| Design on a Dime — at the Alameda Pointe Antique and Collectibles Faire | June 4th, 2009 |
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If you’re a smart designer on a beer budget, you’ll have an a-m-a-z-i-n-g shopping opportunity this Sunday at the monthly Alameda Antique and Collectibles Faire at Alameda Point. The event takes place on a giant air strip the first Sunday each of each month and is mind-blowing for its size and scope. If you go, wear comfortable shoes, bring a big car or truck you can load stuff into and lots of cash. An old Chronicle article offers more tips on how to navigate the faire . |
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| Shrink and Simplify - The Small House Movement | May 14th, 2009 |
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My sushi-mate probably doesn’t know it, but he belongs to the Small House Movement– an idea that’s been growing steam with the convergence of our lousy economy, concerns about the environment and natural inclination to simplify right now. Some people belong to the Small House Movement out of necessity. In San Francisco, itty-bitty homes are often all one can afford. If you’re willing to go small, there are a lot of options, especially in the condo/tic market. The smallest home on the MLS right now is also the cheapest– a 330 square foot TIC charmer on Russian hill listed for $279,000. The best known builder of tiny houses is Jay Shafer, owner of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in Sebastopol. His own house is a grand 65 square feet, complete with an itty-bitty front porch and peaked roof. The cost to build this “XS” model is $37,000. This summer Shafer will be driving an “Epu” model (89 square feet; $43,000) from coast-to-coast on the back of his truck so people can see what one of his tiny houses looks like. Alas, no stops are planned for the Bay Area, but people can see Jay’s own house by appointment on the first Sunday of each month. More Tiny House Links |
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I met a guy at a sushi bar last night who divested himself of his four-bedroom house last year, along with all his worldly possessions and moved into a small apartment on the beach in Alameda. His next move is to buy a boat and live in an even smaller space. He says this simplification off his life is the best decision he ever made.| 2009 Decorator Showcase | May 9th, 2009 |
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Launched in 1977, the annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase is the upscale University High School’s main fundraising event. This year the showcase is happening a 2830 Pacific between Divisadero and Broderick. Built in 1910, this home is a classic example of Georgian architecture and boasts more than 37 living spaces, each decorated by one of the West Coast’s premiere interior designers. This Year’s Decorator Showcase runs through May 25, and costs $30.00 to tour ($25.00 for seniors). Of course, if you’d rather have the home all to yourself and avoid the crowds, you can just buy it. It’s on the market for a cool $12,900,000. |
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I was just thinking about the annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase today and wondering when it was when lo and behold! I learned it’s already well under way:| The Smallest, Coolest Home in San Francisco | May 3rd, 2009 |
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Tight budgets make for tight quarters. Fortunately San Francisco’s creative talent knows no bounds when it comes to making small spaces livable. One of the best online resources for ideas on designing and managing small spaces is apartmenttherapy.com– a website dedicated to those of us who live in small spaces. It’s a nationwide site, but there is a local San Francisco Apartment Therapy with links to some great home tours (look on the left hand side)and more fun links to ideas for your kitchen, kids rooms and outdoor spaces (look at the bottom). The best thing about Apartment Therapy right now is their annual Smallest, Coolest Home Contest. I got turned onto this competition by an associate in my office whose client, Lucas Rockwell, has a stylish studio at the Hamilton entered in the “Tiny” division. “Tiny” is one step up from the “Teeny-Tiny” category. The remaining categories are “Little,” “Small” and “International.” Some of these places are as small as 175 square feet, and every category has at least a handful of San Francisco homes featured. |
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San Francisco is full of charming yet dysfunctional homes. Bathrooms are off kitchens, closet space is limited, and it’s not uncommon to find living and dining rooms at opposite ends of the home. But our biggest challenge is that the most affordable homes and condos are often the smallest. We remain one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country and our price per square foot for entry level housing in most neighborhoods easily tops $500.00.| Is Your Kid’s Crib da Bomb? | March 18th, 2009 |
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MTV is working on a new series called ‘Teen Cribs.’ This show is a spin-off of their current series called simply “Cribs”, which showcases extraordinary houses of the rich and famous. Teen Cribs has a different slant. the kid and the parents don’t have to be extraorinarily rich and famous, but the teenager does have to have a really cool room or special space designed just for them. They are going for eye-popping candy here– things really over the top, like personal basketball courts, movie theaters or secret rooms or places in the home or yard where teens hang out. Do you know of a sweet spot where kids wanna chill? Get back to me with questions or suggestions and I’ll hook you up. |
