PLACE in the SUN

A Cape Cod-style home is recast for a couple of empty nesters with close ties to the land.

- Jennifer Fernandez

LIVING ROOM

A Tudor-style arch has what designer Lauren Nelson calls a "graceful, old-world feel." Paint: Dove Tale, Farrow & Ball. Chandelier: vintage Rupert Nikoll, 1stDibs. Armchair: vintage Jindrich Halabala. Table: Noir. Table lamp: Anyon Atelier. Swivel chair: Lawson-Fenning, in Pierre Frey fabric. Rug: Floor design.

KITCHEN

Handmade tile, marble countertops, and cabinetry in Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green subtly reference the outdoors. Pendants: Xavier Mañosa. Backsplash: Tiles of Ezra. Hood: Roman Clay, Portola Paints & Glazes.

READING NOOK

Nelson chose the plum Holland & Sherry fabric on the chairs and incorporated pops of purple elsewhere because the homeowner loves figs. Walls: Roman Clay, Portola Paints & Glazes. Trim: Cumulus Cloud, Benjamin Moore. Pendant: Florian Schulz. Chairs: Clad Home. Table: Noir. Rug: Afshar, Tony Kitz Gallery.

FAMILY ROOM

Built-in dressers flanking the fireplace keep the family's scrapbooks and photo albums at hand. Right sofa: Brian Paquette for Lawson-Fenning in Zak+Fox fabric. Chairs: Nickey Kehoe in Zak + Fox fabric. Side tables: Garde (black) and Blend Interiors (wire base). Lamps: Danny Kaplan Studio. Art: Petros Koublis. Rug: Armadillo. Shades: custom, in Rose Tarlow fabric.

THE COTTONWOODS CALLED TO HER.

Growing up in Orinda, California, "it was just native grasses and a cottonwood tree that we played in," Lauren Nelson's client recalls. "There was a dirt path that cut through the valley-it's how I walked to school." Quiet and slow, this was the life the woman wanted for her daughters. So she and her husband snapped up the last lot in Orinda and built a house, where they raised their girls for 25 years. Once the kids went off to college, however, it felt a little too quiet.