Go Inside Fabric and Wallpaper Designer Samantha Santana's California Home
This former florist turned designer brings a love of nature and vibrant color inside through her custom fabrics, wallpapers and window films.
![Samantha Santana's Living Room With Floral Prints Woman standing next to a half wall in a neutral living room.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1682.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1714075842448.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Samantha Santana studied for a career in film before taking a turn toward interior design. Her wallpaper and fabric designs balance bold color and pattern with natural neutrals.
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/editorial/profiles/editors/Beth-Braden/CI_Beth-Braden_Headshot.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.91.91.85.suffix/1586970379084.jpeg)
Samantha Santana's sustainably made wallpapers and fabrics evoke a version of nature filled with bright colors and modern shapes. Her cheerful take caught the eye of many home editors, leading to features in various lifestyle magazines and on our own HGTV Handmade YouTube channel.
![Large Floral Portrait in a Midcentury-Inspired Living Room Neutral living room with dark wood accents and checkered floor pillow](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1692.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842529.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
The earthy ochre color of this checkered floor pillow mimics the metallic tone of the brass table lamp and the natural wood elements in the furniture and wall frame.
But her career hasn't been straightforward. Santana originally wanted to work in film and television, obtaining a degree in cinematic arts and fine arts, but design and home decor kept calling to her. She worked as a florist for a while before creating a few rugs and wallpaper prints, and in 2019, she began printing her wallpaper designs from her Valencia, California, home.
Santana's home is now, naturally, filled with wallpaper and fabric she designed. It also reflects her and her husband's love of nature. “I am also a homebody, so [I'm] always figuring out how to bring nature back into the home,” she said.
Open and Neutral Entryway
When she moved in, the home was a “big white box” with an open-concept floor plan, which required some work to create separate yet cohesive spaces.
![Neutral Entryway With Open Shelving and Warm Wood Floor An open shelving unit on a wallpapered accent wall by a front door.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1693.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842511.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Santana's husband custom-built the shelving in their foyer using affordable poplar wood. The shelves stand out against the neutral tones of her custom animal-print wallpaper.
“The first thing I want people to notice when they come into my home is the wallpaper and this shelf,” she said. Her husband built the shelving using poplar wood, and she designed the wallpaper. The very personal wallpaper features illustrations of wild animals they encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic — a bobcat, a coyote that tried (unsuccessfully!) to eat their dog, a scrub jay they befriended and frogs she saw when visiting a pond with her daughter.
The wallpaper’s subdued color palette allows it to function as a neutral in the space while providing visual interest and texture through tone-on-tone color.
![Custom Wood Shelves on a Neutral Accent Wall Open brown shelving with books, vases and other knick-knacks.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1672.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842351.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Rather than filling the shelves with stuff, Santana opted for minimal styling, which allows each carefully placed piece to stand out.
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Pattern Play in the Living Areas
The main living area consists of a living room, dining room and kitchen, all of which needed Samantha’s design skills. In the living room, a floral ottoman she designed and a checkered floor pillow provide pops of color against the neutral wood furnishings and plants.
![Sunny Living Room with Floral Ottoman, Checkered Floor Pillow and Live-Edge Tables Interior Designer Samantha Santana keeps a neutral home with pops of color in the form of florals and patterns throughout the space while textured items provide visual interest. The ottoman is covered in custom fabric with blush, gold and green colors, and the gold repeats itself in the floor pillow and a throw cushion on a wicker chair.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1666.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842554.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
The ottoman's custom fabric includes a trippy mix of blush, gold and green color with a flower and mushroom motif. The flowers' yellow-orange tones match the (obviously comfy) checkered floor pillow. Santana advocates for pattern mixing with restraint.
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“I want patterns everywhere, but patterns can’t compete with each other so it's figuring out the balance between neutrals and natural tones with the pops of color. It’s wild, but we are a loud family,” she said.
There is also color in the living room via the removable stained glass film that Santana designed and printed.
![Living Room with Stained Glass Window Film, Brass Lamp and Neutral Colors A window with a funky yellow, orange and green stained glass film](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1691.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842468.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Designed by Santana, stained glass film on the upper window adds an artistic effect without blocking incoming light. The brass floor lamp continues the color theme throughout the space.
Subtle Color in the Kitchen
When they moved in, the kitchen was white and sterile, so they added color and warmth. Green backsplash tile reads as neutral and contrasts with cabinets. To give some color to the kitchen island, Santana added plaid wallpaper inspired by Moroccan tiles.
![White Kitchen With Green Backsplash and Gold Cabinet Pulls Kitchen with shaker cabinets, gold hardware, and green backsplash](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1658.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1714075842313.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
A moss green tile backsplash adds subtle color to the kitchen. Copper-colored handles elevate the refrigerator's style and complement the kitchen cabinet hardware.
The stained glass film pattern makes another appearance on Santana’s pantry door. “It went from white box to boom — color overload! Which is very me, and very fun and my family loves it, too,” she said.
![White Kitchen with Pink and Yellow Accents, White Cabinets and a Green Backsplash White kitchen with orange, yellow, pink and green accents.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1670.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842298.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Window film upgrades the pantry door and pink wallpaper adds a touch of color and texture on the side of the kitchen island. A copper-finish faucet coordinates with the cabinet and refrigerator hardware, while a stainless sink and dishwasher make sure the look isn't too matchy matchy.
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Nature-Inspired Bedrooms
Upstairs, the color overload continues in Santana's daughter’s room. Her daughter, Juniper, loves the color red and owls, so Santana chose a rusty pink clay shade for the walls and linens, and painted an owl on the wall. “It feels like a little bit more sophisticated kid room,” she said.
![Clay-Colored Children's Bedroom With Floor Bed and Bright Floral Rug Child's bedroom with a floor bed and deep red walls.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1675.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1714075842417.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Santana opted for clay red in her daughter Juniper's room for a fresh take on the classic pink kid's bedroom. An owl theme gives a nod to Juniper's favorite animal.
The rug in Juniper’s room is also one of Santana’s designs inspired by Moroccan tiles with purple, yellow and orange contrasting against the rusty clay walls.
The home’s primary bedroom is still colorful, but it’s significantly toned-down with green wood paneling and wallpaper inspired by Vazquez Rocks Natural Area Park in northern Los Angeles County.
“There’s a lot of desert, [and] there’s a lot of juniper there,” she said.
![Main Bedroom with Desert Wallpaper and Green Accent Wall Bedroom with a light green wall and desert-inspired wallpaper](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1665.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1714075842332.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Through color palette and choice of wallpaper, the primary bedroom reflects a love of the sparse-but-beautiful desert landscape.
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Garage Turned Studio Space
Santana’s design and printing studio is in her garage. She can print wallpaper, window film, contact paper and labels for the orders on her large-format printer. “It does everything for me. It’s a beast. It has printed every job I’ve produced," she said.
![A Garage Printing Studio With Rolls of Printed Wallpaper and a Large Printer Rolls of wallpaper standing next to a large printer in a garage.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/4/25/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTV-Handmade-Home-Tour_LA_Samantha-Santana_1694.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1714075842534.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Santana designs and prints her custom wallpapers, fabrics and window films from her garage studio. By printing on demand, her sustainable process eliminates waste.
Her designs are also available on Spoonflower in both permanent and removable wallpaper as well as fabric.
Santana hopes that her designs inspire creativity and positivity. “You can make your home you and it doesn’t have to look like anyone else's. And I think it’s really good for my daughter to see that there's different possibilities for work,” she said. “Being an artist can be a job. As long as you find something you enjoy, and you can support yourself, you can do whatever you want. If you follow your intuition, it kinda works out."