A homeowner pairs vintage and modern, hard and soft, and black and white for a look all her own.

When it comes to design, Rebecca Fishelson has a knack for knowing what works. And nowhere is the designer's instinctive and inventive approach more apparent than at her Mar Vista, California, house. Rebecca fell for the quaint Los Angeles neighbourhood, but the 1940s house she bought needed to be almost completely rebuilt.

Wood Countertops

She seized the opportunity to create an open plan with high ceilings and plenty of light. To put her own stamp on the new interior, Rebecca added plenty of unexpected old-house details such as weathered outdoor bricks in front of the hearth and kitchen countertops crafted from salvaged wood floors.



Neutral Vintage Living Room

Rebecca also found imaginative applications for vintage finds-she turned a 19th-century wooden tub into a coffee table and utilized an antique checkerboard as a unique piece of art.



White & Wood Bathroom

Throughout the house, Rebecca embraces contrasts via a black-and-white colour palette and pairing wood furniture with the softness of upholstered pieces in cream homespun, plenty of fresh flowers, and vintage linens.



Quirky Whirligig and Apothecary Cabinet

Wood signage punctuates every room for a graphic effect. The result is a house with a fresh, uniquely inviting look.



Neutral Vintage Decor

"Textures and shapes are enhanced against white," explains Fishelson. Subtle but significant details such as the original paint of a vintage fireplace mantel and the bold lines of an 18th-century American cupboard get their due when displayed against a backdrop of plain white walls.



Antique Dining Room

Because she likes the emphasis to be on texture as well as shape, Rebecca sticks to a neutral palette, which she punches up with folk art, old signage, and Americana.



Worn Vintage Mirror and Drawers

To inject old-house character, Rebecca put in vintage doors, fireplace mantels, and wide-plank wood flooring.



Vintage Charm

Even the kitchen countertops are crafted from salvaged wood floors. When Rebecca had to buy new, she chose faithful reproductions of 19th-century favourites such as the kitchen's pulley lights.



Vintage Wooden Sign

Details such as beadboard and antique brackets, as well as plentiful fresh flowers, add personality to Rebecca's understated style.



Bedroom Bathtub

The bedroom perfectly combines the pleasures of a roomy tub, fireplace, and her bed: "I can go from a hot bath right to bed!"