Professional athletes grow accustomed to moving a lot. But no matter where they’re based, baseball players in the Cactus League spend a lot of time in Scottsdale, Arizona, for spring training. But with three young kids, Colorado Rockies pitcher Austin Gomber and his wife, Rachel, wanted more than just a soulless rental; they craved a true home base in the desert town.

So, they enlisted the help of Lauren Lerner, principal designer and founder of Living with Lolo, to design and decorate their five-bedroom, five-bathroom offseason house. We caught up with the Scottsdale-based designer about how she created a place that’s both beautiful and functional for a busy family.

Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

5280: How did you get connected with the Gombers and what type of design help did they want?
Lauren Lerner: Rachel initially found me on Instagram. She told us she felt really overwhelmed decorating their last home. She tried, but nothing quite came together. They had just purchased this house and wanted us to fully furnish it and make it feel like a sanctuary but not staged. They wanted layers of warmth and to be able to live comfortably in their home with pieces that were also functional for their growing family.

[We handled] every detail down to the last pillow, so Rachel and Austin could walk into their finished home and it would feel effortless, personal, and completed for them. Their home is a true reflection of where they are in life. They’re raising little ones. They’re living out big dreams. And now they really have a space that feels like them.

Dark office with baseball jerseys on the wall
The Gombers’ office featuring sports memorabilia. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo
Living room with a big sectional and stone fireplace
The Gombers’ living room. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo
Kitchen with a big island and gold light fixtures
The Gombers’ kitchen. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo
White bedroom with neutral bedspread and two white chairs at the foot of the bed
The primary bedroom inside the Gombers’ Scottsdale home. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo
Dark office with baseball jerseys on the wall
The Gombers’ office featuring sports memorabilia. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo
Living room with a big sectional and stone fireplace
The Gombers’ living room. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo
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How would you describe their vibe or the look they wanted?
The best way I would describe it is they wanted a house that could handle kids and sticky fingers. We made sure that rugs and sofas and everything was easily cleanable. But then they also wanted a house that could handle game-day gatherings and still feel beautifully intentional, relaxed, and refined. There are lots of warm layers, modern lines, and just enough softness to make it feel really comfortable.

Do you have any favorite areas in the house?
The dining room is one of my favorite spots because it’s very transitional and it has this inviting, cozy feeling. We added beautiful textured wallpaper to the ceiling [Thibaut’s Saturn wallcovering]. That was something that Rachel was really scared of; it was outside of her comfort zone. She trusted us to go with it, and it became her favorite part of the project.

Lerner incorporated patterned wallpaper on the ceiling of the Gombers’ dining room. Photo courtesy of Living with Lolo

Designing Austin’s office was one of my favorite moments. We styled his jerseys and strikeout balls like heirlooms; we made these sentimental pieces into something really special. That whole room just has a really dark, moody feel [Benjamin Moore Bear Creek paint]. Rachel is an influencer, and that’s also her office, so she wanted something where if she’s on a video call, the background looks beautiful. We were able to make that office function for both of them.

Neutrals can be a little intimidating because they can easily fall flat or feel bland. How do you avoid that?
By bringing in various colors of neutral. So it’s not all white—we have taupes, we have some browns—and bringing in textures that are layered so it doesn’t feel flat. The drapery on the wall has a pretty texture to it, the sofa has a unique texture, the chairs in the living room [Four Hands’ Aniston chair] have a different texture. Layering all those different elements makes it feel interesting. Rachel didn’t want to do a ton of color, but we were able to incorporate a little bit of soft color in the throw pillows on the couch and ceiling wallpaper in the dining room. We did that tastefully and in a way that felt comfortable for them.

Do you do anything differently when you’re designing a home that’s only going to be used part of the year?
I would say it doesn’t necessarily make a difference. I think that we approach all of our projects from a standpoint of really trying to understand our clients as far as what they want but also the investment level they’re comfortable with. It doesn’t always mean because it’s a part-time house that they want to invest less than they would in a full-time residence.

Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer is an award-winning writer and editor based in Denver. You can find more of her work at daliahsinger.com.