A Rustic Chic California Home

One of the best parts about planning a destination wedding is being able to squeeze a couple extra vacations out of it. We spent about a week and a half in California last summer checking out venues from Northern Sonoma down to the Central Coast, and we will be going back about a week early to explore Santa Barbara and Central California Wine Country. All this time in California has really allowed me to start to appreciate the rustic, laid-back Cali lifestyle which is evident in everything from the fashion to cuisine to decor. To me - this feeling of casual elegance is perfectly captured by designer Wendy Bellissimo's Hidden Hills home. More from Lonny...

To complement the pristine landscape, the designer steeped her house in a timeless sense of well-being. “I wanted it to have a relaxed sensibility with a certain amount of sophistication—a place where you walk in and feel ease and comfort,” she says.

The connection between indoors and out makes up a large part of the appeal. The family eats outdoors as often as possible and keeps the entrances of their home open, fostering an airy mood that influences the decor. To cultivate an aura of laid-back luxury in a new-construction residence, Bellissimo left the ceiling beams exposed and selected wide-plank hardwood flooring, stone fireplace mantels, and reclaimed materials throughout. The result is a richly layered, evocative environment that befits a down-to-earth clan (as well as their pack of four pups and three chickens, plus a horse, bunny rabbit, and cat).