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Emily Henderson
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House Tour: Beige (But Not Boring) in Laguna Beach

by Arlyn Hernandez
Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 9

I can’t remember who said it, but I DO remember that the following statement shook me to my core when I heard it: we all have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyoncé. Um, whoa…that’s both a personal attack as well as an incredibly inspiring notion. Either I’m sleeping too much and taking too much time in the morning to eat my scrambled eggs with a side of Gilmore Girls on Netflix, or I’m doing something SERIOUSLY wrong. This same thought popped back into my mind when I heard from Amy Oppedisano of Salt Coastal Interiors when she told me a little back story on this house, and her and her husband’s main business. Amy and her husband Derek run the very first publicly traded Cannabis-centric company in the US. NBD, obviously. She heads up the creative in the marketing department while he’s the CEO. With all the extra time in their days (like our girl Bey) they squeeze in, oh…flipping and designing homes…in their “spare” time (oh yeah, and they also have two young boys). This house tour of a Laguna Beach townhome we’re about to share with you is one of these flips (which they usually live in while working on). “This home is our current residence but we never stay long—we have moved 10 times in our 12 years together! Every time we settle into a new home, we always say it is the last one, but only time will tell. We sell our homes fully furnished and handing the keys to a grateful family who is thrilled to enjoy a newly remodeled home that we designed is rewarding beyond measure. While somedays our life can seem hectic, ultimately we are just a couple of nomads with a deep love for the entire design process!”

Though Amy said she’s designed homes as large as 10,000 square feet for clients, it’s the smaller ones (like this townhome that’s 1,600 square feet) that are the most challenging because you have to maximize every inch, hence attention to detail is crucial. “I started by taking an inventory of all of our necessities and I made a HUGE list of measurements—coffee maker, blender, toaster, all the way on down to how many linear feet of clothes and plates we had. Once I knew my storage necessities, I started with the cabinetry and worked backward from there. It is very challenging to be stylish if your home feels cluttered! To make the home feel more spacious, we painted EVERYTHING white. We are a laid back family spending most of our free time at the beach, so we wanted our interiors to feel as laid back and comfortable as our lifestyle.”

We’ll have Amy take it from here and walk you through her home and more of her thought process behind its design.

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 10

Hi EHD readers. Welcome to my current home! We spend most of our family time in this living room so a comfortable sofa was the anchor point of the space. This sectional is from HD Buttercup (no longer available, unfortunately) and I loved that the large corner piece is big enough to do some serious snuggling! Because we went with a very neutral color palette, we worked in numerous textures and patterns for visual interest.

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The coffee table is from RH Teen and I’d encourage every small-space homeowner or renter to think outside the box when shopping for stylish pieces. Many retailers market smaller scale items toward kids or teens but that doesn’t mean they lack sophistication! This piece was scaled perfectly for a small room and wound up being more affordable than comparable “adult” options.

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 7

The kitchen was the toughest portion to design because it requires the most storage. I am an avid home cook and collector of Japanese dollar store dishware (I mean, who can resist beautiful blue and white plates and bowls that cost ONE DOLLAR!? Stay tuned for my episode of Hoarders: The Dishware Edition). This kitchen functions beautifully for us due to my detailed measuring of everything we needed to store, so I highly recommend this for anyone designing their own kitchen. It feels like a lot of work at the outset, but it is all worth it in the long run. 

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To break up the fact that we painted the walls and cabinets all white, we did a solid marble backsplash behind the stove and custom designed white oak shelving held in place by matte black brackets. The shelving is my favorite feature of the home; it was a very simple and affordable way to add huge style to elevate the entire space.

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The breakfast nook area is the tightest space in the home. The wall of cabinets behind the nook serve as pantry, dog food/supply storage, as well as appliance garage and some dish storage. The microwave, blender and coffee maker are hidden in those cabinets and I LOVE the fact that we don’t have to keep appliances on the countertop. To make the space flow, we purchased a small oval table and four chairs (we pulled two away for the photograph so it didn’t look too cluttered). Dinner parties are just never going to happen in this home, but we can accommodate our little family of four and that is all that matters to us at the end of the day!

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 13

In the desk area, we mimicked the shelving from the kitchen and I styled these shelves with family photos, books, and some vintage pieces that were left to me by my grandmother. I am very blessed that my passion for design started as a young child because my grandparents were literally SO COOL. I was given their full collection of Russel Wright dishes they received as a wedding gift in 1954 (the gray bowl above is one of the pieces) as well as an original Eva Zeisel black coffee pitcher (also above in the shelves). The square photo in the black frame is my mom as a newborn in 1955 being held by these incredibly stylish grandparents to whom I would definitely credit my interest and confidence in pursuing careers in creative fields.

