California State of Mind: A Harmonious Lifestyle
Defining the California Aesthetic
The California aesthetic is characterized by a generous sense of space, abundant natural light, and a deep appreciation for materiality. This style prioritizes a fluid transition between indoor and outdoor environments, celebrating the state's golden light and diverse landscapes. Beyond a singular look, it is a restorative practice that utilizes quality-crafted, sustainable materials to support emotional and physical wellbeing.
A Celebration of the Local Environment
At its core, California style mirrors the beauty of the coastline and high desert through a palette of soft greens, deep blues, and warm earth tones. This design principle invites the outdoors in, fostering tranquility and connection. This regional approach is rooted in the early 20th-century Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized a direct response to the natural landscape and the use of materials to anchor a building to its site (Van Wormer).
Sarah Barnard, LEED + WELL A.P., notes, “Intentionally designing a sanctuary can cultivate a space that supports a deeper connection with our internal experience.” This focus on quality is central to creating a California connection within a residence.
Honor in Craftsmanship and Narrative
The aesthetic is rooted in design traditions valuing personal, handmade, and quality-crafted details. By focusing on artisan furniture and architectural elements that showcase raw materials like wood and stone, a home becomes a collection of stories. This approach often includes design strategies for an unpredictable climate, where beauty and functionality balance to support longevity.
This narrative includes regional styles like the Spanish Colonial Revival, which blossomed in the 1920s to become a dominant regional style of Southern California, using stucco, tile, and lush courtyards to create a romantic, site-sensitive identity (Sloan).
Caliterranean: A blend of Italian, Spanish, and Mission influences characterized by soft stucco and intricate tilework.
Scandifornian: Coastal California elements paired with Scandinavian simplicity.
Francofornia: French sensibilities combined with California comfort.
Material Integrity and Environmental Health
Modern California style prioritizes material health, selecting sustainable options that support a fresh indoor environment. This includes reclaimed woods, natural textiles, and raw minerals that provide a grounded presence. A humanistic modernism emerged in the state that fully embraced comfort and leisure, responding directly to the environment (Stovall). Many homeowners also explore vegan home design to create a compassionate style that reflects a love of animals and wildlife.
Intentional Minimalism
The California look is curated and intentional, promoting calm and order. By utilizing vertical space and layered lighting, rooms feel expansive and airy. Functional elements are often integrated into specialized cabinetry or built-ins, allowing the eye to rest on art and natural woodgrains. This refined approach, sometimes called Caliminimalism, emphasizes organized spaces and functional neutral palettes.
Strategies for Achieving a California Lifestyle
Achieving this style is as much about cultivating a state of mind as it is about visual design. By making intentional choices, the home becomes a tool for a life focused on mindfulness and connection to the land.
Cultivate a Nature-Inspired Palette
Selecting colors rooted in local minerals and flora brings the landscape indoors.
Coastal and Earth Tones: Soft greens, deep blues, and warm neutrals reflect the West Coast.
Grounding Minerals: Natural stones like California slate or river rock offer a sense of stability.
Golden Tones: Salvaged sycamore or reclaimed redwood emulate the warmth of West Coast sunshine.
Select Materials for Integrity and Longevity
The history of materials plays a significant role in supporting the local ecosystem and health.
Certified Timbers: FSC-certified woods like reclaimed elm or ash support environmental preservation.
Textile Health: Natural linens or textiles support indoor air quality.
Low-Impact Finishes: No-VOC materials for wood surfaces support a healthy living environment.
Emphasize Artisanal Craftsmanship
Focusing on pieces that showcase human effort and natural beauty adds depth to an interior.
Bespoke Furniture: Custom pieces celebrate the organic form of the wood.
Restored Heirlooms: Integrating family pieces or salvaged historical materials honors design traditions.
Tactile Surfaces: Chiseled wood, textured art, or rough-hewn stone add physical interest.
