Chloe Warner was in the middle of designing a 10,000-square-foot home in Atherton, Califorina, when the pandemic struck. But instead of putting the project on pause, she and her clients decided to power through. “They were calm and careful but resolute that we were going to proceed with the work of making a beautiful place for their family to shelter in place,” says Warner, founder of Redmond Aldrich and a 2022 Next Wave honoree. They finished the renovation in record time: “We got done in four months what we would usually do in a year,” she reveals.
Unable to travel, the homeowners—a married couple with three children—decided to transform the new house into a mini resort, replete with a gym, a pool house, and a pickleball court. The wife, a partner at a PR firm, wanted her husband and kids to have "a great space to host friends,” Warner explains. “She is very welcoming and wanted it to be a house for many people.”
The home's mammoth scale, however, made it challenging to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. “There is just such a big quantity of everything, that every move you make is amplified,” Warner explains. To temper the level of grandeur, “we aimed to neutralize the sheetrock,” she says, which called for layering colors, patterns, and antique rugs: “One of my great joys and special skill sets is looking for balance, not symmetry—playing around to find harmonious pattern creations.”
More From House Beautiful
Floral wallcoverings in the guest bedroom and office create a cozier and more intimate feel, while a playful banana-leaf print brings a festive mood to the pool house. “One of my favorite features is the dining room wallpaper—it brings such an understated sophisticated feeling to the room,” Warner says.
The Silicon Valley project was especially satisfying for Warner, who has worked with the family on and off for over a decade. “This is our second house for them, and we have watched their kids grow from little lemonade stand entrepreneurs to college students—it has been so sweet,” she admits. “It is a perfect house for social people, and they use every inch.”
Living Room
The plush formal space features vintage Marbro lamps and fabric from Peter Dunham Textiles and Schumacher.
Side table and ottoman: clients' own.
Dining Room
"The client has a passion for scenic wallpaper and had a beautiful Gracie installed in her former house," Warner says. "We were all so excited to try another version and eventually landed on this tone-on-tone tobacco, which is now my favorite. The space came together when we decided that the painter's tape looked amazing next to the brown, allowing us to truly commit to the blue door."
Wallpaper: Gracie. Table and chairs: custom. Lighting: Urban Electric Co.
Guest Bedroom
"Full credit for this room goes to our amazing client," Warner says. "She sourced the vintage textile on the bed and re-used items from her previous house, a project we did together. She truly gave us a thrilling reveal."
Throw blanket: vintage Greek textile. Bed pillow fabric: Shyam Ahuja. Wallpaper: Anna French.
Powder Room
"Our intent was to be light on construction, and this dark marble counter was not something we were super excited about at first," Warner admits. "It came out looking so totally marvelous with the dark background in the Pierre Frey wallpaper. With the addition of the vintage mirror and sconces, the powder room became so snappy."
Wallpaper: Pierre Frey. Mirror: vintage. Window fabric: Schumacher.
Bar
"This nook is a perfect example of what happens when you truly consider all your space," says Warner. "Though this area was technically a pass through, with the right additions—a gorgeous vintage rug, beautiful art, and the brass record player console—it easily transformed into one of our favorite moments in the house."
Record player: Ilse Crawford. Antique rug: Woven Accents.
Office
"This top-floor office is unified by the wallpaper on all surfaces, and the beautiful light streaming in really adds to that tree-house studio feeling," the designer notes.
Lighting: Anthropologie. Desk: Lawson Fenning. Desk chair: Jonathan Adler. Small chair: vintage.
Pool House and Lounge
"Our client had a vision of her family being able to feel like they were on vacation, and this Martinique wallpaper really delivers," Warner says.
Wallpaper: CW Stockwell. Fabrics: Hollywood at Home.
Outdoor furniture: Janus et Cie.
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