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The art nook is another example of how we maximized our space. The cabinets below the artwork actually house some really boring stuff like routers and cables and blah blah blah. We made the space look like a cute little seat with picture frames and a sconce to take something functional and turn it into a little corner of the home that feels intentional.

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 4

As busy working parents, our master bedroom is our sanctuary. Both my husband and I feel at peace in a simple space—no visual noise or clutter allowed, hence the decision to keep the walls clean, smooth and airy. The rustic beam and vaulted ceiling keep the space interesting amidst so much simplicity. We love the freshness of bright white linens paired with simple lines and a few pops of muted color in the pillows. 

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 3

The nightstands by Target’s Project62 line are some of the best furniture pieces I have ever purchased—there is a flap in the back that opens to accommodate an electrical outlet and USB port. Genius!

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The master bathroom is a wonderful example of how a simple reworking of your walls/floorplan can turn a cramped space into something beautiful and functional. We took an awkward sliding-door closet and tiny master bath that was oriented to fit into a corner and simply reconfigured a couple of walls to create a spacious feeling master and walk-in closet. Where there used to be one tiny corner sink, we were able to fit this beautiful Restoration Hardware double-sink vanity to maximize storage and add counter space. This reconfiguration also allowed for a much larger shower.

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 2

This bath serves as a powder room as well as the kids’ bathroom. The space was very tight with the door swinging in past the vanity. After much diligent research, we realized that our only option was a custom vanity and we loved the idea of something simple and clean that wouldn’t make the space feel even tighter than it already was. The marble top was a good fit with the white walls and the black frame is architecturally interesting without feeling heavy or imposing. The artwork on the wall is one of our sons running on the beach that the home is situated on. The photo was even taken by the same photographer (Alison Bernier) who photographed the entire home.

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Because this is a two-bedroom home to house four people (two of whom are very rambunctious boys), we needed a bedroom that could function as a space to accommodate storage, sleeping and playing. The built-in bunks keep the entire floor space of the room open so that the bedroom could also function as a playroom. 

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 15 Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 16

The drawers below the chalk-wall store toys and the wall itself functions both practically and artistically. Once my older son entered grade school, we found that by placing his weekly spelling words on the chalk wall, he boosted his spelling test grades drastically. This is probably the best example of form and function I have ever designed!

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour Kids Room

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 1

And finally, this last multi-purpose room. This space is more than just a bathroom. The home is a 3-story townhome and this represents the first floor which serves as a combo bath, laundry and mudroom. Because space was limited and we wanted to maximize it, we did a stackable washer/dryer so that we could accommodate a full bath and the mudroom is designed where each family member has a “locker” consisting of hat cupboard, bag cabinet and shoe drawer. Because the home is essentially a beach house, it was important to us to have a sand-friendly spot to shower feet and run in and out for bathroom breaks. I have gotten tons of questions about how the concrete tiles wear and I have to say I LOVE them. I feel as if the wear-and-tear makes them softly patina into an authentically beautiful material as a result. It’s kind of a great metaphor for life if you are a person who puts WAY too much thought into tiles (as I clearly do).

Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 18 Emily Henderson Amy Oppedisano House Tour 19

***Photography by Alison Bernier, design by Amy Oppedisano of Salt Coastal Interiors

Thank you SO much Amy for sharing your beautifully designed home with us.

1. Block Print | 2. Floor Lamp | 3. Sectional (similar) | 4. Coffee Table | 5. Curtain Panels (custom design) | 6. Rug (similar) | 7. Armchair | 8. Mud Cloth Throw Pillow | 9. Mongolian Lamb’s Wool Throw Pillow | 10. Tassel Throw Pillow | 11. Plaid Lumbar Throw Pillow | 12. Tassel Throw Blanket | 13. Cactus Silk Throw Pillow | 14. Driftwood (similar) | 15. Leather Side Chair | 16. Earthenware Coffee Pot (similar) | 17. Ceramic Vase | 18. Woven Basket (similar) | 19. Small Ceramic Vase  (similar) | 20. Task Lamp | 21. White Faceted Bowl (similar) | 22. Agate Bookend (similar) | 23. Fluted Bowl (similar) | 24. Black Vase (similar) | 25. Decorative Ruffled Dish (similar) | 26. Roman Shade (custom design) | 27. Two-Tone Vase | 28. Pedestal Table | 29. Wishbone-Style Dining Chair | 30. Pendant | 31. Sconce | 32. Artwork (similar) | 33. Polished Nickel Frame | 34. Surf Shack | 35. Glass Vase (similar) | 36. Cabinet Knob

