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After a small woodworking project and a few mini updates at one client’s home, co-founders Leigh Lincoln and Aly Morford of Pure Salt Interiors got the long-awaited call: The homeowner was ready to complete a full renovation of their house built in 1998 in Huntington Beach, California. “The house was a standard single-family home that had withstood a few decades of love and use,” Morford says. “Like most tract homes a few decades old, it was not the most functional for this young family (think compartmentalized rooms and unused space).”
Pure Salt Interiors set out to maximize every square foot of the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home by opening up the floor plan and embracing indoor-outdoor living. The kitchen was given an overhaul that includes a big, cozy banquette. The ground floor was completely refurnished. Upstairs, the bathrooms were gutted, the bedrooms were styled, and a loft was added as a family hangout spot. Outside, the design team created a pool house from scratch—with help from builder C. Jones & Company and architect Trifon Metodiev at Vulkan Architects—as a hub for entertaining.
As a creative, the homeowner’s taste is slightly eclectic and mixed with a traditional sensibility, but she “loves the experience of a luxury hotel” and knows “the importance of setting the right tone,” Lincoln says. So they leaned into rich materials including navy blue velvet upholstery, black-and-white marble tiles, deep green paint, pink onyx countertops, and statement wallpaper, all of which Lincoln says are “elements that stand out and spark conversation without overwhelming the eye.”
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The home now balances traditional glamour with a natural, clean aesthetic. Lincoln says, “We wanted to honor the love they have for their home by turning it into a more functional space for them to grow into for many more years to come."
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Q & A
House Beautiful: What were the biggest hurdles during the project? How did you pivot?
Aly Morford: Construction for this project began at the onset of COVID-19, so all the hallmarks of a pandemic project were front and center—labor shortages, supply chain issues, and general uncertainty about how to move forward on all sides. But we found our way with plenty of patience and worked with our team to make sure the space was functional while we figured out how to operate in this new landscape. From a design perspective, working on this home pushed us creatively, which is an exciting challenge! We love adding a twist to our classic coastal aesthetic with unique touches that we wouldn’t naturally gravitate toward but that completely suit this space.
HB: Where did the majority of the budget go?
Leigh Lincoln: A lot of the budget went to the downstairs level. The great room got a major upgrade with a renovated kitchen, the addition of a custom dining banquette, a gorgeous bar built in, and all new furnishings for the living space. It was well worth it to create a gathering space for this family to come together and enjoy each other’s company and to provide a space where they can host plenty of family and friends. And [the client] invested in woodwork for the home overall, so a healthy amount of the budget also went into the small custom touches that set this home apart.
HB: How did you save money/DIY/get crafty?
AM: We’re not big DIYers ourselves, but we are always looking to stretch our client’s dollar! We kept as much of the existing wood floors as possible, which saved us an expense. When we opened up the great room, the dining room was a place that needed flooring to match what was already in the space, so we got creative and put down flooring in a herringbone pattern, which acted like a permanent rug and melded seamlessly with the surrounding flooring for a cohesive and cost-effective look!
HB: Any other memorable details?
LL: The materials of the house are so in line with our Pure Salt philosophy—natural materials with a clean aesthetic—but we were able to approach them with a twist to speak to who [the client] is as an eclectic creative. We married our two styles in a fresh cool way by seeking out interesting materials that pop, like the poolhouse countertop that is a pink onyx, or the primary bath flooring (a tumbled soapstone and tumbled marble laid in a checked pattern). This juxtaposition of traditional meets fun can be seen throughout the home, like the classic woodwork in the bedroom that is painted with a pop of color or the brass accents in the majority of the spaces for a bit of glamor and spice.
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