Sarah Barnard, LEED + WELL A.P., is a leading designer of personalized, sustainable spaces that support mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. She creates restorative environments deeply connected to art and the preservation of the natural world. Sarah has been recognized as a “Ones to Watch” Scholar by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
Works Cited
Stovall, Sarah. “California Design, 1930–1965: Living in a Modern Way.” LACMA, 2011. https://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/California%20Design%20didactic%20FINAL.pdf
Van Wormer, Catherine. “Architecture and Engineering Theme: Arts and Crafts Movement, 1895-1930.” City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning, 2016. https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/18037253-197d-483a-8b13-c85fcd553fe8/ArtsandCraftsMovement_1895-1930.pdf
Sloan, Carolyne. “Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture in Santa Monica.” Santa Monica Conservancy, 2024. https://smconservancy.org/property/parkhurst-building/
A Carefully Curated Beach Home
Curating a collection of artwork for the home can be a gratifying process. While we are only beginning to understand the science behind our emotional response to art, humans have produced and sought artwork throughout the history of their existence. Researchers from the University College London found that looking at art that we perceive as beautiful activates the pleasure centers in our brains and produces a response that’s akin to falling in love, as many of us can confirm anecdotally.
It only makes sense that while designing a space, we should turn to artwork to help influence our emotional experience. As a home designer with a fine art background, Sarah Barnard recognizes the significance of using art for well-being in home design. For a recent residential project by the beach, Barnard sourced an impressive collection of artwork to enhance the lifestyle of the homeowners.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
TEXTILE ARTWORK BY ANEESA SHAMI.
A textile piece by artist Aneesa Shami warmly greets visitors at the entrance, supporting her assertion that attention to detail can “bring comfort and peace of mind from the chaotic world.”Barnard fills the corner with playful, order seeking pieces, most literally seen in a bespoke getabako cabinet used for organization and storage. Nearby hangs Michelle Jane Lee’s painting Blue (Wave On). Its heavily textured and undulating canvas finds structural contrast in geometric blue forms, painted with pinpoint precision.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTING BY MICHELLE JANE LEE.
In the kitchen nook, an engraving on lucite by artist Karen Sikie entitled Sunflowers lends an ethereal touch. “I hope my work is a reminder of our intrinsic connection to the natural world,” explains Sikie. Here, Barnard’s selection of artwork connects the home to nature in an area where architectural limitations prevent plants or windows.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTINGBY KAREN SIKIE.
Continuing to consider the home’s structural components, Barnard installed Kevin Moore’s Scalard Field above the kitchen table. Selecting artwork with an unconventional shape can add architectural interest to an interior without the commitment of a remodel. “The shaped canvas I make are meant to interact with the architectural lines in the home,” says Moore. “There is a symbiotic relationship between the form in my paintings and architecture.”
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTING BY KEVIN MOORE.
Finding Home, an abstract painting by Karrie Ross, mimics the flow of water and compliments an elegantly crafted dining table. Combining multiple works can feel intimidating — especially in an open-concept space such as this — but Ross insists there is no ‘wrong’ way to choose art for your home. “Collectors buy art for whatever reason they want to, whether it’s to match a color, a mood, or just because they can’t take their eyes or mind away from the way it touches them,” she says. Working with an interior designer is an excellent way to relieve the stress of incorporating several beloved pieces of art into the home.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTINGBY KARRIE ROSS.
Barnard expertly combined artwork in the living area, where a painting by Kevin Moore sits above the fireplace. Built-in bookshelves frame the piece, showcasing work by Renae Barnard, Kitty Cooper, Melissa Halozan, Katie Hoffman, and Abby Sin.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
ART BY RENAE BARNARD, KITTY COOPER, MELISSA HALOZAN, KATIE HOFFMAN, KEVIN MOORE, AND ABBY SIN.
In the bedroom, Ruben Vincent’s mixed-media paintings hang over the bed and an heirloom dresser. “For me painting is a form of thinking that fuses knowledge of materials, a fascination with surface qualities, and an obsession with color,” he explains.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTINGS BY RUBEN VINCENT.
While clients often use mirrors to open spaces and spread light, Barnard used a reflective painting by Sin to serve the same function while adding depth and color to the room. “Paintings can become so much more than wall decor when expertly placed within a home,” notes Sin, the creator of North, which glitters behind the reading nook. “My work incorporates light-reactive films to create bold color and metallic effects. When placed in an area with ample natural light, iridescent colors shift, and the artwork functions as a prism casting reflected light.”
