Global Inspiration Meets West Coast Style In This California Retreat
Hilton Head-based J. Banks Design brings worldly influences and Southern antiques to a beautifully layered California home.
Story by Alea Wilkins
Photography by Molly Rose
Key Points
● J. Banks Design created a second home in California for a current Lowcountry resident.
● Inspired by the client’s trips around the globe, a Mediterranean farmhouse aesthetic leads the overall design.
● Antiques sourced from across the American South add unique history and charm.
Tucked into the rolling hills of Carmel Valley, California, this second home of a Lowcountry resident reflects a life shaped by travel. Designed by Hilton Head Island firm J. Banks Design, the retreat gave executive interior designer Sharon Cleland the opportunity to transform the homeowner’s favorite destinations into one cohesive sanctuary.
Cleland and the J. Banks team made frequent trips west over six years to bring the vision to life. Along the way, the designer gathered the homeowner’s travel inspirations into one unified space.
“I’m a firm believer in injecting soul into homes,” she says.
The project, set on a private three- and-a-half-acre property, began with an extensive renovation of a dilapidated house already on site. The structure was taken down to the studs and rebuilt with several additions. New rooms expanded the main residence, a cabana rose across the yard, and a swimming pool filled the space between. Over years of collaboration and cross-country travel, Cleland and the homeowner created a retreat shaped by influences from around the world.
“We should not be dictated to by the materials we choose just because we live in a certain area,” Cleland says.
The result is a home guided by personal taste rather than geography.
Euro summer
Born and raised in England, the homeowner wanted to capture the European vacations of her childhood in the design of her second home. Recalling trips to the Spanish island of Majorca, she envisioned a Mediterranean farmhouse aesthetic.
“That was our vision, and we chose both hard materials and soft furnishings to create that warm, textured, lived-in patina,” Cleland says.
Though additional global influences eventually found their way into the design, the sun-soaked spirit of the Mediterranean set the tone for the home’s overall character.
Collected treasures
Beyond architecture and materials, Cleland wanted the interiors to reflect the homeowner’s personality. Art played a central role in that effort. Having worked with the client before, Cleland understood what pieces would resonate.
“There’s a piece of the client in everything we selected,” she says. “Since I know her so well, I can be selective in the things I gather for her approval.”
The pair occasionally went antiquing together across the South, visiting markets in North Carolina, Charleston, Atlanta and Texas. The result is a layered collection spanning centuries and regions. Traditional paintings hang beside contemporary prints. A framed United States flag occupies the stairwell, while mural-style wallpapers transform entire rooms.
Cleland also collaborated with artisans to create custom pieces, including a bedframe inspired by antique French design. The draperies, trimmed with custom detailing, remain one of her favorite elements.
“The combination of all those extra details, mixed with the view, becomes part of the story,” she says.
Family vacation
From international architecture to resort-style amenities, the home embodies the spirit of a private getaway. Cleland says the homeowner’s favorite ways to unwind shaped the design.
“She is very focused on wellness: fitness, Pilates, relaxation and massage,” Cleland says.
To support that lifestyle, the property includes a pool and hot tub in the backyard. Above the garage sits a fully equipped gym, and a secluded outdoor bath is tucked into the cabana bedroom.
Other parts of the homeowner’s life also found space in the design. Across from the pool, a conference room with a television and minibar accommodates work events. Inside the main residence, hidden sleeping areas allow the home to host large family gatherings. A row of green cabinetry opens to reveal a Murphy bed.
“Everything was very intentionally designed,” Cleland says. “The client had criteria, and we met it all so the home could function for family life as well as corporate gatherings.”
With extended family often visiting the owner from Europe, the design team maximized every square inch to make hosting easy and comfortable.
Home is where the heart is
A blend of favorite places and personal memories, this retreat gathers the homeowner’s travels into one remarkable setting. European charm, American antiques, wellness spaces and welcoming gathering areas all share the same address in Carmel Valley.
After years of planning and cross-country collaboration, Cleland says the finished project reflects exactly what the homeowner hoped to create.
“It’s about following your heart and choosing what brings your soul into a home,” she says. “Location should never limit that.”
