10 Ways to Get California-Cool Style in Your Home

LA-based interior designers Holllis LaPlante and Jordyn Grohl share their top 10 tips for adding California midcentury modern vibes to your home.

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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Photo By: Gavin Cater

Let the 'Mothers of Reinvention' Up Your Midcentury Modern Game

LA-based designers Hollis LaPlante and Jordyn Grohl (musician Dave Grohl's wife) consider themselves "The Mothers of Reinvention." That's because they specialize in reinventing midcentury modern homes that they name after their children. By coincidence, both actually come from TV production backgrounds and fell into design. They teamed up in 2016 to form Hollis | Jordyn Design and use their joint love of fashion to inspire their California cool choices.

"California midcentury design tends to be more laid back, undone and relaxed, whereas traditional midcentury design can feel a bit more structured and refined," explains Jordyn. Read on for their hot tips on how to recreate this West Coast look, from dabbling in color to mixing vintage finds with midcentury-inspired pieces.

1. Use Flagstone for the Front Entrance

"We love to incorporate earthy elements wherever possible as it creates a neutral and sophisticated palette," says Jordyn. This starts with the entryway since first impressions always count. One way to recreate the look is by choosing natural flagstone, plus it comes in a variety of colors. For this home they opted for a light gray tone to harmonize with the custom wood door and light green spruce trees. A bold midcentury hanging pendant light fixture is another way to try this design look.

2. Change Kitchen Cabinetry

In this renovation Hollis and Jordyn opted for custom flat-panel cabinetry from ArchStone Design; its slight grain variation lends an earthy feel. Note how the simplicity doesn't compete for attention here, instead allowing the focus to shift to the large picture window kept beautifully minimalist without curtains or blinds. For a smaller project, the textured, multi-tonal tile backsplash in a neutral shade from Mission Tile West provides midcentury flair with fairly minimal effort.

3. Add Exposed Beams

True, this is a larger undertaking, but adding exposed beams doesn't involve any structural changes. "By adding these beams into our design, we gave the home more of a midcentury feel while also maintaining its cozy, earthy and warm aesthetic," says Jordyn. In the background, the kitchen's pendant lights are a vintage find.

4. Maximize Natural Light

"One of the features that we love about a California midcentury home is the openness and connectedness to the outdoors," says Jordyn. For this room, they increased the height of the sliding doors. Since enlarging (or adding) sliding doors is too much of an ordeal for most people, there are other ways to recreate the indoor/outdoor aesthetic that defines midcentury modern. "We find that natural light opens the space and adds a very calming and organic feel," Jordyn adds.

For a lower lift, simply remove any window treatments if possible, barring privacy reasons. If that's not possible, consider replacing existing curtains or blinds with a more sheer option, or fully open window treatments during the day. Another easy fix? Rearrange any furniture or other objects that might be blocking the light.

5. Surround a Fireplace With Stone

Now this stone wall is original to the home, but a good contractor can recreate the look. Hollis and Jordyn usually start by choosing the type of stone, pattern type and colorway, and they like to source from Mission Tile West. Tip: "You should draft your plan so your vision is clear," advises Jordyn. The two actually updated this rock wall by adding a storage nook for books, candles and decor.

6. Unearth (or Recreate) the Original

If you live in an older home, especially one from the midcentury era, there's a chance that original features may be lurking behind existing ones. In this case, Hollis and Jordyn were curious if the drywall in this home hid anything. While renovating the home they happily discovered this intact midcentury modern brick wall. Granted, you probably don't want to take a sledgehammer to a perfectly good fireplace mantel, but, as with the stone fireplace, this look can be readily achieved.

7. Source Midcentury Accents

For a simple update, source items such as a vintage midcentury modern mirror and lighting fixtures from sites such as Etsy, 1stdibs and Chairish, all go-to's for Hollis and Jordyn. For something a bit more involved, this custom-designed walnut vanity gives major midcentury modern vibes. Or change up the entire look of a bathroom with this green shower tile from Mission Tile West, which Hollis and Jordyn chose as an ode to the home's landscaping. They also like how the green adds a burst of color and connects the bathroom to the outdoors.

8. Have Fun With Tile

"We absolutely love terrazzo, not only because it's quintessential to the midcentury modern era," says Jordyn, "but the different colorways and patterns are so inspiring and truly elevate any space." In this renovation Hollis and Jordyn used fluted terrazzo tile from Ann Sacks on the wall as a way to add depth and visual interest to the space. They chose a flat 20x20 square terrazzo tile from Concrete Collaborative for the floor to complete the effect. Locally found vintage pendants round out this California midcentury redesign.

9. Opt for Earth Tones

"The overall vibe of this bathroom is moody, earthy and cohesive with the rest of the home," Jordyn notes. Recreate it by choosing rust-orange tile from Zia Tile and stone floors from Stoneland.

"We always say, 'less is more.' The aesthetic of California midcentury design is fresh, organic and clean," adds Jordyn. "There’s no need to go too bold with trends or overly contemporary accessories and furnishings, which may detract from the effortless California midcentury aesthetic."

10. Mix Vintage Pieces With Unexpected Colors

True midcentury style might be all about the earth tones, but straying into the color spectrum adds a playful California twist. Here, Hollis and Jordyn paired a mauve wall and teal sink for something different in a small space. "We added a brass vintage pendant light sourced from Etsy, which adds such a fun and unexpected design element to the powder room," Jordyn says. They found the cute Concretti sink on Etsy, too.

Whether you're ready to tackle a major midcentury modern design renovation or prefer to flirt with the aesthetic, let these accessible tips guide your journey.