Recommended Free Tools
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Free scan · under a minute
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
Free scan · Windows 10 & 11
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
Free scan · exact hardware match
ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
Gina and Dan Coury’s Newport Beach house shows how a dated, compartmentalized plan can feel lighter and more current without erasing its French contemporary identity. In the redesign covered by Architectural Digest on August 15, 2025, Los Angeles designer Huma Sulaiman kept the home’s architectural language, then changed its atmosphere through layered materials, softer furnishings, clearer room functions, and carefully controlled light.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The result is not an open-plan makeover. It is a family house with distinct moods: a cloud-soft living room, a hardworking kitchen, a darker entertainment basement, bedrooms tailored to each occupant, and a backyard that shifts from children’s racetrack to cocktail lounge.
Why the Courys changed the house
The gated Newport Beach property already offered what the Courys wanted geographically: a convenient location, generous space, and the feeling of a retreat inside the city. Gina Coury described it as “a hidden escape in the heart of the city.” The problem was the interior. Its layout felt dated and closed when compared with newer homes organized around broad, open sightlines.
#1 Best Overall
- COMPLETE 5-PIECE BRUSH SET FOR EVERY PAINTING TASK — Includes 1 Inch Flat, 1.5 Inch Angle, 2 Inch Flat, 2 Inch Angle Stubby, and 2.5 Inch Angle brush giving you every size professional painters use daily. Get all 5 for less than the price of a single brush from hardware store brands — professional grade performance at a fraction of the cost. Perfect for walls, trim, cabinets, doors, furniture, and detailed cutting-in work on any project.
- ZERO BRISTLE LOSS — GUARANTEED BY PRECISION ADHESIVE BONDING — Every bristle is locked in place with precision-set adhesive that keeps them in the brush — not in your paint job. The coated steel ferrule provides structural support while the adhesive bond ensures clean performance on every stroke. Premium SRT synthetic filaments load more paint and release it evenly for a smooth streak-free finish on walls, ceilings, and trim. Works with latex, oil-based paint, primer, sealer, and wood stain.
- INCLUDES THE ANGLE STUBBY MOST SETS LEAVE OUT — Professional painters know the 2 Inch Angle Stubby is the go-to brush for tight cabinet interiors, window sashes, inside corners, and detailed trim where standard angle brushes are too long. Combined with the 1.5 and 2.5 inch angle sash brushes you have precision cutting-in covered at every scale — baseboards, crown molding, door casings, and ceiling lines.
- FLAT BRUSHES FOR BROAD SMOOTH COVERAGE ON ANY SURFACE — The 1 and 2 inch flat brushes deliver even coverage on walls, furniture, shelving, doors, fences, decks, and wood surfaces. Ideal for applying primers, stains, varnishes, polyurethane, and specialty coatings. Solid wood handles provide all-day comfort and control for both professional contractors and weekend DIY homeowners tackling interior or exterior painting projects.
- TRUSTED BY PROFESSIONAL PAINTERS AND CONTRACTORS NATIONWIDE — Pro Grade delivers professional-grade results at a price that makes sense for crews who go through brushes on every job. Ideal for property managers, remodeling contractors, apartment turnover crews, maintenance teams, and commercial painting operations. Backed by thousands of verified reviews from working painters. Washable and reusable for multiple projects.
The owners did not want to discard the French references that gave the house its identity. They wanted those references to feel less formal and more relevant to daily life with toddler twin boys. That distinction shaped every decision: preserve the bones, then adjust light, texture, color, and circulation so the rooms could support both family routines and entertaining.
“While Gina and Dan loved the French influences, they really wanted us to emphasize the contemporary aspect—to truly bring the home into the present.” — Huma Sulaiman, designer
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Sulaiman approached the work in layers rather than with one dramatic, all-at-once gesture. Each room received its own material and color treatment, while the house remained connected through a consistent preference for natural surfaces, tactile fabrics, and sculptural forms.
The design strategy: retain the French base, soften the experience
French contemporary interiors often balance strong architectural detail with edited furnishings. Sulaiman used that balance as a starting point instead of imposing a different style. Layered molding and existing character remain legible, but they are set against wide oak planks, quieter upholstery, and a restrained palette that lets daylight do more of the visual work.
