Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
Kristie Nova and Jim Hagan with their kids (from left), Matthew, Parker, Beau, Astrid, and Grace.
There’s a clear commotion humming from Kristie Nova’s kitchen.
In a room steeped in elegance—a marble island, acrylic bar stools, all-white cupboards, and gold light fixtures—her family is making a hubbub over two small brown eggs. They’re something others might consider totally unremarkable, but on this day they’re the family’s most prized possession, because they’re the first two laid by their chickens.
It’s just what Nova and her fiancé, Jim Hagan, had hoped would come of the flock of six. Not the eggs, but a means to bring their family together—her four, Capri, 14, Parker, 7, Astrid, 6, and Beau, 3, and his two, Matthew, 15, and Grace, 13—under one roof.
“It’s important for them to understand patience, the result that comes from planting their own seeds, growing something,” Nova says, alluding also to their two goats and the vegetable garden that runs along the side of the Del Sur abode.
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
A gold Strada lighting pendant by Kelly Wearstler glows in the formal dining room above a dark-hued table from Restoration Hardware and Rake Brass Chairs from CB2.
“You’re not going to have all this on the coast,” adds Hagan, who moved inland from Encinitas this spring.
While Nova called all the aesthetic shots on the 6,075-square-footer, a new construction project that wrapped in April 2017, Hagan has balanced his other half’s high-end tastes from the start, advocating for practicality.
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
Nova and a few of the kids start their morning in the kitchen, with light fixtures and bar stools from Gabby (today with their goat and three chickens thrown in the mix)
And that’s where interior designer Kelly Hinchman, principal of Studio H Design, stepped in to realize their combined vision.
“We wanted a chic white palette [that evoked] a vibe when you enter the home of instantly feeling glamorous and beautiful in the space,” Hinchman says. “But we had to be conscious of the biggest challenge of all: six kids!”
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
A sectional from Designers Resource Collection in washable white fabric centers the living room, also outfitted with a West Elm rug and wood coffee table from Phillips Collection.
Layering was the secret sauce, incorporating textured surfaces and materials whose beauty deepens with age—marble finishes, oak tabletops, and natural brass accents.
Through the front door, past the front casita of Matthew’s room, the interior clamors with California modern details. The formal dining room is a story in light and dark. A gold chandelier by Kelly Wearstler glows above the dark-hued table and chairs, also accented in gold.
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
Custom-made cabinetry and brass shelving installed in the living room
Past the all-white kitchen, the second dining room borders on bohemian, with a light wooden table, bench, and rattan chairs from LA’s Dovetail.
The living room, its ceiling fastened with white oak beams running up to pocket doors that extend the inside of the home out, also sings in neutral hues, like the white couch. It’s still a small point of contention between the couple, but Nova calls it a “litmus test.”
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
Dark-stained oaken floors continue up a stairwell, accented in Mediterranean tiles, that leads to more bedrooms on the second story
“It’s been a joke between us,” she says. “To me, it’s a reflection of respect for things. I figure if you can keep a white couch white with six kids, you’re being a good parent. I don’t know how that’s turned out.”
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
The master bedroom is plush with white bedding from Osborne & Little, a West Elm rug, and a serene painting from Designers Resource Collection between Gabby light fixtures.
For the record, the cushions are basically spotless—impressive, considering she’s no stay-at-home mom. She’s the founder of Bespoke Partners, an executive recruiting firm. Hagan has a similarly demanding job as CFO for MedeAnalytics, which leaves him splitting his time between his home office (in their second casita) and Dallas most weeks.
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
A den attached to the master suite boasts a sofa from CB2 and photo by Sarah Lee.
Those demanding schedules, Nova says, were all the more reason to ensure their house would be one they want to spend time in, and a place that conjures a sense of calming.
In the master bedroom, a neon sign from her old office—Hinchman helped redesign her new one—with the words “Ain’t nobody got time for that” faces the plush white bedding. It’s the first thing the parents see in the morning. The rationale? It’s kind of a TV replacement.
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
For serenity, Nova turns to the master bathroom, fitted with a Kohler clawfoot tub from Ferguson, chandelier by Arteriors, and marble side table and pink chair from CB2.
“Ain’t nobody got time for a TV in their bedroom,” Nova jests. And when she does choose to unwind, you can find her in the attached master bath.
“My bathroom is my sanctuary,” she says. “That’s a very happy place for me, no children, in my clawfoot tub with candles.”
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
Gray to the max, the patio lounge comprises a sofa and ottoman from Summer Classics and light fixture from Restoration Hardware.
But she and Hagan both agree their favorite place isn’t hiding from the chaos of their newfound Brady bunch, it’s being a part of it—which usually happens in the backyard.
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
An infinity pool, flanked by a barbecue area, marks the end of the backyard.
Past a patio area meant for kicking your feet up from the gray furniture set, there’s a rectangle of turf that Parker has turned into a soccer field. Around the corner is the vegetable garden and a little habitat for their livestock. And tucked away from the infinity pool is what the younger kids call “the park,” their playset.
“There’s space for everyone,” Hagan says, including his own refuge: his favorite brews on tap at the barbecue. “This is where we’ll be making memories.”
Step Inside Kristie Nova’s Del Sur Abode
Furnishings from Dovetail overtake the second dining room, including the table, bench, and rattan chairs, plus a light fixture and acrylic and gold chairs from Gabby.