1. Roman Shade (custom design) | 2. Duvet Cover | 3. Bed Frame | 4. Blue Fringe Pillow | 5. Indigo Blue Lumbar Pillow | 6. Table Lamp | 7. Nightstand | 8. Basket Tray | 9. Cream Ceramic Bud Vase (similar) | 10. Porcelain Tray (similar) | 11. Glass Beads | 12. Bench | 13. Rug (similar)| 14. African Hausa Pillow (similar) | 15. Navy Plaid Pillow (similar) | 16. Indigo Shibori African Mud Cloth Pillow | 17. Sconce | 18. Metal Chair | 19. Sheet Set | 20. Slate Linen Duvet Cover | 21. Letter Board | 22. Picture Ledge | 23. Striped Baskets (similar) | 24. Fire Truck Toy | 25. Recycling Truck Toy | 26. Bean Bag (similar) | 27. Black Knob | 28. Throw Blanket (similar) | 29. Stuffed Panda Toy (similar) | 30. Stuffed Alligator Toy | 31. Surfing Sloth Tandem Sloth Art Print | 32. Wooden Print Dowel Hanger | 33. A-Z Bookends | 34. Black Handle

1. Wood Double Vanity | 2. Mirror | 3. Wall-mount Faucet | 4. Sconce | 5. Hex Marble Tile | 6. Vessel Sink (similar) | 7. Mirror | 8. Black Faucet | 9. Beach Print (similar) | 10. Toilet Paper Holder (similar) | 11. Marble and Metal Single Vanity (similar) | 12. Soap | 13. Block Print | 14. White Planter (similar) | 15. Hammered Brass Bowl (similar) | 16. Cement Tile Print 1 | 17. Cement Tile Print 2 | 18. Pebble Tile (similar) | 19. Marble Subway Tile (similar) | 20. Towel (similar) | 21. Cabinet Pulls | 22. Cabinet Knobs | 23. Roman Shade (custom design) | 24. Kitchen Faucet | 25. Double Farmhouse Sink (similar) | 26. Round Wood Cutting Board  (similar) | 27. Rectangular Cutting Board | 28. White Hex Planter (similar) | 29. Sconce | 30. White Marble Candleholder | 31. Bud Vase | 32. Landscape Print  (similar)  | 33. Black Marble Candleholder | 34. Black Wood Bowls  (similar)  | 35. Tiered Hanging Shelf (similar) | 36. Natural Wood Bowl (similar) | 37. Striped 2’x3’ Rug

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67 Comments

  1. I’m extremely perplexed by the notion of a “teen coffee table”… especially an $800 one. It’s beautiful, but that is some whacked marketing. This home, however, is AMAZINGly beautiful and smart, smart, smart. Thanks for the tour.

    1. Ha I know! But alot of “teen” stores also market to college-aged kids who are decorating dorms or college apartments. Regardless of your age, kids and teen stores can sometimes have high-style pieces at much lower prices and in smaller scales.

      1. Yes, but $800 seems WAY too expensive for a college dorm, too!!

  2. Jaw drop! This is beautiful. Also, that’s VERY similar to my current kitchen layout that we intend to update pretty soon. Is there any way possible to see a pulled back shot? Is that desk area between the stove and bfast nook? (I also recently measured my hanging clothes to determine how to configure a new master closet. 🙂 )

  3. Everything about this is so beautiful. So smart and easy and clean and gorgeous – I would totally raise my family here. Makes me want to redesign my house, in a good way!

  4. Wow. That house is STUNNING.

  5. That Beyonce line is a lie! She has a chef, childcare, housekeepers, etc. Things that most “normal” people do not have which are all hours of the day that are “free” to her but are part of the “admin” of keeping normal peoples lives going.

    1. lol agreed!!

      1. Was coming to exact same thing! I hate that Beyonce bullshit. But I loved the tour!

    2. YES! That quote always makes me roll my eyes, haha! 🙂

      (But more importantly, this home is STUNNING! Thanks for sharing, EHD team!)

    3. Bless you, Agnes.

    4. HA! Okay, you’re TOTALLY right, but it’s something I have to tell myself sometimes to get motivated. Have all the help she has, my goodness it must feel like she has 100 hours in every one of our “human” 24 hours, right?

    5. Was thinking the same thing! We may have the same 24 hrs, but her’s get to be used for all the $$$ making… while I waste precious tens of minutes arguing with my toddler about cereal that needs to be soggy, but not tooooo soggy to eat.