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTINGS BY RUBEN VINCENT AND ABBY SIN.
An oil painting on canvas by Jennifer King entitled Dream Boy sits above the fireplace mantel. It’s surreal imagery, saturated colors, and a brooding subject serve as the bedroom’s focal point. “I enjoy the idea of art being incorporated into people’s lives, not just as an investment but as something they love enough to see every day,” says King. This philosophy is at the root of Barnard’s selections, as these works of art become integrated with the client’s daily routines.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTINGS BY JENNIFER KING AND ABBY SIN.
In the sports and entertainment room, Gianna Vargas’ painting Phoenix brings depth and intrigue to a casual and comfortable space. Even the ensuite bath is embellished with art and features a custom roman shade trimmed with delicate embroidery and a small painting on panel by Sin.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTING BY GIANNA VARGAS.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTING BY ABBY SIN.
The artwork featured in the guest suite feels playful and unpredictable — Rose Gold Popsicle, a resin sculpture by Betsy Enzensberger, is placed opposite Reaching 2, another painting by Karrie Ross. “With my work, the message is simple: Joy,” affirms Enzensberger. “This is what drives me to keep creating. It makes me happy to bring others joy.”
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
ART BY BETSY ENZENSBERGER AND KARRIE ROSS.
Barnard utilized her long-standing relationships with local artists to curate a collection to inspire her clients and contribute to their wellbeing. The result is a colorful, kid-friendly space featuring a wide range of pieces that have the potential to appreciate in value— from handmade textile art to abstract paintings and tabletop sculptures.
PHOTO BY: ACE MISIUNAS
PAINTING BY KEVIN MOORE.
Sarah Barnard designs healthy, happy, personalized spaces that connect deeply to nature and art. Empathy and mindfulness are the foundation of her practice creating healing, supportive environments that enhance life.
Luxury High Rise Home Design
Nestled in a chic high-rise building, this colorful suite features the owner’s impressive collection of books, art, custom furniture, installations, complete with natural and luxurious materials.
An expansive art collection lines the entryway and halls. Paintings, drawings, mixed media art, and the owner’s embroidery cover the deep blue walls. The thoughtfully curated collection includes contemporary artworks from across the globe with a focus on feminist portraiture and fiber art.
Floor to ceiling windows on two sides of the living room reveal unobstructed views of the city outside and are framed by a dracaena specimen and a large sculpture by Renae Barnard. Custom furniture commissioned for the homeowner, who needed the seat height of her chairs and sofa to have a custom raised seat height to enhance its ease of use. Tillandsia, low-maintenance “air” plants, dot the space throughout and are reminiscent of the environment outside.
The dining area features custom wall to wall shelving, displaying the owner’s beloved collection of books, plants, and sculptures. Bright blues and purples make the airy and light space feel both grounded and vibrant. Around the dining room table, a variety of vintage office chairs and a bench seat were upholstered with the same teal linen textile, allowing guests to experience their favorite seat comfortably.
An agate-inspired grasscloth wallpaper adds a natural and organic element to the plush, achromatic office. A custom desk made in a black powder-coated steel was designed to fit the owner’s specific needs perfectly. A custom bookshelf was also chosen to keep her books close at hand while seamlessly blending with the modern desk. Pillows embroidered with Picasso illustrations add sophisticated interest to the sleek dark sofa while a fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) adds life and color to the elegant workspace.
The primary bedroom features a luxurious, award-winning, American black walnut bed frame by Autoban. The handcrafted headboard is lined with purple velvet, blending the natural texture with dark, feminine styling. A 300 thread count Egyptian cotton reversible duvet in custom color scheme adorns this California king bed (featuring an organic coconut mattress). Above, custom neon artwork reading “phantasmagoria” adds an ethereal glow. Plush black carpeting feels soft and comforting underfoot, and curtains allow the owner to sleep in total darkness. The two-tone purple walls were specially designed to draw attention to the art and to fulfill the owner’s request to have the bedroom “feel like a hug.”
Sarah Barnard designs healthy, happy, personalized spaces that are deeply connected to nature and art.
To learn more about Sarah Barnard Design, please visit www.SarahBarnard.com.