The Quiet Place

Stripping away heavy Tuscan-inspired millwork allowed this California home to totally reboot.

- Kristin Tablang

DINING ROOM

"We really considered symmetry and alignment," designer Kari Arendsen says of this home she renovated in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Chandelier: Palecek. Paint: Futon, Sherwin-Williams. Table, chairs, and sconces: ILI Be Home. Rug: Pampa.

THE HEAVY, DATED molding had to go. Kari Arendsen, principal at Intimate Living Interiors, was reimagining a 12,000-square foot, Tuscan-style residence in Rancho Santa Fe, California, for some high-profile clients: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Chase Daniel and his wife, Hillary, who share three children. "They were nervous we were stripping everything away," the designer recalls. "But removing a lot of that texture actually enhanced and elevated the end result."

Arendsen-who worked closely with her business partner, Tory Peterson, and architect Mark Radford to revamp the five-bedroom, six-bathroom (and two half-baths) home-wanted its interiors to feel "fresh and alive." Proper lighting was key to this vision: Arendsen strategically placed sconces, overhead fixtures, and LEDs to create different moods in each room. She and her team also reconfigured many spaces to better suit the family's needs-for instance, they transformed the existing bar into a cozy nook perfect for reading and meditating. "We wanted to infuse a sense of stillness," Arendsen says. "To create spaces where they could get quiet, get comfortable, and gather."