Take a Tour of HGTV Star Jasmine Roth's Cali-Cool Home

When HGTV Magazine asked if I’d tell my story for this issue, I was like, Wait, isn’t that your job?! But seriously, I’m so excited to share the details of the house that my husband, Brett, and I spent years on — literally, three years. (And hey, I did just write a book about renovations, so I’m game.)

Our new home is in Huntington Beach, California, just a few blocks away from our last one. Each of the houses we’ve built for our family has a nickname, and from the beginning I’ve called this The Roth Homestead. To me, a homestead is a place that’s comfortable and organic — as in, not super polished — where good times happen. My usual style is beachy chill with a sense of humor, and Brett and I totally dialed that up. During the process of building this house, we had Hazel. Then it became about wanting to create a cheerful, whimsical home for her, too. I think we pulled it off! Hope you get some ideas for your own place. Let’s go!

The minute I spotted a photo on Instagram of a word search design on a wall, I knew I had to create our own in a big way. It makes this whole room — and teaches Hazel her ABCs! Under the stairs, I fit in built-ins for a play area. And I made sure all the grown-up stuff is toddlerproof. The fabric on our RH sofa is performance velvet, the armchair (from my shop) has the kind of leather that looks naturally worn and the floor is porcelain tile that’s easy to clean — the avocado that’s always on Hazel’s hands wipes right off.

We like to have people over, and if you follow us on Instagram, you know that Brett is an amazing cook and I’m pretty handy in the kitchen myself. Since we spend a ton of time here, we wanted it to be nice and airy. We chose open shelves instead of upper cabinets (mama needs her coffee mugs handy!) and a light oak wood for the lowers. The island is huge, 10 feet long, so there’s plenty of room for prep. One part is granite and the part where you sit is wood — that makes it special.

My goal was to create a space so cool and casual that we’d always want to have dinner here, not just big-deal meals. I paired a mash-up of chairs I had in storage with a simple CB2 table, way more low-key than a table set. The epic chandelier from Anthropologie — I’m obsessed — felt a little fancy at first. Putting plaid wallpaper by Astek on the fireplace wall relaxed it right up, like throwing a flannel shirt over a ball gown. Now this room is as awesome for takeout sushi as it is for Thanksgiving!

How can we make this the most fun? we wondered. Put in a secret bonus space! Can you guess where the door is? Yep — the bookcase swings open to our speakeasy-style wine room. Also entertaining: a shuffleboard table from a dive bar in San Diego and a salvaged teak-root coffee table I got on Chairish. It’s where we play games and, sometimes, I let Brett win. Ha! Vintage-y pennants on the bar add to the fun.

This is where you’ll find us at the end of the day, getting some fresh air and tiring out Hazel before bedtime. You can tell I’m into sectionals, which are the best for family lounging. Light sofas outside are totally doable with outdoor fabric, which I completely hose down. The upper cabinets open to reveal three TVs, my surprise for Brett when we were building the house — it’s like an at-home sports bar during football season.

The wall treatment is one of my favorite parts of the house, and I still pat myself on the back for pulling it off. I wanted something like reclaimed wood to give the space a beach cottage feel, but different. I went on a hunt and came home from the lumberyard with cedar grape stakes that I attached to the wall with pin nails and construction adhesive. The yellow patterned blanket by Garnet Hill is sunny, and I did two kinds of bedside tables because it’s always more interesting than a matching pair.

I may not have time to take as many baths as I used to (parenthood: worth it), but this claw-foot tub still excites me. I got it from a project where we salvaged as much as we could before knocking down an old house. Me: “I’ll take it!” I had it refinished in black with gold legs. It turned out to be one of the most glam tubs ever, and then I found a fab glass chandelier at RH Baby and Child to go above it. Leafy wallpaper from Wallshoppe and a scallop paint treatment in Hay by Farrow & Ball that resembles waves brought in the chill.