My Houzz: Cool, Curated California Getaway

Mark has been collecting art for 10 years, and Patti, even longer. The floor is red brick coated in epoxy.

Stan Bitters medallions (outside): 10 Ten; turquoise dining table chairs: early 1970s Pierre Cardin, eBay; Scandinavian rya rug: eBay

The couple browses art galleries, vintage stores and flea markets in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego and Orange County for furnishings. "Everything besides the white couches is used furniture," says Patti. Although it's the most formal room in the home, the living room feels inviting and relaxed. Floor-to-ceiling windows are the best original feature of the house, letting light in on two sides of the room. Jonathan Adler vases and a purple ceramic vase by Adam Silverman (Heath Ceramics) sit under art by Mario Wagner. Outside, a totem by Stan Bitters may one day be turned into a fountain.

Purple Knoll chairs, with their original upholstery, came from an auction in Los Angeles. Mark says, "It was one of the best buys of all time."

Scandinavian rya rug: eBay; sofas: Roche Bobois; Lucite console table: Fat Chance

Art-filled hallways enliven the entire house. Windows, skylights and mirrors expand the visual space. This hallway is the perfect example. On the left, original mirrored doors conceal the main closet. On the right, tripanel sliding doors, which provide a maneuverable opening to the sitting room/third bedroom, are suspended without floor tracks. Underfoot, white epoxy flooring transitions to concrete in the master bedroom.

Art: Camilla D'Errico (left), Chad Hasegawa (right); doors: The Sliding Door Company

Dana: What are your favorite art pieces?

Mark: One of my favorites is the Mario Wagner piece in the dining room. That one has a pretty cool story. It was a surprise birthday gift from Patti three or four years ago. We saw it in a gallery in L.A., and that was the first time I had seen his work. The gallerist delivered it in person and took me by surprise, and we all ended up becoming really good friends. I like the collage and the 1960s feeling of it.

Although the master bedroom has concrete floors, warm features soften the space. A floor-to-ceiling window sits to the right of the bed. A pair of vintage black chairs flank a Milo Baughman burled wood vanity table from a San Diego consignment store. A closet in the adjacent hallway provides plenty of additional room for art.

Dana: Where are your favorite places to shop?

Mark: Consignment stores in Palm Springs, L.A. and San Diego; Fat Chance, Skank World, Xcape, 10 Ten Design.

Headboard: custom, Room Service; art: Sticky Shaw (left), The Date Farmers (right), Clayton Brothers (far right)

Dana: What's your personal style and decorating philosophy?

Mark: Our style is midcentury modern, but it has to fit the house. Whatever you put in there, you're gonna have to live with it. Also, odd numbers. Everything works better in odd numbers. I don't know why, but it does.

The master bathroom presented the biggest renovation challenge. To install a new tub, the toilet had to be shifted and the concrete floor torn up and repoured. A large tile wall provides the tub's backsplash.

Tiles: Porcelanosa; faucets: Kohler; sinks: custom-poured concrete

Black tile grout, instead of the more traditional white, intensifies the guest bathroom's visual mosaic. Because the windows are functional and part of the original modern personality of the house, the couple left them untouched.

Tiles: Porcelanosa

Whimsical pieces fill the sitting room: a vintage petal table by George Nelson and a sofa bed upholstered in shiny boat vinyl. "We couldn't find anything else we liked," says Mark.

Sofa bed: Sofa Factory

The kitchen, which features original cabinetry, new appliances and Caesarstone countertops, is a striking blend of new and old. The aubergine tiles on the backsplash, in bowtie and diamond shapes, are from the Heath Ceramics seconds outlet in Sausalito, California.

A vintage end table in the living room nestles against the atrium window. Mark says, "The fact that we didn't have to change the windows, with all the sliding doors and openness, is what attracted us to the house in the first place."

The tranquil outdoor space provides ample privacy and beautifully showcases the couple's ceramic pots and vintage patio furniture.

Dana: What's your next home project?

Patti: There are still some things I want to do with the backyard. And I want to wallpaper the guest bedroom.

More:
10 Design Strategies for Art Lovers
The Power of Art in Design
Houzz Tour: Modern Beach House with a Custom Twist
Houzz Tour: A Warm Take on Mid-Century Modern