“Putty has been the Fisher Weisman choice to create a soothing feel since we started in interiors,” says Jeffry Weisman, of the San Francisco-based firm.

“It gives a sense of Earth in a room, even a fancy one like this Carmel living room. It is warm without being hot. It is soft without being pastel. It is gentle. Over the decades, putty has never let us down.”