The approach also separates “contemporary” from “minimal.” The rooms are not empty or stark. They use more texture, not less: bouclé, linen, velvet, sheer curtains, oak, marble, and rugs with visible weave. The contemporary effect comes from proportion and editing—fewer competing colors, larger material gestures, and furniture that reads as sculptural without becoming precious.
A material language that links old and new
Several materials recur across the project, each performing a practical and visual role.
Recommended Free Tools
- Wide oak planks: They bring warmth underfoot and provide a calmer background than a highly patterned floor.
- Checkered marble: The graphic pattern acknowledges the house’s European influences while giving selected areas a sharper contemporary note.
- Layered molding: Existing architectural detail remains part of the identity rather than being stripped away.
- Timber kitchen millwork: Wood cabinetry makes the working kitchen feel connected to the rest of the house instead of reading as a purely utilitarian zone.
- Monolithic marble: A large backsplash creates one quiet plane behind the kitchen work area; the primary bath uses a single slab for a similarly uninterrupted effect.
These choices keep the renovation from becoming a collection of unrelated room sets. Oak and marble supply structure, while textiles and upholstery control the perceived softness.
Rank #2
- Great Value Pack Artist Paint Brushes: Soucolor 20 brushes in 10 sizes professional paintbrushes set — no shedding, holds paint well, cleans easily, Acrylic, watercolor, oil, gouache, Halloween pumpkin decoration & face painting, rock painting, ceramics. Fantastic high quality gifts for creative, artistic siblings to share!
- Awesome Set of Paint brushes: Professional paint brushes can cover all of your needs. The multi-purposed brushes are ideal for Watercolor, Oil, Gouache, enamel, Acrylic Painting, Body, Nail, Face Painting, Miniature, Model, Wood, Glass, Cup, Ceramic, Fine work, Art class, Craft Art Painting, DIY Art Crafts etc.
- Soft and long-lasting: The bristles are soft and strong, with nickel metal ferrules and blue wooden handles. After cleaning, the bristles will become soft and fluffy again and will not fall off.
- Easy to clean: it’s very convenient to Wash well in soap and water. Retain shape after drying. the brushes hold up very well. Nice selection to beginners and professionals. Keep them clean and they last a long time.
- Halloween Pumpkin Ceramic Crafts Supplies: A Great painting gift for family, friends, kids, girls, women, student, classmate, teacher. For using in school, travel or used in the home and office.
How each room serves the family
| Space | Atmosphere | Primary use |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Light, soft, and sculptural | Quiet lounging and morning coffee |
| Kitchen and dining room | Calm material backdrop with durable gathering surfaces | Cooking, meals, and entertaining |
| Primary suite | Dusk-like and enveloping | Rest and retreat |
| Basement | Darker, divided, and social | Play, drinks, pool, television, and games |
| Backyard | Flexible and open-ended | Yoga, cocktails, children’s play, and gathering |
The plan does not force every activity into one central room. Instead, the redesign gives each area a job and a recognizable emotional temperature.
The living room’s “cloudlike” formula
The living room is the clearest expression of the project’s lighter, softer direction. Sage walls establish a muted color field. Sheer curtains filter daylight without making the windows feel heavy. A restrained palette allows texture to carry the interest: bouclé, linens, velvet, and a rug with a substantial, tactile surface.
The B&B Italia Camaleonda sofa supplies generous, modular seating. A Lulu & Georgia Banks accent chair adds a smaller sculptural profile, while the DWR Plinth side table keeps the occasional furniture visually solid but simple. An Armadillo Eden rug grounds the arrangement, and an Artemide Yanzi floor lamp introduces a delicate, branched silhouette.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsA Ben Storms metal installation provides a counterpoint to all that softness. Its crumpled, pillow-like character makes a hard material feel almost textile. The contrast is important: the room is not soft because every object is rounded or plush; it is soft because hard and smooth elements are balanced against absorbent fabrics and filtered light.
“It’s got such a beautiful, earthy feel. I find myself drinking my morning coffee in there at times just because I like how it makes me feel.” — Gina Coury, homeowner
For a similar effect in another home, start with the room’s sensory hierarchy rather than a shopping list. Choose one quiet wall color, one substantial seating piece, and two or three fabrics with clearly different surfaces. Add a sculptural light or artwork only after the seating and window treatments feel settled.
