How Kate Parfet Defines California Ease

Rip & Tan: What drew you to your Mount Washington home originally? How have you made it your own while preserving its original character?

Kate Parfet: We were drawn to the light first. The way it moves through the trees and flickers across the walls. That komorebi feeling of sunlight filtering through branches. It’s subtle, but it changes everything.

We’ve always thought of ourselves as custodians more than renovators. Danny painstakingly restored the woodwork so repairs disappear into the grain. Our treehouse echoes the original joinery but has its own voice, almost like a contemporary footnote to the house’s history.

Mostly, we’ve layered in community. Ceramics from friends, paintings we’ve commissioned, furniture with a story behind it.

Rip & Tan: How would you describe your home in three words?

Kate Parfet: Sunlit. Handcrafted. Alive.

Rip & Tan: In what ways is nature centered in your home and life, whether physically or through daily rituals?

Kate Parfet: Nature isn’t decorative here–it’s structural. The house is embedded in a hillside, and we’ve tried to work with what was already growing here rather than reshape it too much. We keep the windows open as often as possible. There’s a rain chain outside that sings when it storms.

For me, nature is a nervous system reset. I used to think I needed a flight somewhere to feel restored. Now stepping outside usually does the trick.

Rip & Tan: What does California ease mean to you?

Kate Parfet: It’s confidence without spectacle. Being rooted in craft and quality but never stiff about it. Bare feet on a deck. Space to breathe.

Rip & Tan: How does this ethos inform the way you dress?

Kate Parfet: I’m drawn to pieces that feel lived in from the start. Things that will age well, not just photograph well.

Motherhood refined things. I need mobility and durability. But I still want to feel like myself.

Rip & Tan: What’s your go-to spring uniform?

Kate Parfet: An easy white tee and midrise trousers. Butter-soft glove flats. A big bag. Usually, one sculptural piece, too. Maybe a structured jacket.

Rip & Tan: What wellness practices do you find yourself continually returning to personally or as a family?

Kate Parfet: Acupuncture has been essential for me, especially navigating endometriosis and fertility. I also recently started weight training with a trainer, which is entirely new for me. I want to be able to pick up my son, run around, and play soccer. I’m not exactly a young mum. As a family, it’s simpler. Long walks. A great park near our house. Early dinners. Being outside.

Rip & Tan: What kind of seasonal resets do you do in your home and routine each spring?

Kate Parfet: We open everything. Wash linens. Rearrange shelves. Host more.