Kern & Co Home Design: Redefining Classic

Susan Spath of Kern & Co. (her interview here) is an interior designer based in the Cedros Design District of Solana Beach. Susan’s popularity stems from her natural-born eye for elegance and skill in classic design, as well as her devotion as an artist, which allows her to maintain a sense of creative uniqueness in all her work. Susan uses the word "majestic" to describe her styling in high-end, grandiose properties; she stays away from what is trendy in order to create beauty and elegance in a way that will stand strong through the fluctuating styles of the times.

Kern & Co. believes in deconstructing and reinvesting in the classics. As an artist, Susan enjoys moving past "great" into the arena of "grand" by pushing interior design to its boundaries. In her words, "everything always works, but I like to take it one step further." Susan’s designs mix traditional aesthetics with modern, comfortable aspects. Classic but cozy.

An elegant example of Susan’s style, the featured 7,000 square foot home built by Richard Doan located in The Ranch, shows her love of classic European designs, flooding natural light and classical design elements. The home combines a design popular in the Hamptons with the Californian flair derivative of its coastal surroundings through touches of beach accessories. As is common in Kern & Co. design, a luminous atmosphere pervades with dove greys and creams accented by rich wooden cabinets.

In this beautiful Doan home, Susan collaborated with Richard from the start for a new fresh geometric look. She created the base for décor with pale cream box-beamed ceilings punctuated by Ralph Lauren chandeliers and rimmed with painted woodworking, as opposed to more traditional dark wood, to make for a fun and fresh take on tradition. This coastal home is filled with warm desert colors to bring in a level of comfort uncharacteristic of the typical coastal home, which is commonly dragged down by a drab pallet of washed out blues and harsh whites. In stepping away from the norm, Susan managed to maintain the Californian coastal feel of this home but in a way that incorporates an oft-missed warmth.

As is common in her process, Susan began devising this beautiful home by seeing the site and planning as a whole. She prides herself on her approach: she takes into consideration both numbers and design as a whole, rather than breaking down individual projects within the home. In addition to ensuring the practical use of time and money, this method lends a cohesive feel to the home’s entire layout. Susan may be an artist, but it is her skill and process as a designer that set her apart and make clients comfortable. "Kern & Co.," she says, "brings the business side to the aesthetics." Susan and her team understand the importance of time frames and budget and are aware that clients want a complete home, not a partial project.

Kern & Co. has become San Diego’s most trusted luxury interior design firm and with good reason. Their chic and elegant designs are both timeless and modern, classic and comfortable. As other designers shy away from ambitious projects, Kern & Co. continues to not only meet the challenge but exceed expectations- one FINE home at a time. 

To see other homes designed or to inquire about service visit kerncodesigns.com

Related Article: Interview with Susan Spath of Kern & Co.