Project: Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design Location: Los Feliz, California

California vibes are hard to shake in interior design these days, and for good reason. Who doesn’t want a laid-back, relaxed place to call home? That’s exactly what Los Angeles-based designer Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design gave her client, a tech executive, in this furniture and decor-focused makeover. The goal was California casual, and Caitlin achieved the look by blending textures with organic, modern shapes and grounding everything in a low-key palette of blacks, blues and browns. There’s a little bit of a masculine undercurrent running through the home as a whole, but it’s tempered by touches of desert bohemian accessories and textiles.

The living room already had great Spanish-style bones, with a trio of arched built-ins along one wall. Caitlin gave those shelf backs a coat of midnight blue paint to emphasize the architecture. The rest of the room is relatively visually quiet, save for some bold artwork and a sculptural lounge chair sourced from HD Buttercup . The caramel colored leather sofa plays nicely with the wood finish of the shelves and built-in cabinets’ trim. These pieces, when combined with the cream textiles, also warm up the space’s bright white walls.

Just behind the sofa, there’s a pretty brick fireplace and a pair of large, almost floor-to-ceiling windows. This seemed like the perfect spot for morning coffee or a meal, so Caitlin found a cute, bistro table and set it up there with a pair of blue Windsor-style chairs. A colorful flokati defines the eating area and adds a touch of coziness underfoot.

Finally, in the master bedroom, the same blue, gray and black-and-white color palette prevails but with a little more lightheartedness—and a few unexpected hits of red, yellow and green in the area rug and vintage portrait above the bed. There’s a lot of natural light in the room, so Caitlin wanted to play that up—framing the window out in patterned panels that let in some of that SoCal sun. And the furniture is striking—brass trimmed bedside tables, whose finish echo a boho glam round mirror hanging on the wall.

All in all, the entire space is cohesive and sophisticated but still fun—definitely the kind of place most people would want to kick back in, Cali zip code or not.

Resource list

Living Room:

Net Lounge Chair: HD Buttercup

Ottoman: Nickey Kehoe

Credenza: Modshop (custom)

Rug: Anthropologie

Sofa: West Elm

White Console Table: CB2

Paint: Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White

Dining Area:

Dining chairs: Anthropologie

Rug: Vintage

Master Bedroom:

Rug: ABC Carpet & Home

Bed: Anthropologie

Black & Brass Nightstand: Jonathan Adler (Available at Ahalife )

Blue Nightstand: One Kings Lane (sold out; similar at Serena & Lily )

Table Lamp: Jayson Home

Thanks, Caitlin/ Black Lacquer Design !