A Mother-Daughter Duo on Timeless Design Through the Generations

Rip & Tan: From indoors to out, we’re completely blown away by this home—can you walk us through the design process? Where did you begin?

Susie Chambers: I always start with a mission statement. The intention for the Bonsall project was to grow our own food and to celebrate the rich farmland of the canyon and the space for animals and nature with an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. I believe that unity in design is created by going back to the project’s mission over and over and yet always keeping the five principles and elements of design at the center of each decision.

Then, as design decisions arise throughout the project, the thousands of details and design decisions form a harmony. I love to spend a lot of time at the site, allowing each space to unveil the best functional and spatial use, and also look and feel…getting to know the inside and out as you would a person, and bringing that to a visible conversation. For me, a good home should not only look beautiful and also feel amazing. That’s soulful design.  

Rip & Tan: Texture and layers seem to play such an important role in this design. What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate unexpected depth in an interior? 

Susie Chambers: I love interiors that wrap around me without distracting me from the visual beauty of the outdoors and nature. Texture and interest become dominant while color stays quiet. Everything is soft and quiet to both the eye and to the touch, good design is an emotional experience, it’s like a perfect relationship.

Rip & Tan: How often are you able to collaborate with each other as a mother-and-daughter duo?

Sarah Peddicord: We take on our new builds together as a duo. From the start, my mom is always nailing the feel of the house, the layout, and how the house comes together as a whole. We work well together because I envision the textures and materials that go with the soul of the house and she can really nail details that seem small but make a huge difference.

Rip & Tan: Design-minded or otherwise, what’s one thing you admire most about each other?

Sarah Peddicord: My mom is never afraid of mistakes or construction mishaps. She approaches them with such ease and with solutions. Her home has so many quirks that I have never seen anyone else do because she had to get creative with construction and with elements of her home that she could not change so instead she embraced them. 

Rip & Tan: What’s one of the greatest interior lessons you’ve learned from one another? Are there any design philosophies you disagree on?

Sarah Peddicord: My mom’s priority in construction is to not focus on the problem, but find a solution and create a design opportunity with it. It’s quite a scary concept but what I’ve learned most from her is to find the worst house on the best street, finding the special parts of the home, and how to incorporate them into a new and modern design.

Susie Chambers: Sarah brings the innate ability of design communication, finding the mood, feeling, and attention to detail and accessories, while I think I bring knowledge of construction and design experience. We answer each other’s questions and finish each other’s sentences and have a blast along the way. That’s important for us when collaborating and hopefully expresses itself in our work. If one of us is off base, we are happy to discuss the options for a solution and maybe bring a high/low.

Rip & Tan: Where do you turn for fresh interior inspiration?

Susie Chambers: I tend to walk through spaces over and over in my imagination until they come to life. When the picture is complete, it’s time to make the vision a realization. We then collaborate and Sarah brings her resource skills to bring the dream to life.

Sarah Peddicord: I am a very visual person. I love researching beautiful spaces, new and old. I am always searching for new design books and artists that portray textures, feelings, and flow.

Rip & Tan: Tell us more about your journey with Buca Studios—what makes for a truly soulful interior?

Sarah Peddicord: I started Buca Studios after graduating from LMU with a degree in graphic design. I had always been into interiors but never thought of it as a profession because I didn’t go to school for it. I knew that you couldn’t teach having an eye for design, which I absolutely got from my mom. I sat at home during Covid and needed to always be changing my apartment and then got the itch to do it for other people. So, I got an accountant, made an LLC, and got my first clients by posting on Instagram.

When I started working with clients to create spaces for them, it was a pivotal moment where I had to deep dive into my clients world and put my style aside. I had to open the doors to hear how they wanted to feel in their own home, what was important to them, and how they wanted to live in their home. A soulful interior to me is when timeless and functional design mesh perfectly with personality. When I see my work from my clients’ homes, I want to be able to look back in 10 years and remember whose house it was because it encapsulates their personality and character through the textures, fun quirks, colors, and feelings.