Designer Susie Novak Brings Warmth and Whimsy to This Piedmont Home

In a California market where classic housing stock is scarce and competition fierce, one Piedmont couple set aside their instinct for mid-century minimalism and fell for something entirely different: a hundred-year-old home with soaring moldings, generous archways, and the kind of traditional bones that don't come up for sale often. The catch was that the house had been through a few rough decades. Botched renovations in the 1980s and '90s had chipped away at its original character, leaving designer Susie Novak with a dual mandate — restore what history had gotten right, and undo what previous owners had gotten wrong.

Novak approached the whole-house refresh as an exercise in reconciliation. New furniture, lighting, plants, and accessories filled every room, while the kitchen, laundry room, and two bathrooms were fully remodeled, floors were replaced, walls repainted throughout, and new tile was added outside. But the real work was in the details worth saving: the dramatic ceiling molding in the dining room, the original windows, the wide-plank flooring, and the graceful archways that give the home its sense of occasion. "I immediately thought of the gorgeous flats in Paris that had the classic moldings and detailing paired with really gorgeous modern furniture," Novak says of her approach. That Parisian sensibility became the throughline: preserve the cabinetry, tile, and wood staining wherever the architecture called for it, then bring in wallpaper, curtains, and furnishings with a distinctly contemporary point of view.

That contemporary point of view came directly from the homeowners. West Coast natives with a deep affection for the sound and spirit of alternative '90s culture, the couple brought a personal, unexpected edge to the project. The lady of the house gravitates toward bold block prints and offbeat art, along with mid-century-inflected furniture that reads more curated than matched. In the dining room, that tension between old and new plays out beautifully: a moody, hand-finished ceiling and richly patterned floral drapery frame a sculptural branch-form chandelier, while a walnut table surrounded by boucle-upholstered chairs keeps the room feeling grounded and livable rather than precious.

The adjoining living room takes a softer approach to the same idea. Deep neutrals and a plush wraparound sectional anchor the space, warmed by rust and terracotta accents, a sculptural marble-and-wood coffee table, and glimpses of the home's original crown molding overhead. French doors stand open to the kitchen and dining room beyond, reinforcing the sense of a home designed to flow easily from one gathering space to the next.

Above all, livability was non-negotiable. With young children and two cats in residence, Novak was designing for a household in motion, not a still life. "A livable yet luxurious interior was our goal," she notes. "We wanted the home to feel inviting yet exude an artistic nature." Working with builder Fine Eye Construction, she managed to hold both ideas at once: a house that honors a century of history while feeling unmistakably, comfortably like the family who lives in it now.