It’s not often an interior designer has the chance to create a dream house from scratch for childhood friends.

California Style Hits Pittsburgh

But that’s what Elysa Roberts of Elysa Roberts Interiors did for a Fox Chapel couple and their three young children. The homeowners, Elyssa’s onetime schoolmates in Zanesville, Ohio, lived in California for several years before moving to Pittsburgh, just two hours from their hometown. Elysa’s design challenge was to help her friends adjust from sunny Cali days to our region’s predictable gloom.

Elysa worked with the clients and Infinity Custom Homes from blueprints to move-in, a process that required excellent communication. In-person meetings kicked off the project but regular Zoom meetings with 3D renderings ensured everyone was on the same page. Happily, the owners were “very trusting, and gave me freedom,” she says, along with a flexible budget.

Midwestern warmth with a California vibe

“I love mixing styles, so I thought, ‘Why not mix geography?’ “ Elysa says. “ Let’s combine classic midwestern warmth with an easy-going California cool vibe.” Pairing comforting traditional details with an airy, relaxed West Coast style created a home that feels inviting, carefree, and timeless.

The 6,000-square-foot house, which took three years to complete, has just about everything anyone would want: stunning living space that also is usable and durable enough for the whole family, including the dog… a third floor where the kids can entertain and play…a basement with a movie theater and wine cellar…outdoor spaces to die for.
Every piece that went into the house, I touched,” Elysa says, from architectural elements to interior finishes and furnishings to landscaping, every detail reflects the shared vision.

Simplicity in white, black and gray

White oak flooring with a rough finish from Mullican along with custom rugs from Weisshouse meld a California casual feel with the Midwest tradition of hardwood. White, black, and gray cabinetry from Cabinetworks Group, countertops by Caesarstone, Datile Porcelain Slabs and HanStone, and tile from Atlas Concord and Tile Bar unify the spaces. Consistent hardware from Amrock, Elements, and Jeffrey Alexander accentuate the flow. Large-paneled black windows and doors by Kolbe/Allegheny Millwork invite the outdoors in.

Wallpaper often launched the concept for a room. “We’d pull the[modern] wallpaper, and then we’d bring in timeless pieces like crown molding or the coffered ceiling in the dining room,” Elysa says. She sourced wallpaper from 16 different purveyors, including Casamance, Drop It Modern, Eskayal, Flat Vernacular, Kravet, Milton & King, and Pierre Frey and Thibault.

A mix of high and low sources

All the furniture is high-end, but much of it came from relatively affordable brick and mortar and online stores: Anthropologie, IKEA, Esty, Home Goods, Safavieh, TJ Maxx, West Elm, and Serena & Lily. Some pieces have traditional lines but subtle modern fabric; other pieces are contemporary but sport traditional fabric, such as colorful velvet. Fabrics were sourced from Brentano, Fabricut, Pindler, Rebecca Atwood and Thibault, and others.

Moving from room to room, perhaps the happiest surprise is the array of bright playful chandeliers that anchor them. “Sometimes the most fun is when you throw something unexpected in a traditional space,” Elysa says of the lighting, sourced from Currey and Co., Cyan Design, Hudson River Lighting, Safavieh, Monte Carlo, Restoration Hardware, and others.

Draperies or shades (Hunter Douglas) used sparingly, and artwork, were the last things put in place, nicely finishing the rooms. “The art really charms it up,” says Elysa.

The exterior blends styles, too

The exterior of the house also blends old and new, West and Midwest. The clean lines of the house are contemporary, but the gables and white German schmear finish recall Old World Tudor roots. PSW Landscaping turned the “perfect Midwestern backyard,” as Elysa describes it, into a total SoCal experience. Instead of traditional curves, the landscape has straight lines, angular features, cool tones, modern lighting, and turf grass. The pool and sunken hot tub with nearby seating and sunning areas, an outdoor kitchen, and a bocci court make it perfect for parties.

In business since 2019, Elysa did not take a typical route to interior design. At Ohio’s Muskingham University, she majored in business economics and English. Later, she earned an MBA and a master’s in information science there and went on to work for a software consulting firm. All the while, however, she was designing for friends, and she and her husband were renovating homes. In 2019, she took the leap, and her Zanesviille-based design team has been in demand ever since on projects ranging from Columbus to Pittsburgh and beyond.

Plan A, B, C, D, E, F, and G

“I feel everything I have done has helped me run a successful business, both on the creative and business side,” she says, noting that people often don’t realize interior design involves a lot of behind-the-scenes moving parts with vendors, shipping, delivery, and installment posing complications. “I always say, any time you have humans involved, you have to have Plan A, B, C, D, E, F and G.”

With this project, when she finally was able to coordinate all the deliveries and schedule moving day, “It was like Christmas Day,” she says. These days Elysa is enjoying her friends’ dream house as an occasional guest. “It was fun to have so much freedom,” she says.

Story by Susan Morgans
Photography by Erin Kelly

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