Thinking Outside the Stucco Box

Alexandra and Sally von Gymnich, the design duo behind Rustic Rooster, rescue a Leucadia tract home.

When Alicia Armstrong walked into Laura Fairchild’s Cardiff-by-the-Sea fashion boutique, L.A. Fairchild, she fell in love with a pair of prints—ethereal slices of coral mounted on snowy linen. Fairchild’s interior designer and friend, Alexandra von Gymnich, had chosen them. Armstrong inquired about the prints, and Fairchild directed her to Rustic Rooster Interiors, the Encinitas beach-cottage store owned by von Gymnich and her mother, Sally, a retired interior designer who contributes to her daughter’s projects.

Now, two years later, Alex von Gymnich has designed the Armstrong home (shown on these pages) for Alicia, her husband and their two children. She even found a place for a similar set of the inspirational coral prints in the living room.

The Leucadia home—or the “stucco box,” as von Gymnich called it prior to renovation—was one of three houses in the neighborhood by the same developer. Von Gymnich transformed the look of the home from spec-quality development to comfortable cottage. It isn’t just her interior remodel that separates it from the pack; she credits the new exterior color, trellises, shutters, custom-made Dutch door and relandscaped front yard, too.

“The curb appeal is very important,” von Gymnich says. “What’s the point of going in if a house doesn’t look good on the outside? It has to invite you in.”

Before the Armstrong residence, von Gymnich had only dabbled in exterior design; this was her first full-fledged exterior renovation. This was also her first time designing a boys’ room—a nautical living space for 8-year-old Ryan and 11-year-old Walker.

To achieve their sophisticated beachcottage style, von Gymnich and her mom pull inspiration from British Colonial design—using traditional antiques and other vintage pieces—then throw in a contemporary, eclectic edge. Von Gymnich added cottage appeal to the Armstrongs’ interior with such details as crown molding and baseboards, rustic cabinets and iron hardware in the kitchen and beadboard over the fireplace. The result is a space that not only looks good but also lives well.

“It has a warmth and charm to it,” says von Gymnich. “It’s easy and comfortable. Scratches aren’t a big deal, which is good for children.”

Rustic Rooster’s newest concept, Chicken Coop, is a children’s line with a very functional design. “It’s not your traditional baby room,” von Gymnich says. The practical design means the space grows with the child, and parents aren’t forced to redo the room over and over.

Besides cozying up to concrete, the von Gymniches are the go-to gals for bringing back original charm. “We want to restore instead of tear down and rebuild,” Alex says. “Save the cottage!”

The team attributes the growing popularity of their style and store to people wanting unique, quality homes. “People are over the ‘plastic look’ of staged homes,” says von Gymnich. “They don’t just want the granite counters and maple cabinets anymore. They want something individual.”

For customers or clients who want vintage style without the rickety characteristics, mother and daughter make one-of-a-kind custom pieces that look old but aren’t going to fall apart. They also do custom flooring, like the pine planks they stained themselves for the floor in L.A. Fairchild.

“People want the chips and nicks,” says von Gymnich. “They want the discoloration where the dog sleeps and down the walkway where the main foot traffic is.”

There are some challenges the two face with renovating beach cottages, including dealing with small compartments, small rooms and inconvenient built-ins.

“We’ll break the walls to make it livable—not claustrophobic,” Alex says. “We like to expand hallways, add creative storage and open up bathrooms. We’ll lift ceilings, remove wallpaper, basically get rid of the clutter that encloses the space.” They use splashes of patterns and prints and keep colors light to air out the space. It’s a subtle, sweet look.

When designing a home, the von Gymniches want the client to be as happy with the process as they are with the finished product. They stress customer service and promote a comfortable design experience. Alex calls it “fun decorating,” and she’s gotten so close to her clients she even ran a marathon with one.

“All of our clients to this day are our friends,” von Gymnich says. “Designing your house should be fun, like a family. You should have a good relationship with your designer.”

SEASIDE COTTAGE TRICKS

►Color pairings inspired by New England villages, the sea, the sky and the sand are key. Von Gymnich’s favorites are robin’segg blue, Tiffany blue, red coral and bamboo; Cape Cod gray and butter-cream yellow; bold white, brick red and putty; ice blue, sea blue, black and white; off-white, cream and seafoam green.

►Bring in natural fibers. Fabrics like cotton and linen have a good texture. Also try bamboo shades and seagrass rugs.

►Open up small spaces. Take out unnecessary walls and expand hallways.

►Discover hidden treasures in older homes; for example, lift ceilings to expose old beams.

►Use lighter colors and remove wallpaper to simplify the backdrop.

►Find creative places for storage and reduce clutter.

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