Living Room design by Barbara Lee Grigsby. Banner image above: Bedroom design by Maudlin.

Stunning Spaces
When it comes to home décor, anything is possible. Styles can be mixed, matched, and created to suit anyone’ s preference. Designers around San Diego face this challenge every day in meeting their clients’ specific wants and needs. By utilizing unique combinations of architecture, furniture, colors, and accents, they create one-of-a-kind rooms that reflect the individual tastes and interests of their clients. While each design might not be your style of choice, it’ s hard to ignore that these spaces are simply stunning.

Barbara Lee Grigsby, owner of Barbara Lee Grigsby Design Associates in Rancho Santa Fe, specializes in enhancing interior architecture to make a room stand out while respecting the architecture of the original structure. In this European-inspired living room, Grigsby mixed different elements to create a comfortable space with timeless elegance. With her background in art, Grigsby focuses on balance and composition, as well as finding colors and styles that the homeowners can relate to. Grigsby added the moldings and built-in corner shelving, and accented them with recessed lighting. The coffee table from Dessin Fournir anchors the conversation area, and end tables from Hamilton frame the sofas. Fabrics from Kneedler-Fauchere, Randolph & Hein, and Nancy Corzine are used throughout the room. (858/756-2101, www.blgda.com)

The California Ranch-style home on the upper right houses a husband and wife and their four boys — a space in desperate need of some femininity. The master bedroom was designated as the mother’ s refuge from the males and her major style requirement derived from her love of Phyllis Morris pink leopard print fabric. Jennifer Van Galder Clark, owner of Maudlin in La Jolla, launched the design of the room from there, mixing in brown and apple green to complement the pink. Clark made sure that the bedroom suited the rest of the house even with its intense coloration and funky design. This room has quickly become the whole family’ s favorite and you can even find the five men watching football here, curled up on the bed among the pink leopard-print pillows. (858/459-5848, www.shopmaudlin.com)

After testing a number of designs that didn’ t fit their vision, homeowners Robert and Lisa Jenks turned to Matthew Bergman, co-owner of Folio in Del Mar, to give them the kitchen they had always wanted (below). Bergman sought to integrate the different wants and needs of the homeowners while developing a unifying aesthetic in the space. The island, finished in a blackened weathered oak with a crema marfil marble top, features both a farm sink and prep sink. A mantle containing pull-out spice drawers frames the range top that sits on deep pots and pans drawers. Twin Subzero 700 series fridges flank dish and glass cabinets conveniently located directly behind the dishwasher. The high-quality Downsview cabinetry unifies the space and was constructed utilizing both full overlay and flush insets with beaded face frames. (858/350-5995, www.foliodesign.com)

By blending old and new, Laurie Ann Ray, owner of At Home with Laurie Ann, creates comfortable and original spaces sprinkled with reminders of family. This living room defines Ray’ s signature look — eclectic. The floral-print sofas and chair are from JM Paquet. Decorating the bookshelves are scattered family photos and Ray’ s favorite word, "family." Unique discoveries add interest to the room, including the antique coffee table from Texas, the wrought iron piece acquired in Mexico, and the picket fence atop the mantel unearthed at the Long Beach swap meet. "I like things that create an unexpected surprise, items that are a bit off-kilter," says Ray. "In the world of design, my only hard-and-fast rule is there are no rules. Of course, there are guidelines, but sometimes the rules beg to be broken." (858/679-4663, www.laurieann.com)

To create a plush and feminine bedroom for her client’ s daughter, Tritia Gustine, co-owner of Beach Bungalow Designs in Torrey Hills, designed an elegant space with pink and cream soft textures and furniture that reflects the same theme. The top-of-the-line furniture from Art for Kids is finished in antique pink and has hand-carved appliqués that match the French lines. From there, Gustine balanced out the room with a mix of fabrics that have a lot of detail, but are simple at the same time. The arched windows are embellished with complementary cornices and tufted cream silk draperies. I Lite 4 U made the chandelier in special crystal colors to match the room. Feather accents were added to give the room a more playful, juvenile look. (858/793-7782, www.beachbungalowdesigns.com)

Midwest Design owners Eric Trawitzki and Matt Wasserman have over 15 years of experience in the cabinet business and have developed an extensive custom line. Along with top-of-the-line craftsmanship, Midwest Design offers custom-made cabinets, mantels, paneling and molding. In the custom game room featured here, the dark-stained solid wood molding frames matching vertical weave panels that bring architectural interes to the bar. The dark wood is carried throughout the space in the archway and the custom paneling along the wall. A red felt pool table brings color to the room while recessed lighting helps to brighten the space. (858/366-5035, www.mwdcabinets.com)

A sumptuous metallic-toned bedroom from Brennen Collection in La Jolla shows off the gallery’ s exclusive hand-carved Italian furniture from Carpanelli, a craftsman’ s workshop founded in 1919. The Regale bed is made of solid wood slabs inlayed with walnut. A mahogany swirl design begins at the headboard and continues down to the footboard, generating a grand scenic effect. The footboard contains two spacious drawers created with alternating bands of myrtle, maple, zebrano, and mahogany. A leaf inlay with mother of pearl buds enhancing the headboard and footboard also carries over to the matching Regale chest of drawers, made with solid wood slabs that curve luxuriously. The drawers mix cherry wood and briarwood bands, and are adorned with mother of pearl knobs. (858/454-6544, www.brennencollection.com)
— Rina Van Orden