Rebuilding the Dream

The similarities between baking a cake and remodeling a home might be slim in the minds of most. But to renowned pastry chef and owner of Extraordinary Desserts Karen Krasne, paying attention to detail when decorating anything—be it a gorgeous wedding cake or her 2,200-square-foot house in Mission Hills—is the recipe for a tasteful design.

Krasne began remodeling her 1970s craftsman into the dynamic, contemporary space it is today with the help of local architect Aaron Anderson nearly 15 years ago. “We started with this custom gate, actually,” Anderson says, pointing to a large, suspended steel-and-glass opening at the entrance of the Krasne residence.

Past the gate, guests step into the front courtyard that serves as an outdoor dining room. Beneath a custom steel canopy filtering sunlight into the space—an effect inspired by the oak trees of San Diego County—sits a grand stainless-steel communal table topped with zebra quartzite stone. Along the north wall, a smoky gray mirror magnifies the space.

The intimate courtyard brings the outdoors in, while the architecture and design of the house spill outwards.

“Both Karen and I grew up in San Diego, so the house is heavily influenced by that sort of outdoor living,” Anderson says. “But the interesting thing about Karen is her travels. What she does, as a chef, is heavily influenced by her international travel, so we also brought all that influence into the house. It’s anchored in San Diego, but it has all kinds of international flourishes.”

The south wall of the courtyard is a striking cement fiberboard privacy screen that’s been pierced with an intricate design. “The very first day I met Karen, she brought these Moroccan lanterns she bought on a trip to Marrakech into my office and she said she wanted the front part of the house to be about these,” Anderson remembers. “I had [the lanterns] on my desk, and we just thought about unrolling them and cutting out the design onto a piece of slim fiberboard. The piece is backlit so, at night, this side glows just like a lantern does.”

The old-world, international influences don’t stop in the courtyard. Inside the home, Krasne’s love of traveling is reflected in every room. A hand-carved wooden Moroccan cabinet has been repurposed into a bathroom door. Ornate candle holders from Bali adorn the master bathroom countertop. And in the living room—which expands into a second, bamboo-flanked courtyard through massive stacking glass doors—a feature wall was inspired by traditional azulejos tile Krasne once saw in Spain.

“We tried to take all these different influences—Morocco, Bali, and Paris, where Karen went to culinary school—and balance them with the edgier, modern stuff,” Anderson says. “It’s really hard to take a craftsman house and modernize it without it looking terrible, so I think one thing we all did well was elevating it without overtaking it.”

The kitchen, where Krasne spends most of her time while she’s at home, was renovated last. A large island topped with a Japanese-inspired lithograph on natural quartz sits in the middle of the sunlit room, nearly always covered in a food spread for Krasne’s family and friends. Floor-to-ceiling, built-in cabinetry is coated with a self-healing gray Fenix laminate, giving the space a calming atmosphere.

“Those,” Kranse says, gesturing to ornate, art-deco chandeliers hanging over the kitchen table, “are from an old opera house in Austria. I had them sprayed silver to match the sconces, which all came from the same opera house. I also wanted to bring in French Champagne buckets—I really wanted the space to be about us drinking wine and entertaining.”

The Champagne buckets line a shelf hung above built-in lounge seating. Next to the lounge is an in-wall desk with a stack of her favorite cookbooks on display. There, Krasne researches and experiments with new recipes.

“I have a huge office at my restaurant, but I can’t think straight there,” Krasne says. “You feel the frenetic energy, you hear the tamping of the espresso machine and the phones ringing.” It’s here, in this calming, creative space (and in her personal gym downstairs), that Krasne finds inspiration.

As we exit Krasne’s kitchen and step back out into the front courtyard, she jokes with Anderson that she recently came up with a landscaping idea for the front entrance while on a trip to Puerto Vallarta with her husband.

“I know, with Karen, there’s actually a good chance that it’ll happen,” Anderson laughs. “Karen knows more about construction and putting a house together than any other client I’ve ever worked with. We actually get to a detailed level of thought and design. That’s super rare.”

