Studio Christophers Design

Interior Renovation Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers, www.studiochristophers.com
Builder: Owner/builder
Lighting Design: Travis Nixon, www.nixonlightingdesign.com 619 436 8874
Sq Ft: 3500

The guideline for this structure was to use the existing Mediterranean design and create a more modern feel . The residence is compact and we wanted to expand the sense of spaciousness and light in the home, also incorporating more of the outdoor areas and views into the residence.

The kitchen and dining room areas were gutted, the existing cabinets were inventoried for size and the new kitchen was designed around the existing cabinet inventory. The cabinets were then painted and finished with green products. Energy Star appliances were installed. The tile in the kitchen and dining Room were supplied by a local manufacturer.

The carpet areas have rubber padding and natural Earth Weave carpets. All walls were painted with Benjamin Moore Aura. The custom built in cabinets in the living and media rooms were built with Medex MDF (green fiberboard) and finished with AFM Safecoat green products. All doors and windows were replaced with Sierra Pacific sustainable energy efficient doors and windows.

All the demolition materials were donated and recycled. Some to a local orphanage across the border, and the rest to local neighborhoods. A large part of the "new" building materials were recycled from the existing structure, or ordered from local manufacturers.

Architect: Allard Jansen and Associates, www.aja.com
Interior Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers, www.studiochristophers.com
Builder: Sharratt Construction 858 759 9800
Sq Ft:: 12,000

The client's design guideline was " Lillian Rice influence, combining western art and antiques with a Spanish/Guatemalan influence" . To accomplish this mix, all the cabinetry in the residence was custom designed and built by a local artisan, the walls were hand plastered, and custom tiles were provided by a local company. The lighting fixtures were custom designed and manufactured by a local artisan. We used the clients existing pieces for a large part of the furnishings.

Interior Renovation Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers, www.studiochristophers.com
Builder: Fred Franke Construction, 858 689 1168
Lighting Design : Travis Nixon, www.nixonlightingdesign.com

The client's guideline was "modern, organic and fun." We started with the kitchen, using the colors in a slate stone fireplace in the adjoining great room as our color palette. Cabinets were made of sustainable, fast growing eucalyptus, and the appliances were selected from Energy Star rated options. All walls were finished with no VOC products and cabinets finished with AFM green products.

In the master bath, the clients fell in love with a Costa smerlada onyx, which has an amazing amount of color and movment in the slabs. The bathroom was designed around these, using the slabs as the focal point . The cabinets are from Brookside's Essence of Nature green veneers, and the plumbing fixtures are water efficient. The toilet is also a low flow, dual flush model. The lighting designer on this project contributed immensely to the bathroom's overall drama and successful design.

Architecture: Brian Darnell, Darnell Scrivner Architects 619 200 9580
Interior Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers, wwwstudiochristophers.com
Builder: Colin Jones construction 760 672 4999
Custom Cabinetry: Jeff Nilson, Nilson Winter Construction, www.nilsonwinter.com
Wall Finishes: Rick Bowman Painting 619 818 9510
Sq Ft: 10,000

The client's requested a design guideline that was "Mediterranean - mix Spanish, French and California combined - with lots of color - exuberant and functional for a family with small children and provided space for entertaining." One half of the couple wanted lots of color and a casual ambience, and the other preferred traditional, dark woods, and a more formal approach. This design represents a mix of all of the above.

All cabinetry was custom and built by Jeff Nilson of Nilson Winter construction. www.nilsonwinter.com Custom lighting provided by Anna Hamman of Radiant Lighting, Custom tile for the kitchen provided by Stone Impressions.

Architect: Nastaran Ghomi, www.ntggroup.com
Interior Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers, www.studiochristophers.com
Sq Ft: 5,500

The client's design guideline was "Balinese rustic meets California casual". The majority of the existing structure was gutted - ceilings were raised, and the floor plan revised for better use and traffic flow. The clients entertain frequently, so a very open plan in the public portion of the residence was created. One can view the kitchen, wine bar, dining room and great room from multiple locations, each area spilling into the other, but having some type of architectural demarcation to suggest the change. Ocean views are also present in all of these areas, contributing to a feeling of openess and light in the residence.

The Cabinets were custom designs by Studio Christophers, and the flooring through out the residence are basic hand fired pavers custom antiqued.

Architect: Kevin Rugee, www.architectrugee.com
Interior Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers, www.studiochristophers.com
Builder: Lorton Mitchell, www.lortonmitchellhomes.com
Sq Ft: 5500

Note: Recent project, Photographs not yet available for posting

This is an historic residence, designed by Richard Requa. The client's wanted to update the residence, to make it more comfortable and more functional - especially the kitchen and the bathrooms, while staying true to the architects original intentions and design. The elevations posted here represent the final elevation views for the kitchen and several of the bathrooms, including the master bath.

Architect: Nastaran Ghomi, www.ntggroup.com
Interior Planning and Design: Aurora Christophers, www.studiochristophers.com
Contractor: Pending
Sq. Ft.: 5000

This project is currently in the permitting process.

Interior Renovation Planning & Design: Aurora Christophers
Contractor: Rusty Smith
Sq. Ft: 5500

The guideline for this project was tropical and modern. The entire west facing side of the residence has beautiful ocean and coastal views. The existing residence was constructed in the 80's a and was a modern box like structure. Interior architectural detailing for both walls and ceiling were added to create dimension and depth to the rooms. The kitchen and bathrooms gutted and revised, and the fireplaces redesigned. The end result is a residence transformed to provide a spacious, light filled and tactile experience.