Though Leah Pappas may challenge

her brother to an occasional game

of Wii,

left

, the family room TV is

used mainly for movies and father-

son sports viewing. (Mom Nancy

will join in if college football is on.)

Like the family, corgis Lizzi and

Phoebe,

opposite,

have no trouble

getting comfortable. The inviting

linen-covered sofa blends with the

cabinetry used in both the family

room and the kitchen. Some of the

cabinet doors lift like storage

hatches on a boat— a nod to

Nancy's memories of sailing.

It took 10 years to finalize the design of their house,

but Nancy and Larry Pappas always knew they’d end

up with aliome designed for gathering.

That was the theme of their list of priorities: Rooms that make it easy to get together as a

family and to enjoy time with friends. Connections that promote the family’s love of the

outdoors, especially nearby San Diego Bay. A home office with tech that meets the

demands of modern business by day—and attracts the kids, Leah, 17, and Luke, 13, for a

little family playtime at night. Plus, of course, it had to look good while getting it all done.

And it does. Larry, an architect, and Nancy, an interior designer, created a floor plan that

plays to both cozy family time and invite-the-friends-over sociability. The family room,

with its flat-panel TV, draws the kids and their friends after school. With plenty of comfort-

able seating, it’s also the starting point when guests visit. The party often flows to the deck

where music from a hidden sound system in the family room feeds outdoor speakers. An

open-plan kitchen serves gatherings of any size, with a cooktop that faces the family room

to invite conversation and seating at both the island and peninsula to encourage hanging-

out. As a bonus, technology makes it easy to be together yet separate. Because the house has

Wi-Fi, “Leah can be on her laptop while I’m reading the paper,” Larry says.

All the spaces connect as effortlessly as the people who use them, thanks to the

soothing, beachy color scheme put together by Nancy, who works out of a home office

upstairs. That space, with its two computers, may be set up for business, but it has turned

into the Pappases’ second family room. “I just can’t keep them out,” Nancy says jokingly.

5 2

SEPTEMBER 2010

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS