This Incredible Renovation of a 1970s California Home Is a Terrazzo Lover’s Dream

The co-founders of Concrete Collaborative infused their playful family beach house with pattern and color at every turn.

Text by

Stacey McLachlan

Photos by

Charlotte Lea Photography

Presented by

Concrete Collaborative

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Partner Story

This home tour is presented by Concrete Collaborative, who partnered with Dwell to create Strands, a California-inspired collection of floor and wall tiles.

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Here’s a fun game to play when you step into the Balsis family home: can you find a room that doesn’t feature jaw-dropping graphic tiles?

In the kitchen, there’s the bubbly, blush pink backsplash. In the laundry room, a hypnotic pattern of abstract shapes. Even the outdoor shower is kitted out with surf-cool blue and ivory panels. "It’s such a vibe," says homeowner Kate Balsis.

But really, it comes as no surprise that she and husband Chad leaned into such playful finishes for the renovation of their circa-1970s, two-story California home: The two are the co-founders of architectural finishes brand Concrete Collaborative.

Though Kate and Chad Balsis hired contractors for the larger projects like tiling the main floor and building cabinetry, the couple did much of the construction and project management themselves—and even pulled their three sons into the process, too. The flooring and fireplace seen here feature the Venice alabaster large tiles.

"We would plan out and sketch each project and have our kids contribute their ideas. It’s been a really fun, creative, collaborative thing we have done as a family and a lot of hard work," says Kate.

"We knew we wanted to keep the original floor plan, arched openings, open staircase, fireplaces, a lot of natural light, and large outdoor areas," says Kate. The warm tone of the original oak on the fireplace became the wood reference for the kitchen oak cabinets and further nods throughout the house.

Kate and Chad share their 2,400-square-foot, four-bed, three-bath home with sons Will, Sam, and Charlie. The family had previously always rented, so home ownership—and the chance to go all-in on a renovation—was a new adventure. Chad is an architect by trade, and Kate, a designer, so the early ‘70s home in Dana Point, California, offered the perfect place to finally put into action all of their patterned dreams (along with a little elbow grease).

"We had a vision to lean into the original era of the home and keep the integrity of that but add color, warmth, character and personality through finishes," Kate says. "Picture some throwback moments, like fully carpeted open-riser stairs and oak panels above the fireplace."

The finishes enhance the house’s original architecture.

"We knew our modern concrete tiles and terrazzo would be a good fit, but it has been really refreshing working with our own tile, counter, and paver products in our own space so intimately and falling in love with our work all over again," says Kate. The wall seen here features the Strands x del sol collection x Raili Clasen in Arch Millennial Pink; the Bondi sink is also in Millennial Pink.

Kate and Chad wanted each space to have its own identity and color story. The goal was for every room to be playful in its own way, while remaining connected to the design language of the house as a whole.

The first priority was updating the floor. "The tile was so sad and we adore terrazzo—obviously—and knew that would form the basis for the whole design," says Kate.

Then, the family worked from the outside in. "The outdoor design was very important to us; the shower and side yard were one of our first spaces to renovate and that set the tone for the rest of the house to carry the outside," says Kate.

The geometric backsplash makes a splash in the kitchen. The Quarter Arch tiles by Heather McKenna are part of the Strands x way cooler collection.

From the tabletop to the backsplash to the bar front, this home features beautiful texture and color on every surface.

"I love how tiles meet at the intersection of architecture, fashion, and art," says Kate.

Dwell x Strand tiles line the floor of the wet bar.

The backyard was the starting point for the whole home’s design.

"It was a pleasant surprise that the surfboard fin tile could rotate and create modern circle-like pattern when placed together," Kate notes. "Our kids can be credited with the discovery." The outdoor shower features the Dwell x Strands Squash pattern in Spa and Ivory.

A pathway from the pool to the front yard is made from Concrete Collaborative’s pink terrazzo pavers, set in a field of local beach pebbles. A custom surfboard rack was designed to match the elevated outdoor shower deck at the end of the path. The shower also features the Dwell x Strands tiles, in Spa and Ivory, arranged in a circle-like pattern.

Reeded glass lets the colorful tiles in the upstairs bathroom show through.

Yellow tiles cover the floors and wall of the bathroom, but on the shower floor, a retro, blue-and-white checkerboard pattern ties into the powder-blue sink and toilet. The wall and floor feature Laguna Acacia tiles, while the shower floor features Laguna tiles in the hues Bay Blue and Quietude.

In the living room, terrazzo floor tiles wrap up to clad the fireplace and meet the original oak panelling halfway up the wall. That oak became the wood reference for the kitchen cabinets.

For the wet bar, Chad and Kate decided on a color palette of dark green and bright pink, accentuated by a vibrant palm wallpaper. Concrete Collaborative’s Pacifica Universal Green Verde Chip terrazzo countertops are paired with a fluted bar front, painted in a similar dark green. The interior of the bar features bright pink base cabinets and brushed brass hardware. On the back wall, a stacked diamond Solana Quietude tile in offers a midcentury nod. The floor is lined with green and ivory Dwell x Strands tiles.

In the bedroom, you’ll find the rare use of white: a visual respite from the rest of the vibrant design.

The design was influenced by the family’s love for beach culture; in addition to their SoCal location, Kate has Aussie roots. "Someone came in and said the house felt ‘Australian,’ and whatever that means, it made me happy," says Kate. "We wanted it to feel like a tropical escape with a creative elevated interior design while still being really ‘easy come, easy go’ to suit our relaxed lifestyle."

It’s these playful moments—found inside and outside—that infuse the home with a spirit that perfectly reflects the family who lives here. "A typical scene is the doors all open, music playing, something cooking, kids playing outside and often entertaining friends and family," says Kate. "We are a family with beach-loving surfers who are constantly dragging sand from the beach to our pool."