Her Story: Somewhere off a winding road on Mount Helix, tucked into a hillside overlooking El Cajon, lies an unassuming midcentury treasure of a house with a story to tell. The home’s current residents are KPBS culture reporter Angela Carone, 46, who also pens San Diego Magazine’s monthly book column, and Joe Porteous, who works by day as the general manager at Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla and as an amateur photographer by night. The house was built in 1948 by sculptor and woodworker John Dirks. An art professor at SDSU, Dirks enlisted his graduate students to help erect the structure almost entirely by hand. He lived there until he died, after which his family worried new owners would tear it down. So they entrusted its care to Angela and Joe. Turns out, Angela had photographed Dirks for a story. The couple quickly fell for the house’s rich history and log-cabin charm. These days, they love to host large parties with friends. (Their Thanksgiving dinners are legendary.) Imagine the likes of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Rye playing on the sound system, which just so happens to be built into the walls—a Dirks signature. Angela says, “It does suit our personalities and style very much.”

Birds of a Feather

Angela and Joe met through a mutual friend eight years ago. “She was pretty adamant,” Angela says of the matchmaker, who knew the couple shared a love of photography, the arts, books (see their colorful collection above), and so much more.

Rear Window

When Joe and Angela moved in five years ago, the surrounding lot was mostly dirt. Joe added all the landscape seen today. This slightly elevated view of the house is one of Angela’s favorites. During dinner parties, she likes to step outside for a second and examine the scene. She says, “The house emanates this warmth and glows from within.” Joe agrees: “It’s almost like looking from across the street into an apartment. There’s this voyeuristic quality.”

Social Setting

The couple arranged the living room as one long gathering space. A vintage sofa from Mid-Century on Park Boulevard faces a built-in sofa. A stone fireplace with a patina-perfect copper shield stands in the corner. Angela’s architecture books, Joe’s travel keepsakes, and stunning photographs taken by both of them are sprinkled throughout. A KPBS producer made the burlap ottoman with coffee sacks from Caffé Calabria.

In-Home Horticulture

One of the property’s coolest and most unique features is this large terrarium that runs along the hallway, leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms. At first, the couple planted all kinds of things, but a lot of it failed to thrive. Today it’s filled with asparagus ferns, spider ferns, and jade. “We’ve had a tough time finding what will live in there,” Angela’s says. “It’s a work in progress.”

These Bertoia midcentury dining chairs and the bubble lamps over the table and built-in sofa are originals, and came with the house.

Snappy Style

This small mounted alligator head is part of a vignette of meaningful mementos in the kitchen. Angela laughs as she describes how Joe likes to collect things on his hikes and various excursions. Some of these souvenirs reappear later as birthday gifts. Hence, the alligator. “He always manages to get me jewelry,” she says. “But then I get some weird things, too.”

Rustic Slumber

“It was easy to move into the house, in so many ways,” Angela says, referring to the home’s clever and practical design. There are built-ins throughout, including a sofa in the living room and drawers and cabinets in the bedroom. Exposed wood beaming and paneling also run throughout, giving the space a log-cabin feel. Angela found the painting above the bed at ObjectsUSA, a local curator of all things midcentury. Joe says, “I’ve been so inspired by the imperfections of the house. It’s polished, but with a notch.”  (Pendleton blanket from Progress in South Park)

“Sometimes in the morning, the whole valley is covered in fog. It feels like you’re living in the clouds.”

Traditional Elegance

Winter white florals, calligraphy place cards, and sparkling rosé make for a festive candlelit affair.

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Storybook Soirée

Woodland fairies, floral crowns, and snowflakes made from old book pages create a dreamy setting, based on a beloved children’s tale.

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Rustic Glamour

Farmhouse woods and Southern cooking meet vintage crystal and gilded stemware in this fancy-casual feast.

