{"id":404469,"date":"2025-11-25T21:36:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T21:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/404469\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T21:36:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T21:36:36","slug":"photos-inside-a-1960s-del-cerro-home-with-a-modern-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/404469\/","title":{"rendered":"Photos: Inside a 1960s Del Cerro Home with a Modern Makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Morgan Miles<\/a> first approached Katelyn De Spain<\/a> to help redesign her and her husband\u2019s newly purchased Del Cerro home in 2021, she had one very specific request: Miles wanted to be deeply involved in the entire process. De Spain\u2014still a freshman in the industry with only three years under her belt\u2014was open to collaborating, even if it potentially proved a bit more challenging to have more than one cook in the proverbial kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe home had been owned by the same family for 43 years and was still very much in its original state,\u201d says De Spain, owner and founder of Makehouse Design Studio<\/a>. \u201c[Miles and her husband Sean] knew that they would have to do the home in phases, starting with the main living spaces, which included the kitchen, family room, breakfast nook, and formal dining and living rooms<\/a>.\u201d Phases two and three would entail the guest bathroom and the primary bedroom and bathroom.<\/p>\n

\"SanPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea
Designer Katelyn De Spain<\/p>\n

A professor of marketing at San Diego State University, Miles also moonlights as a lifestyle photographer<\/a>. As she and De Spain dreamed up a new look for the family home, it quickly became apparent that her creative eye translated into a natural affinity for design.<\/p>\n

Together, with builders STS Construction<\/a> and stylist Nicole Kaczenski, De Spain helped see the couple\u2019s dream come true in February 2024\u2014eventually coining Miles\u2019 personal design style as \u201chigh-end unfussy.\u201d The result? A quiet, cozy, and subtly playful sanctuary mixing modern and traditional styles<\/a>, natural materials, and curated art.<\/p>\n

See the full design details below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

De Spain wanted to make the entryway stand out as its own dramatic feature, not merely a nondescript portal to the rest of the home. The flooring features honed Carrara and Marquina marble tiles from GG Tile & Stone<\/a>, while the velvet bench is from CB2. \u201cWe upgraded the double doors and implemented this fun checkerboard pattern [with the marble tiles],\u201d De Spain says. A vintage planter basket and books supplied by Yes Yes Collective<\/a> on Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach complete the look.<\/p>\n

\"Katelyn Photo Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

Miles adored the 1960s home\u2019s organic flow, so De Spain left its layout alone and played up its midcentury style. \u201cThe client loved natural stone and really wanted that depth and that character,\u201d De Spain says. \u201cWe chose marble countertops [from Tutto Marmo<\/a>] to lean into that more modern part of it, and we went with skinny shaker cabinetry.\u201d For the lighting, she decided on cone-shaped custom leather pendants from Tudo & Co. to round out the space.<\/p>\n

\"\" Photo Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

Within the kitchen sits a breakfast nook featuring a custom-built bench and green leather backrest highlighted by vintage ceramics from Comman Goods<\/a> and a pendant from Triple Seven Home. \u201cWe incorporated this built-in console in the corner that takes you into the family room,\u201d De Spain says. \u201cWe wanted to make this room feel sort of long and open and connected to the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

The marble tiling and bench set the stage as you walk toward the formal living room. \u201cWe updated the furnishings [in the living room] and replaced the fireplace with smooth stucco, adding marble to the hearth in there to carry some of that natural stone throughout,\u201d De Spain says.<\/p>\n

\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

Miles \u201cdabbles in painting\u201d in addition to working as a photographer, De Spain explains. One of her pieces, a still life of a pear, adds a personal touch to the kitchen. Miniature ceramics from Comman Goods and olive oil from Stillbones surround the artwork.<\/p>\n

\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted this room to just sort of have that organic, modern feel to it. The lighting fixture has curves, but it\u2019s a modern design,\u201d De Spain says of the formal dining room. \u201cSame with the table. We integrated some different wood tones in here that would play off the rest of the colors to lean a little bit into that midcentury look.\u201d A work from San Diego artist Kristen Guest already part of Miles\u2019 personal collection\u2014hangs above the crushed oak dining table from CB2. A vintage rug from Sapere Collection<\/a> brings subtle color to the room.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201c[In the formal living room], we had our woodworker add in this custom media console. It\u2019s actually only six inches deep,\u201d De Spain says. \u201cWe integrated wood slats in the doors so the clients could have their speakers in there, and we could still hear them through the built-in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

For the primary bathroom, De Spain\u2019s first purchase was Calacatta Viola marble from Tutto Marmo in Miramar. \u201cWe loved the dramatic pattern on it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s got a little bit of purple; it\u2019s got some dark\u2014we knew we wanted to make that the focal point of this bathroom.\u201d Complementing the marble, unlacquered brass fixtures from Signature Hardware add warmth to the space.<\/p>\n

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\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

Above the nightstand in the primary bedroom hangs a small watercolor painting from Visual Contrast in Orange County<\/a>. \u201cWe really wanted to bring in some more of that rust color in here, as well as the blue. There\u2019s color in this house, but it\u2019s muted, so it\u2019s really earthy,\u201d De Spain says. Behind the bed, a giant, live-edge wood slab, veined with naturally occurring cracks, forms a show-stopping headboard.<\/p>\n

\"KatelynPhoto Credit: Charlotte Lea<\/p>\n

Though most of the house\u2019s layout remained the same, De Spain updated a former water closet into a glass-enclosed steam shower outfitted with ceramic subway tile from Zia Tile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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