Color consultant Nancy Pepper relocated from Los Angeles to Ojai, California, after lunch with a Buddy turned into a property-scouting Experience. After viewing five other homes, six turned out to be her lucky number: a silent home surrounded by nature and stunning views of the Topa Topa Mountains. “My personal style is heavily influenced by character, and if I could live anywhere it would be from the woods,” Pepper says.
Pepper helps her clients discover their personal color palettes according to the four seasons. While designing her own home, she used her own colours as a source of inspiration. Being an”autumn with a bit of winter,” Pepper chose abundant, vibrant hues; heavy textures; and natural components, giving her Ojai abode a cabin-inspired style.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Nancy Pepper and her two mini Labradoodles
Location: Ojai, California
Size: 2,800 square feet; two bedrooms, 2 baths, studio workplace
That is intriguing: Famous potter Otto Heino’s studio and former residence is right up the road.
Shannon Malone
Natural materials such as wood and stone reflect Pepper’s love of nature and her desire to bring the outside into her dining room design.
Pepper matched her dining room table, found at Wachters in Ojai, with Paris bistro seats from Ojai interior designer Elizabeth Alexander.
Shannon Malone
Pepper chose earthy hues of red, orange, pink and teal as the main color palette for her home, and they function in harmony with her nature-inspired decor.
Shannon Malone
Unique mixed-media artworks such as this bit by Trevor Norris, titled Diagonal Down, mix in with the colours of the home.
Shannon Malone
Aiming to make the home feel like a cabin, Pepper designed with actual logs from Oregon, brought down by a former neighbor. She used both unfinished and finished pieces, such as this log column in the kitchen, to provide contrast and texture. The kitchen cabinets are made from recycled Douglas fir.
Shannon Malone
Knowing that Pepper likes to take advantage of recycled items, a friend bought a box of old railroad spikes for her. After much contemplation about how to incorporate them in the plan, Pepper decided to use them as handles for her kitchen drawers and cabinets.
Shannon Malone
Pepper’s orange and green countertops are a bold color choice, but they are among the favorite features of the home. Orange is one of the favorite colors. “It makes me happy to look at it,” says Pepper. The cheerful hue is ubiquitous throughout the home, extending even to the orange trees out.
Countertops: Caesarstone
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Pepper brings out her vibrant countertops’ full potential by displaying matching decorative accents such as glass bell peppers and glassware.
Shannon Malone
The wood liner and the bottoms of this kitchen island are also made from logs from Oregon. Pepper stained the logs to give them a more finished look as well as more durability in a kitchen setting.
The sides of the island are lined with wood in the home’s former hardwood flooring. Pepper’s builder discovered 100-year-old pipes via an orange orchard from Santa Paula, California, to use as a footrest.
Bar stools: Cowhide Western Furniture
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Pepper had an oddly shaped piece of wood left over in the Oregon delivery and could not let it go to waste. She watched it as a chance for another one-of-a-kind bit for her home and had her contractor craft it in this rustic table.
Shannon Malone
For Pepper, designing is all about doing what you enjoy. Her home has an eclectic feel, with items from other styles and time periods. She has collected various pieces through time, such as this chair that she has had since the’60s, and also this dining table made out of an antique door, which still has its original hinges and keyhole.
The chair blends perfectly with the teal vases and kilim rug draped over the dining table.
Shannon Malone
It required Pepper two and a half years to pick the final design of her living space. When she first bought the house, the living room sat in which the dining area is currently, and the dining area was a little extension off the kitchen. Together with the intent of opening up the room to generate a more societal set up, Pepper swapped the two spaces and extended the home outward, making a sizable, spacious living space.
The inviting sectional sofa is by designer Elizabeth Alexander, using needlepoint cushions made by Pepper.
Shannon Malone
Alexander initially suggested that Pepper place a seating area in the front of the fireplace, but Pepper discovered that she loved the open and spacious feel of this space. She states,”It’s a fantastic spot to do yoga.”
Pepper’s design philosophy is “make it bulletproof.” She desired low-maintenance flooring that could stand up to her two dogs’ lively antics. She chose materials that could suit her love of texture and character: a stunning slate for the living room and kitchen, and pine hardwood flooring for the rest of the home.
Table and chairs: Elizabeth Alexander Interior Design, Ojai
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The outdoors makes its way into the master bedroom via the stone fireplace, pine floors and ornamental ferns. Pepper added splashes of color to the neutral tones with rugs in Oaxaca, Mexico, gathered through the last few years plus a subtle green wall hue.
Shannon Malone
Among Pepper’s favorite pieces, which she’s had for several decades, is her calla lily bed, designed by Suzanne Geismar.
Shannon Malone
Wood paneling and a slate bathtub make the master toilet feel straight out of a cabin deep in the woods. The window overlooks the stunning backdrop of Pepper’s landscaping and the surrounding mountains.
Shannon Malone
The bed in Pepper’s guest area initially belonged to one of her sons, who decided that it belonged in his mother’s home because of its wooden columns and cabinlike style. Pepper contrasts the natural components with bright bursts of color.
Shannon Malone
Pepper’s bright and airy home studio is where she’s her color consulting with clients. She sits them down on the stool and analyzes their hair, skin and eyes to find a suitable color palette. She consults on makeup, clothing as well as home decor. The studio is full of color swatches as well as planks for each palette, such as the autumn board exhibited here.
Shannon Malone
Pepper uses a white background for her studio so that she can begin with a blank background when consulting with her clients.
Shannon Malone
The selected colors extend to the patio overlooking the pool and gardens.
Shannon Malone
The garden is full of hardscaping, which Pepper broke up to include more greens and gardening area. The region is used often for family parties and enjoying sunshine by the pool.