The dining room and kitchen: practical rooms with visual calm
The dining room combines the Courys’ pre-owned table and chairs with an Atelier001 Rust chandelier and an Armadillo Eden rug. Keeping existing furniture is part of the home’s layered quality: the room does not pretend that everything was purchased at once. Samuel Dejong’s Sea of Love artwork supplies a focal point without overwhelming the table.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Rank #3
- 【All sizes of art brushes】: The 10 sizes of multi-functional brushes have various shapes, making the mixing color easier, which is very suitable for artists, students, teenagers, children and painters at all levels. Wonderful Present ideas for friends and family who like painting!
- 【general brush set】: Professional paint brush can meet all your needs. Multifunctional brush is very suitable for watercolor, oil, gouache, acrylic painting, body, nail, face painting, miniature, model, ceramics, arts and crafts painting, etc.
- 【high quality process】: It is designed with anti falling bristles, anti-rust nickel ferrule and solid wood handle. You can use the brush to focus on the painting and always be creative.
- 【easy to maintain】: After using the brush, it is very convenient to clean the brush with warm soapy water and reshape the tip of the brush. Air dry the brush and place it on top of the top for long use.
- 【100% satisfaction guarantee - buy now】1 packs of set brushes, you can also get friendly customer service, any questions feel free to contact us, within 24 hours to help you! There is no risk in buying our paint brush kit.
In the kitchen, timber millwork and a large marble backsplash create a calm backdrop for constant activity. The material scale matters. Rather than breaking the backsplash into many small visual units, the monolithic slab reads as one architectural surface.
Sulaiman designed the custom oak breakfast table and paired it with Di Tao Mono chairs. The table adds a dedicated place for quick meals, homework, or conversation, keeping those activities from competing with the main preparation areas.
“It turned out so great, the clients love it!” — Huma Sulaiman, designer, on the custom kitchen table
The lesson is to give a busy kitchen a deliberate center. A purpose-built table can organize family life while the larger cabinetry and backsplash stay visually quiet.
The primary bedroom and bath: a dusk-like retreat
The primary bedroom shifts away from the living room’s pale, airy feeling. Its colors are described as dusk-like, and soft drapery increases the sense of enclosure. An Arhaus Adalynn king bed anchors the room, with Artemest Winter linens, a Tacchini Gran Sesann armchair, Arhaus Polanco nightstands, and an Armadillo Etoile rug completing the layered arrangement.
The mix is intentionally tactile but not busy. Upholstery, bedding, and the rug carry most of the visual variation, allowing the darker palette to feel restful rather than severe.
In the primary bath, oak planks meet a single-slab marble backsplash. The clients’ existing pendant was reused, another example of the project’s preference for editing and integration over automatic replacement. Reusing a valued fixture can make a new finish scheme feel connected to the home’s previous life.
Rank #4
- Bates paint brushes come in a convenient 6 pieces with 3 flat and 3 angled bristle styles, including (1”, 1.5”, 2”) flat and (1.5”, 2”, 2.5”) angled bristles, perfect for tackling any surface painting or staining job.
- The sturdy natural bristles of each brush are designed to hold more paint, creating a smoother finish with fewer streaks and saving you time on the job.
- The lightweight wooden handles provide extra comfort and ease during long painting processes like walls, trims, cabinets, and doors.
- These versatile brushes are ready-to-use, easy to clean, and can be reused multiple times, making them economical as well as reliable tools for any painting project.
- Bates paint brushes can be used for both oil-based paints as well as latex stains and are ideal for home or commercial projects such as decks, fences or DIY painting jobs.
The basement: a darker suite of zones
The basement embraces a different purpose. It is intentionally darker and divided into a bar, a children’s play area, a pool-table room, and a television lounge. Instead of trying to brighten the entire level into a second living room, Sulaiman made its lower-light character useful for evening activities and media.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
A structural pillar complicated furniture placement. The solution was organizational rather than cosmetic: use the available space to define separate zones. This lets several activities happen at once without turning the basement into one crowded multipurpose room.
