supplied products such as cabinetry; tile; countertops for the kitchen, primary bath and entry; and lighting throughout.
The front door opens to an entryway landing with a short flight of stairs. Originally, the stairs led up to a living room (divided from the stairs with a pony wall), a galley kitchen, the main bathroom and two small side-by-side bedrooms. There was also what Matteson described as a really ugly fireplace by the kitchen.
That layout was changed so that the kitchen could be expanded to include an island and a pantry, with a full wall of sliding doors in the back that allow light to pour in as well as create an indoor/outdoor experience. There was enough room between the top of the entrance landing’s stairs and the kitchen for a dining set — on order — and a nice sized living room next to the dining set and facing the street. Some bedroom space was shaved to create a full bathroom between the girls’ bedrooms. The architect used the original bathroom space to create a staircase to the new second floor.
Matteson said the kitchen is really the heart of their home, and she didn’t want a separate space but one that opened to the entry and living room and out to their backyard.
Taylor did a feasibility study with the couple to help determine where to place appliances, how to set up the island and how to determine lighting and storage.
“We talked a lot about where she cooks, where she spends the most time and what she can see from that view,” Taylor said. “We went back and forth on whether we wanted the sink against the wall or in the middle of the island. It’s actually the most used thing in the entire kitchen. Having it in the island means she can see out the front door, she can see out the back door and she can see what’s going on in the living room.”
Taylor also suggested a skylight be installed in the kitchen to bring in more light during winter months.
Because this renovation was a huge investment for the family, Taylor wanted to help them make choices that would be classic.
For the island, she suggested a quartz countertop and walnut cabinetry, which give it the look of a modern piece of furniture. Instead of fully recessing the cabinets along one side of the island to seat four, Taylor suggested placing two seats on one side and two seats on the end so it would be easier to have conversations, a detail Matteson loves. Taylor placed three Baldwyn 1 Sand & Stable pendants over the island.
Taylor didn’t want the microwave on or under the counter, so she created space for it next to a walnut wine storage insert she had designed under the counter and within the white cabinetry on one side of the kitchen. The idea was to keep the kids, who might be making popcorn or heating up food, out of the cooking triangle. On the quartz counter is a coffee machine and toaster. Above them is a single cabinet, also in white, and two walnut shelves that hold margarita glasses and a pitcher as well as other bar glasses.
On the other side of the island is where most of the kitchen action is. Taylor placed a Kohler Whitehaven undermount sink in the island. Across the island is Eric’s much coveted 36-inch Wolf gas range, sitting below a signature backsplash swath of Tresses White WJ Mosaic Gloss Glass wavy tiles from Cabochon Tile & Stone. On either side of the range are white cabinets with scads of drawers topped by a quartz countertop. A backsplash of 4-inch-by-8-inch light gray glossy crackle field, also from Cabochon Tile & Stone, separates those cabinets from more above.
Next to those cabinets is a Bosch three-door refrigerator/freezer. Taylor had Rachel Matteson make a detailed inventory of storage needs so Taylor could create customized homes for spices and herbs, storage containers and baking equipment. She designed a pantry with a blue barn door at the kitchen’s entrance.
Both Taylor and Matteson are thrilled with the concept Taylor came up with for the living room and entry stairs, where the pony wall had been. The family had two distinct needs in that area — storage at the entrance and a media cabinet upstairs in the living room. So, Taylor designed a one-piece, two-sided cabinet. At the entrance level are cubbies for shoes, along with two short doors that cover a recessed space under the stairs where the family stores their snowboards and other equipment. The other side of the cabinet is a white ed wall that extends upward and becomes the back of a narrow media cabinet for the living room.
“That was just such a win-win situation where I could create this little secret door behind one of these niches and be able to store all that stuff down there,” said Taylor.
“It’s great,” said Matteson. “It seems silly, but you can’t put the snowboards in the garage because you have to be really careful with your equipment and keep it in a climate-controlled environment. And I really liked the cubbies because my kids can kick their shoes off, and on the other wall there’s a simple hook rack where they can hang up their backpacks. And it’s also where our dog leash lives.”
Because the chimney needed replacing, the couple decided to redo the fireplace, moving it over about 6 inches and removing the raised hearth, which was a trip hazard and a default place for Eric to dump his stuff. Taylor worked with the floorers, who had installed 7 ½-inch Euro Oak wood planks throughout the house, to create an inset so the tilers could install a seamless hearth. Taylor also designed two windows that flank the fireplace to let in more light.
Upstairs, the family now has a Mission Bay view from the primary bedroom and multi use family room that includes a balcony. The family room is still a work in progress, but against the back wall is a workspace that features a long desk made of a single piece of wood with a live edge that Eric’s friends pulled up through a window.
The project took about two years, thanks to COVID pandemic delays, but the family moved back in June 2022.
“We are so happy,” Rachel Matteson said. “We have common areas where we can comfortably be together and entertain, but we also have private nooks and spaces that allow our house to grow with our family. We just need to finish unpacking.”
Caron Golden is a freelance writer.
