How the Internet's Cool Mom Banished Clutter for Good
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Lizzy Mathis resisted the urge to move for a long time. She had a make-it-work sensibility when it came to her growing family's home. “As you grow, you try your hardest to make the space that you have work, which we really did,” she says. It was an ethos she had also embraced for Honest Renovations, the design show she co-hosts with Jessica Alba. “On our show, that's what we do too." But three kids later, Mathis's family needed more space. "We knew that it was time to make a change.”
Earlier this year, Mathis and her husband chose a California ranch-style house in Los Angles with four bedrooms and three bathrooms as the setting for their next chapter. Built in the 1940s, the home’s layout made a good base for renovations. “I loved how the kitchen was a major focal piece of the home and how there was still so much room for us to put our personal touch on it,” says Mathis, who founded the lifestyle blog The Cool Mom Co.
As an avid cook, on and off-camera, Mathis spends most of her time in the open-concept kitchen, where the existing skylights—her favorite feature of the room—let natural light pour in. She added more storage to encompass a mix of fluted cabinetry, drawers, and open shelving, satisfying every organizational need and allowing countertops to stay clutter free. “Don’t ever second guess adding storage,” she says. “You’ll never regret it.”
Her favorite kitchen feature is a toss up between the pot filler over the stove and the marble waterfall island. The kids do homework at the island, and the nearby dining table, and guests gather there while she cooks. (Many of her favorite recipes come together in a cast iron skillet, like double-crust chicken pot pie.) And while a home-cooked meal invokes comfort instantly, the kitchen’s neutral color palette creates a warm, inviting tone that carries through the rest of the house. “I want anyone who walks in the door to feel like they are welcome,” Mathis says. “I love that our home feels lived in but not cluttered and calm but not sterile.”
Perhaps the most serene part of the house is the primary bathroom, which required a serious rework to include a tub, walk-in shower with glass doors, double vanity, and—most importantly—a water closet. Mathis confirms the tucked-away toilet within the bathroom “really does change the game, especially in a marriage.” Plus, it maintains the area's sanctuary-like spirit.
When Mathis isn’t preparing meals in the kitchen or relaxing in the bathroom, she’s in the former garage, which now doubles as an office and bonus room for movie nights. Converting that space presented an opportunity to add skylights for maximum brightness during the day. A 10-foot by 10-foot shed just outside makes up for lost garage space.
Mathis clearly has a thing for smart storage, and apart from a small collection of Bon Appétit magazines that she might turn into a gallery wall, Mathis isn’t a big collector. “When you have a house full of kids, things accumulate very quickly,” Mathis says. “So I've learned very early on with children to make the things that are important, important. But the things that you do not need—declutter, declutter, declutter.”
She keeps art and decoration minimal too. The pieces she does have carry a great deal of meaning. In the honorary spot above her bed hangs a painting of a woman and a horse. “She's very mysterious, but it just feels like she has so much strength and power," says Mathis. "I put that one over our bed because I wanted to wake up and feel all that strength and power going into my day. It gives me hope and a sense of courage.”
Mathis's bedroom is clearly a place to recover and regroup. Her nightstand is home to rose quartz crystal and an inspirational book, in case she wants to read a few pages before bed. She always ends the night with meditation session through an app on her phone.
Being in California means it's paramount to take advantage of the warm weather. While Mathis has already installed a pergola above the outdoor dining area and has a cozy fire pit setup, she hopes to create extra hangout zones for the family to spend more time together. Currently, she's working on zhuzhing up the backyard landscaping.
The house truly feels elevated and lived in, a balance Mathis always strives for in her personal space and appreciates in any home she visits. At the moment, there's plenty of room to continue growing into it. “I don't think this is our forever home, but it's perfect for right now.”
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