I’ve been thinking a lot lately about trends for 2020, and while things seem to be going in a more opulent, anything-goes direction, I was stopped in my tracks recently by an interior that exemplifies the warm, neutral-soaked California minimalism that’s been so prevalent over the last few years — perhaps because there are so many things here that I’d like to replicate in my own home. Built in 1947, the Echo Park residence was gut renovated by its owner, Jonathan Criss, with interiors by up-and-coming designer Maria Matis Kennedy of Matis Creative. “The first brief Jon gave me was open-ended, and I thought we would do something mid-century because we both geek out over clean design. After lugging some huge Moroccan rugs into the living room, though, we pretty quickly realized that style just wouldn’t work in this home. We needed it to feel calm, and not have too many jolting colors.”

The result is a masterclass in mixing neutrals, with peaches, creams, pale woods, and terracottas that mimic the warm, beam-clad ceiling work. Some of our favorite moments include a quartet of peach glass Bower mirrors in the living room, a curving Vladamir Kagan sofa reupholstered in pet-friendly performance cream, the vintage stone tables, and bedroom artwork by Sight Unseen favorite Jessalyn Brooks. There’s an inside-outside thing happening too, thanks to accordion deck doors that almost disappear and an indoor jungle created by Julie Peterson. It’s one of Kennedy’s first interior projects, so we can’t wait to see what happens next.

PHOTOS BY KATE BERRY