James Aspen Marks knows a fine piece of pottery. At just two and a half, the daughter of celebrity designer Jeffrey Alan Marks has broken her fair share, but that doesn’t stop her dad from displaying his favorites on low shelves within the toddler’s reach. “I say, ‘Let’s experiment, let’s feel it and touch it.’ She is very tactile and loves to feel everything,” Marks explains. Such is the parenting—and decorating—philosophy at the home Marks shares with his husband, Gregory, and daughter, a historic American Colonial Revival snuggled between the mountains and Butterfly Beach in Montecito, California.
Built in 1926 and “clad in wide, simple horizontal wood siding,” says Marks, the cottage seems plucked from a small town in New England. This was ideal for the couple, who sought a slower pace—and even considered moving to the Hamptons or Connecticut. Set on a lush acre, the property offers space for year-round outdoor entertaining, plus access to surfing and hiking locales. “This,” Marks thought, “is definitely the vibe we want for raising James.”
Soon, the designer found himself deep in a full interior remodel. “I wanted to keep the charm and the historic value of the house,” he says, “but open up the inside and change all the little rooms to larger rooms.” Working with U.K.–based bespoke cabinetmaker Plain English, Marks devised a country-inspired kitchen and had it shipped from London to Montecito. A clearly coastal palette runs through the whole house: oceanic blues and greens, salt whites, and furniture frames as smooth and pale as driftwood. But the dominant lines and fabric patterns are timeworn European. “I wanted that English cottage feel…very colorful but pared down and calm, a happy kind of countryside feeling,” explains the designer, who spent most of his 20s in London. Nearly every room leads out to the garden, the doors regularly flung open (temps rarely drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and Marks claims there are no bugs in Montecito).
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The designer learned about childproofing as he went. “Twenty years ago, I would design houses and be like, ‘What do you mean you don’t want white sofas in the family room?’ ” Now he uses six coats of paint on each wall “to help with the -banging around and whatnot.” More than anything, though, he just wants his husband and daughter to feel comfortable. “This was my love letter to Greg and James, bringing the East Coast vibe to Montecito and making it feel like home for both of them.”
Living Room
The fireplace nook is warm and very “English inspired,” says Marks. It’s the perfect place to curl up with a novel. Hearth: custom zinc paneling. Art: Irene Rice Pereira, Caldwell Gallery. Mirror: Blackman Cruz. Rug: Mitchell Denburg Collection. Bench: Lucca Antiques. Table: Saladino. Sofa: antique, in Sandra Jordan Prima Alpaca fabric. Wall light: Soane Britain.
Stairwell
“I wanted you to feel like you were in an old boat ladder hallway,” says Marks. Chandelier: Lindsey Adelman. Runner: custom, Mitchell Denburg Collection.
Kitchen
What was originally three small rooms is now one expansive and welcoming kitchen. Cabinetry and knobs: Plain English. Paint: Strong White, Farrow & Ball (walls and white cabinets); Dripping Tap, Plain English (green cabinets). Pendant: The Urban Electric Co. with custom shades. Faucet: Waterworks. Counter stools: custom, JAM for Palecek (wood); JAM for A. Rudin in Rose Tarlow. Range: Lacanche. Range hood: custom zinc, Mainz Builders. Leather pulls: custom, Richard Wrightman.
Family Room
Shade fabric: Stripped Stripe, Otis Textiles. Rug: Jamal’s Rug Collection. Sofa: Howe, in Rose Tarlow fabrics. Pillow fabrics (from left): vintage African blanket, vintage Fortuny, Christopher Farr Cloth, Bennison, and vintage African blanket. Sconce: The Urban Electric Co. Ink drawing: collected from New York antiquarian Amy Perlin.
Primary Bedroom
“Overlooking a sea of pine trees makes you feel like you are outside camping in the moonlight,” says the designer. Wallcovering: Faso fabric, backed with paper, Rose Tarlow. Shade fabric: Otis Textiles. Desk: 19th-century Swedish, Lief Gallery. Chair: antique, Rose Tarlow. Side table: Palecek. Rug: Stark.
Turn Any Fabric into Wallpaper
It’s an age-old designer trick: paper backing, the art of turning a roll of fabric into a paste-able wallcovering. “There’s paper on the bottom, then dry glue, then the fabric, and a heated roller seals them together,” explains David Gomez, owner of Decorator’s Laminating Service. The paper barrier keeps the wallpaper glue from seeping through and ruining the fabric’s pattern. Gomez transformed this Rose Tarlow fabric (left) for Marks’ primary bedroom—not only did paper backing give the fabric more structure, it also meant the edges could be cut perfectly straight so no seams were visible.
Bedroom Reading Nook
James and her parents love curling up here with a book. Fabrics: Jeffrey Alan Marks for Kravet. Art: Donald Robinson.
Daughter's Room
Sand Room
The Dutch door is always open to receive family and friends from a hike or trip to the beach. Wall paint: Twin Peaks, Portola Paint & Glazes. Ceiling material: standing seam metal roof in storm gray. Art: Tyson Grumm, from Obsolete. Ottoman: Palecek. Floor:
Exquisite Surfaces.
Terrace
The family “eats out here a good 10 months out of the year,” says Marks. Table and bench: David Sutherland. Chairs and floor lamp: Palecek. Umbrella: Santa Barbara Designs. Planters: Pennoyer Newman. Landscaping: Montecito Landscape.
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