      1. Funny, I have the same conversation with my 30-something husband… 😉

    6. Yes! That was my first thought, as well. And she may work hard, but there are way more people out there who work three jobs just to survive AND do all the regular work of being a mom/wife/caretaker.

  6. More content like this, please!

    1. Agree! More realistic and real life sized homes and condos featured would be appreciated!

  7. Gorgeous house and I loved seeing a smaller townhouse featured! I love her thinking on how to manage a small space- it gives me some ideas on how to update our very generic townhouse.

  8. I love this house so much! It has given me so many ideas for what I want in my own home.
    Her style is clean and simple and I love it!!!!

  9. Man, I sure love this. So pretty. We went from a 2,200 sq ft home to a 1,350 sq foot home, so I completely agree with the space planning she wrote about.

    AND, I did almost the exact same custom vanity that she did:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj_Sgy9Ha4x/?taken-by=calliecorbetwolfe

  10. Beautiful!

    I wonder why two sinks in the master bath when space is so limited? Wouldn’t counter space be the premium instead of the sinks?

    1. Agree. I’d rather have the counter space. Otherwise, you’d always be elbowing your products off the count.

  11. Gorgeous. But ya gotta stop showing that out-of-stock Target chair (Esters Wood Arm Chair), or at least have a word with Target Emily, to get it back in stock, pronto! Lovely house, lovely post.

    1. It’s available in gray currently, but yes, the oatmeal color is SO good…

  12. I LOVE seeing such a beautiful design (structural & decorative) of a “smaller” home. I can totally relate to those multi-use rooms and the need to find a solution for storage. Thanks for the wonderful inspiration : )

    1. Hi everyone,
      Writing from Europe, I find it so difficult to understand the talk about ‘smaller’ homes… We have two teenage daughters (who have always shared a bedroom). We used to live in a 90 square metre cottage, which worked fine. We even had birthday parties for twelve children… Now we live in a 150 square metre house, which is the size of this one, and it feels pretty palatial, with large master bedroom, and a proper study, which is also a guest room… (We work from home.) I guess this is an American thing?

      1. It’s absolutely an American thing. According to the 2018 census, the average size of a family home was about 2,700 square feet…which is certainly sizable especially compared to Europe that has older buildings and smaller footprints. “Small” is totally relative, but compared to some of the houses you often see on blog tours, this one was on the more petite size!

      2. American here… currently in a home half this size so I dream of updating to 1600 square feet and it would feel palatial to me too! Just depends on your lifestyle/what city you live in. Where I live, 1600 square feet is not considered tiny (where you are maximizing every square inch) but certainly not a palace.

        1. Thank you Arlyn and MJ, that’s interesting! : )
          Enjoying the blog…!

      3. It’s definitely an American thing. In Canada the “average” home is 2100sqft but when we were looking for houses most of the ones in the 400-650K range were between 1000-1500sqft. I would say the large sqft accounted in the “average” of 2100sqft would be for houses a majority of people couldn’t afford.

        The house we did end up with is 1450sqft (plus the same sized basement, which is typically not included unless it’s above ground at all) and we have more room than we really need.

  13. Beautiful! Everything is perfection. Well done, and lovely pics!

  14. Hey Emily! What color white did you choose for paint? Thanks!

    1. Hi Robbie, this home was designed by Amy Oppedisano (not Emily!) but the paint color is Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White #CC20.

  15. The whole house is so stylish. I love the drawers in the kid rooms and that first floor bathroom/laundry/mud room is the most brilliant use of space

  16. What is the shade of white? It is so perfect!! I need this in my life!

    1. It’s Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White #CC20!

  17. I love everything about this! Can you share where the duvet is from on the end of the bed in the master bedroom? The room is so peaceful.

    1. That was a striped duvet cover from West Elm that is no longer available.

  18. Nice, but I seriously would need to wear my sunglasses in the house. Even looking at the pictures my eyeballs feel the glare.

    But I definitely understand the obsession with Japanese dishware shops. I can never go in one without coming out with a bag full of treasures.

    Do the kids enjoy moving every year? Are they in school? Do they have any kind of continuity with friends and play mates? Seems a bit extreme for a family with little kids.

  19. where is that rug from the photo from?