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Watch the Behind the Scenes video for a sneak peek inside the making of this feature »

Her story: Interior designer Kelly Hinchman of Studio H Design Group always knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. The native San Diegan, now 33, spent her childhood stenciling gold stars on her bedroom walls and moving the furniture around. She went on to study interior design at the Design Institute of San Diego. Today her client roster ranges from residential to commercial properties, including yoga studios, clothing boutiques, and more. Her condo in Cortez Hill showcases her flair for mixing patterns and pops of color. It’s a synthesis of modern and vintage with high- and low-end pieces. “I like to blend all different styles and price points,” she says. Although small, the space packs a punch. Because she spends her days in a sea of fabric swatches and paint chips, making other people’s houses beautiful, Kelly admits that she didn’t want her own house to feel like work: “When I walk into my home, I want it to feel soothing. It’s my sanctuary.”

Parlor Room Chic

In keeping with the original 1926 architecture, Kelly opted for a traditional parlor room style in her living room. Layered rugs add texture; mixed patterns give the space a modern twist. Here, Kelly’s Pomeranian, Liz Taylor, relaxes by a pair of antique French Louis XV chairs with cabriole legs. Kelly painted the frames and recovered the seats in a blue-hued fabric by Stroheim. A vintage Art Deco vase by Lenox holds Kelly’s collection of Japanese and Chinese calligraphy brushes. (Carrera marble side table from Ocean Beach Antique Mall, wool accent rug by Safavieh, blue sisal rug available at West Elm)

The designer topped an Ikea table base with a custom terrazzo slab. She found the tolix-style galvanized-metal stools at overstock.com and spray-painted them chartreuse. Tucked in the corner, a fiddle leaf fig tree brings a little bit of the outdoors inside. (Stelton gold jug available at Barneys, cups and saucers from Anthropologie, high-back stools from Classic Home, cowhide rug available at World Market)

Kelly enjoys a morning cup of joe with Liz Taylor on her outdoor terrace. “The views are always nice,” she says of the vistas that sweep from San Diego Bay to Coronado to Balboa Park. (Rug, table, and all other items from Pigment boutique in North Park)

“I have trinkets that I love sprinkled throughout my home,” Kelly says. This bar vignette displays a piece of driftwood she found on the beach in Costa Rica. “I just tied some twine around it.” (Cat bowl by Waylande Gregory, marble cutting board by Kelly Wearstler, West Elm gold pillar lamp topped with a Hillary Thomas agate finial)

Built in 1926, the El Cortez was once the tallest building in San Diego, and counts Elvis and President Eisenhower among its former hotel guests. The building converted to condos in 2004. Kelly was inspired by its charm: “This old building has lots of extra character, and I love living in Cortez Hill. It’s a 15-minute walk to everything.”

K is for Kelly

The master bedroom is a mix of mauves and neutrals. Some of the details pay homage to another Kelly—design maven Kelly Wearstler—including her custom throw pillows and the two antique Berger chairs upholstered in Kelly Wearstler fabric by Kravet. “I’m obsessed with her,” Hinchman confesses. The art above the bed is from Blackman Cruz in Los Angeles. “It’s made from a Barneys New York window display.”  (Bed and throw over headboard from West Elm, lamps from Home Goods, ottoman with hoof legs by Noir)

Statement Piece

Kelly says, “You can make a lot of things look good if the proportions are right.” Case in point: This starburst mirror by Thomas Pheasant for Baker, which demonstrates the designer’s eye for scale. She also switches out accessories as needed. “It’s a way to not get bored. I can change up the way things are arranged and breathe new life into the space.” (Antique dresser custom-painted in European fine paints by local artist Mark Chavis)

During the centennial of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition, Mingei International Museum is celebrating, but not by looking back with nostalgia. It’s zeroing in on the cutting edge of architecture with the ongoing exhibition Three on the Edge, featuring photographs of works by starchitects James Hubbell, Kendrick Kellogg, and Wallace Cunningham. These longtime friends and associates are influenced heavily by the landscape and materials of Southern California and Baja. Rolling hills and canyons, the wide ocean, and abundant light give way to seductive silhouettes and imaginative shapes. Three on the Edge highlights many of the trio’s site-specific designs, one being Cunningham’s Wing House in Rancho Santa Fe, shown here. The S-shaped house was featured in the December 2002 issue of Architectural Digest.

Three on the Edge is part of Mingei’s exhibition series, American Icons: Celebrating Folk Art, Craft and Design from Coast to Coast.