Named pieces include Sapo stools by Thomas Hayes Studio and a Big Kick pendant by Volker Haug Studio, along with additional seating and tables. Their role is less about creating a showroom display than about giving each zone a clear center—seats at the bar, a surface for games, a comfortable place to watch television, and circulation around the pool table.
For families adapting an awkward lower level, the Coury basement suggests a practical sequence: locate immovable obstacles first, map the largest activity around them, then assign smaller zones to the remaining edges. A pillar does not have to disappear to become useful; it can help mark the boundary between functions.
Bedrooms that acknowledge different ages and personalities
The twin boys’ bedrooms use distinct superhero themes rather than identical rooms. The shared family context is there, but each child receives an individual visual identity.
The guest room takes a quieter route. A bouclé bed, pre-owned midcentury sconces, linen bedding, and a patterned rug combine softness with a sense of history. The reused sconces are especially effective in this context: they add character that a completely coordinated new set might not provide.
Together, the bedrooms show how the project avoids a single decorative formula. The public rooms share a material discipline, while private rooms can be more specific to the people who use them.
Best Value
- 2 Inch Angled Paint Brush for Precision Cutting-In – Designed for clean, sharp lines around trim, baseboards, ceilings, corners, and detailed edge work. The perfect size for control and coverage.
- Value 3-Pack for Pros & DIY Projects – Includes three professional 2-inch angled sash brushes — ideal for contractors, remodelers, and homeowners tackling multiple rooms or repeat paint jobs.
- Smooth Results on Walls, Trim & Cabinets – Great for interior wall painting, cabinet edges, furniture projects, and trim work where a smooth finish and crisp control matter most.
- Works with Latex Paint, Oil-Based Paint & Stains – Premium synthetic filaments hold more paint, reduce streaks, and provide a clean finish with latex paints, oil coatings, and wood stains.
- Works with Latex Paint, Oil-Based Paint & Stains – Premium synthetic filaments hold more paint, reduce streaks, and provide a clean finish with latex paints, oil coatings, and wood stains.
The backyard as an outdoor living room
The backyard functions as a gathering place but is not limited to entertaining. It accommodates yoga, a cocktail lounge, a kids’ racetrack, and occasional wildlife refuge. That range explains why the interior renovation does not rely solely on an open-concept great room: different activities already have places to happen outside and below grade.
Designing an adaptable yard starts with leaving enough clear area for movement. Furnishings can define a lounge or dining edge, while an unobstructed route supports play. The Courys’ yard demonstrates that family-friendly design is not only about childproof materials; it is also about allowing adults and children to occupy the same landscape in different ways.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallHow to apply the Coury house lessons
1. Identify what must remain
List the architectural features that give the house its identity—molding, proportions, stonework, or a distinctive stair—and treat them as assets. The Courys’ French influence was retained because it was valued, not because every original decision was left untouched.
2. Choose one light strategy per room
Use sheers and pale, muted walls where you want an airy feeling. In rooms intended for evening use, a deeper palette and layered lamps can create intimacy instead of fighting the available light.
3. Build texture in layers
Combine at least three different surfaces, such as oak, bouclé, linen, velvet, or marble. Texture makes a restrained color scheme feel rich without adding visual clutter.
4. Give furniture a job
A breakfast table, bar stools, pool-table seating, or a dedicated television lounge should correspond to a real routine. The more precisely a piece supports an activity, the less the room depends on decoration alone.
5. Design around constraints
Columns, existing fixtures, and inherited furniture can become organizing tools. The basement pillar and reused pendant show how acknowledging constraints can produce a more coherent result than concealing them.
6. Allow private rooms to diverge
Public areas can share oak, marble, and edited color, while children’s rooms and guest spaces express different personalities. Consistency comes from the underlying material discipline, not from making every room look identical.
What makes this renovation feel current
The contemporary update comes from the relationship between elements rather than from a single trend. French architectural cues remain visible. Wide oak and large marble planes simplify the background. Soft furnishings absorb sound and light. Sculptural lamps and artwork prevent the rooms from becoming bland. Most importantly, each area is calibrated to how the Coury family actually lives: coffee in the living room, meals around a custom table, play and games downstairs, and multiple forms of use outdoors.
That is why the house can feel lighter without becoming generic. It keeps its roots, but the roots no longer dictate a formal or closed experience.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
