Interior designer and boutique owner Suna Lock resides within her dream house: the 1870s Victorian Cope House in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz, California. It lies only blocks away from Lock’s diverse boutique and design organization, Stripe. “I felt at home the moment I walked into the door,” she states. “I knew that was it.”
Lock did not wish to restore and reproduce a conventional Victorian home, but she didn’t wish to stray too much from the architectural beauty. “I needed to stick to my guns and maintain the integrity of the house while making it function ergonomically with a contemporary way of life,” she states. By combining her love for thrifted and repurposed decoration, she designed the house to reflect her personality and the hustle and bustle of her contemporary family.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Suna Lock, her two children along with their dog, Trigger
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Size: 2,300 square feet; 4 bedrooms, two baths
That is interesting: A school of fish baits decorates the top of a hall.
Shannon Malone
The ladder in this multipurpose room was salvaged from an old school in London.
Sofa and rug: flea market; cushions: World Market; chandelier: original to the home
Shannon Malone
The towering windows and timeless features of this room evoke a feeling of grandeur yet feel welcoming. The warm hues mixed with thrifted classic decor invite guests to grab a book from the shelf and curl up by the fire.
Shannon Malone
The sliding wood doors, original to the house, allow the household to segment off the 2 rooms when required. Lock states,”It is great when we are entertaining and the children want to watch tv; we can have the adults in 1 room and the children in the other.”
Shannon Malone
Lock designed the couches in this room and had them assembled in San Francisco. They were developed to fit a lot of people, with big arms that provide a flat surface to eat a meal or enjoy a glass of wine.
The coffee table is a repurposed dining room table in the antiques shop in Soquel, California. The wooden inlay on the surface is your signature style of this table designer.
Arco floor lamp: personal from London; zigzag cushions: Urban Outfitters
Shannon Malone
Lock uses her imagination and artistic skills to repurpose ordinary objects into lovely decor. She assembled this lamp stand out from found objects such as old teacups; she calls it”the tower of crap.”
Shannon Malone
Lock marries the traditional and the contemporary by comparing new colors with classic items, such as this secondhand chair found at a flea market.
Wall paint: Artichoke Hearts, Benjamin Moore
Shannon Malone
Because her house is a historical site, Lock made couple architectural adjustments, except in the kitchen. The middle room divider was originally a solid wall separating the dining area and kitchen, a conventional set up in Victorian design. However, for lock, it was important to turn this part of the house to a contemporary social area by joining the two rooms.
Supplying simplicity and durability, the hardwood flooring throughout the house are stained black.
Kitchen table: Arteak; Verner Panton S Chairs: Plush Modern
Shannon Malone
John Wallis, owner of Wallis Wood Works in Santa Cruz, designed All the cabinetry in kitchen. The cabinets are made of Plyboo, an eco friendly alternative to antique substances.
The sliding ladder adds functionality and convenience, enabling the family to get stored items readily. It can be detached and stored around the wall when not in use.
Shannon Malone
The kitchen window seat is the perfect place to bask in the Santa Cruz sunlight. “It is comfy and warm,” says Lock. “I get a lot of work done ” Trigger, the family’s dog, gets some napping completed there also.
Window colors: Ikea
Shannon Malone
Fresh flowers add a splash of springlike color.
Shannon Malone
The original Victorian design was fairly lackluster, with dark colors that diverted from the real essence of the house. Lock simplified the color palette and stream, breathing new life to the space while still emphasizing the architectural details. She preserved many of the home’s original features, such as the kitchen chandelier and this iron door.
Shannon Malone
Shannon Malone
The claw-foot tub, the bathroom and the wooden shutters in the downstairs bath are original to the house. Lock added a group of thrifted mirrors to create a gallery wall and also joint sink found on Craigslist with a classic college art project to produce the bathroom vanity.
Shannon Malone
Lock added character to the hallway wall by lining the top with a collection of old fish lures found at a flea market. She recalls untangling all those hooks as being a very painful process.
Hitter: family heirloom from Germany
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The staircase wall acts as a graphic display for family photos. Lock found that the frames from all over: Ross, garage sales, thrift stores as well as her own boutique, Stripe. She admits,”I really do end up bringing things home from my shop quite often.”
Shannon Malone
At the peak of the staircase lies a magical sunroom with a classic chair in the garage sale along with a gorgeous wooden armoire given to Lock by her Realtor once she purchased the house. The armoire provides additional storage in a house that lacks cupboard space.
Shannon Malone
The master bedroom’s soft color palette, floral accents and warm sunlight give the room a feeling of enchantment. “My bedroom is my sanctuary,” says Lock.
The majority of this room’s decoration was thrifted from several places, such as her bed frame and floral rug, which can be flea market antiques.
Wall paint: Amaryllis, Benjamin Moore
Shannon Malone
Lock originally purchased this ripped photo at a garage sale because she wanted the frame. But she fell in love with all the emotion that the picture portrays and kept it. The chair can also be a garage sale find.
Shannon Malone
The adjoining bath, with its electric blue and orange color scheme, is a stark contrast to the master bedroom. The orange shower tiles are Craigslist finds.
Shannon Malone
Lock proves you can still create an inspirational space onto a budget. She states,”I invested $700 complete with this entire bathroom.” The wood and sink countertop are equally repurposed items found at a ditch.
Wall paint: The Way Blue Am I, Benjamin Moore
Shannon Malone
Instead of classic wallpaper, which can be damaged easily, Lock used decals to decorate the walls of her children’s bedrooms. Multicolored butterflies flutter throughout her daughter’s bedroom.
Bed: Craigslist; storage unit: Ikea
Shannon Malone
Her son’s area features a 3-D airplane theme, with decals and design airplanes hanging from the ceiling.
Bed: Craigslist; storage unit: Ikea
Shannon Malone
The outside is surrounded by lush greens and a iron fence that wraps around the entire property.
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