    1. It was from West Elm but it’s not longer unavailable, unfortunately.

      1. Is that the stone tile rug in slate from west elm? If so, it is still available. Is it another color? Thank you

  20. Beautiful home tour! It feels really calm and sophisticated.

    Regarding the notion that “you have the same 24 hours in the day as Beyonce…” well, not really. Beyonce has a lot of money and therefore can afford to hire a nanny, personal chef, housekeeper, personal assistant to run all her errands, probably a personal shopper to do all the preliminary shopping for her so all she has to do is come in and try on all the clothes that are already in her style and size, etc. Yes, she probably doesn’t sit around and marathon Gilmore Girls on Netflix, but very wealthy people are not typically burdened with the simple tasks that take up so much of the day that us “regular” folks, either. 😉 So don’t feel bad! I always think to myself, “I bet Lady Gaga doesn’t sew her own curtains or stain her own furniture…” when I’m doing DIY stuff that takes up so much of my time. Because Time is Money, and the more money you have, the more time you can buy yourself.

  21. I loved everything about this space!! Thanks for sharing ❤️

  22. I am absolutely IN LOVE, and we didn’t even see shots of the location! I live the minimal, textured design!!!

  23. This home is lovely… and love hearing all the smart storage solutions. Would love a more in depth look into those (for example, actually showing a photo of the mud room portion… unless that built in cabinetry is supposed to be the “hat/shoe/bag” cupboard? When described as a locker, you expect to see something more open and compartmentalized, like the storage lockers you see on PB and RH. Just me? Also appreciate being able to shop the look – would love the actual sectional to be listed if possible. It’s probably insanely expensive but sometimes it helps to find a goal (or sofa) to aspire to. : )

    1. Re: the sofa, I believe Amy got this one at HD Buttercup but it’s no longer available. We try our best to include the actual product in the Get the Look unless it’s a vintage piece, custom or something that’s no longer sold (and then find a similar piece to share with you guys).

      1. Thank you for checking!

  24. I have the same wood floors! They wear well and as you clean them, the grains end up turning more of a gray tone.

    Love everything about this house 💞

    1. April, can you share the brand and style/color of the floors? I’m looking for it here and seemed to have missed it!

  25. Lovely home! Do you happen to know where those black kitch brackets are from?

  26. I Love this house!! And I love even more when you guys show every. Single. Item in the Get the Look. Thank you!!

  27. “Either I’m sleeping too much and taking too much time in the morning to eat my scrambled eggs with a side of Gilmore Girls on Netflix…”

    This is ME!!! 🙂

    1. hahaha #struggle

  28. Wow! This entire home is perfect. Thanks for sharing.

  29. Love this house and all the thoughts about how storage was planned and designed! If (when) Amy moves again, I’d love to see the next house!

  30. Love love how beautiful and functional this space is, but I have to say I’m really tired of those block shop prints. They almost feel like putting in a starry nights print to me at this point.

    1. I think it’s just over exposure since people like us tend to look at multiple design websites/Instagram and see it often. However to the average person who doesn’t look at Instagram/design websites often they’re not very common.

      sigh… I get where you’re coming from though. They’re starting to not feel original which makes me a bit sad because lol I was thinking of using them in my living room where I needed them to help lighten up the space. I currently have a charcoal wall (don’t want to paint it since it works well in the space) and a charcoal sectional (I would have gone with a different coloured sectional if my budget allowed). I still really like them and they provide a lot of white space but sigh… not sure if I should pull the trigger.

      On the other hand if you love something it shouldn’t matter if it’s popular 🙂

  31. https://remcuavilla.com Here, there are many beautiful curtains

  32. Can you please tell me where the custom iron and wood shelving is from, that’s shown both in the kitchen and desk area? I’m needing something like this for a project I’m currently working on!

  33. Could you share the bed source? Love it!

    1. Hi Page! We marked it above in the Get the Look, but it’s from Joss & Main (https://rstyle.me/n/c9hs4zsdhw)

  34. Its so rare to see a dark stacked washer and dryer can you please share who it is by?

  35. Love this! What stain or clear coat is needed to get the white oak shelves that color/shade?
    Thanks!

  36. Beautiful, timeless space! We have the gray counter height leather bar stool from West Elm (yours is the chair in the desk area)…do you have any good suggestions for the bumpers on the bottom of the chair? with the chair as is, it scratches our hard wood floors.

  37. I have two BIG questions because I am VERY impressed with the cleanliness of this space:
    (1) How in the world are you able to function as an avid cook with marble counters and, most of all, range backsplash? We had a marble island for 2 years and got all kinds of etching and staining – oil is the worst offender of all – I can’t even imagine it behind a cooking surface, but yours looks great! HOW???

    (2) How do you keep a home with this much white furniture and rugs clean with two young kids? I have two kids, and HAD (yes, that’s past tense) one single piece of white upholstered furniture (upholstered in stain-resistant outdoor fabric, no less), and yeah, NOPE. Farewell, white ottoman! I hardly new ye.

    Please share your cleanliness secrets…

  38. Beautifully designed!
    What kind of floors are those?

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