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| Got a Hundred Grandy - Then Here’s Some Eye Candy - High End Home Remodeling Projects Designed to Inspire | February 27th, 2009 |
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Here’s some more great eye candy– 10 high-end renovation and remodeling projects for $100,000 or less. If you like this kind of stuff, this 14-page pdf is worth a look: |
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Are you a sucker for those gorgeous California Home/Architectural Digest photos? Me, too. And San Francisco interior designer Dane Wilson has a yummy website that just matches my aesthetic: | Gettin’ Arty — Indoor and Outdoor Decorating | November 23rd, 2008 |
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Indoor and Outdoor Decorating
Those who prefer their art outdoors rather than indoors can check out | The “Remodel Or Buy A House That’s Better” Blues | November 20th, 2008 |
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There are advantages to just making what you’ve got better instead of moving. It can be less expensive. You can stay in the neighborhood where you’re established and familiar (provided you’re happy there). And you can customize your space to your specific needs. The two most popular rooms to remodel are the kitchen and baths. These are also normally the most used areas in a home. They are also the ones that will give you the best return on your investment. Another popular trend to accommodate those who are choosing to stay put are ‘flex spaces.’ These are areas that are re-purposed for another use (like turning a dining room into a family room) or taking a fresh look at an underused space for a playroom, office or craft room. The most common update I see in San Francisco is a conversion of space adjacent to the kitchen into a family area. In Edwardian or Victorian homes, this is usually accomplished by combining the dining room (or living room, depending on how you use the space) and kitchen to create a kichen/family room. Often there is a breakfast bar that divides the two spaces which also serves as an eating area. Another frequent ’repurposing’ in Victorian and Edwardian flats happens at the back where the old laundry porches are. Usually these porche are glassed-in rooms with sloping floors that allowed for water run off. They are almost always directly behind the kitchen. The most ambitious change homeowners make when repurposing these spaces is to level the floor and knock out the wall between the rooms. The extra space can then be incorporated into a kitchen remodel. Another, simpler alternative is to level out the floor and have the room serve as an office or craft room. I’ve also frequently seen owners ‘repurpose’ their basement rooms. It’s amazing to me how a little dark room below ground level can be turned into an attractive useable space with a resurfaced floor, good lighting, new sheetrock and a thoughtful color scheme. Remodeling baths are often a challenge in our older homes because they are so small. The most dramatic change I’ve seen with baths has happened when an owner is willing to grab space from an adjacent closet. But this choice often takes away valued storage space– which is a premium in older homes (where Victorians kept their clothes is still a mystery to me– I imagine they used lots of armoires and simplified their problem by not having much clothing to begin with.) One of my favorite ways to add storage is by installing a false wall at one of a bedroom to create a full-length closet. Owners often think that this can only work in a big bedroom but I’ve seen it work effectively in smaller rooms that don’t require much furniture (like a child’s bedroom or home office). Custom closet organizers can also make the little closet space you have more effective. I personally like the Elfa systems. The Elfa system is an alternative to a custom closet system. They aren’t as attractive as California Closets, but they take up less depth and are less expensive. If you are intimidated about installing the Elfa system yourself, CraigsList has postings from handymen who specialize in furniture assembly and installation of closet and storage organizers. |
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If our troubling economic times are keeping you from buying up, don’t despair! You can still give your current a home a boost with some remodeling.| How’s it Hangin’? Tips for Art Placement | August 6th, 2008 |
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Here are tips on how to hang multiple pieces of art on a single wall– 1. Consider painting the wall a contrasting color to give your pieces a good ‘pop.’ 2. Map out how you want to place your pictures on the floor in front of the wall. The Sunset House designers spent two hours on this part. 3. Strive for a mix of small, medium and large pieces. If you go all small it will look tacky. Go all big and it becomes overwhelming. 4. Choose about three anchor pieces. This follows good design sense. Whether working with flowers, pictures or furniture, get the big pieces in place first, then add the smaller ones. 5. Start by aligning the outer edges and work your way in toward the center. Spacing can become irregular in the middle if all the outside edges of your mosaice are in lign with each other. |
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Another good article in today’s Chronicle shows how designers of this year’s Sunset House in Menlo Park chose to cover an entire wall with art in the dining room. The mosaic effect lends itself to San Francisco homes which can often be challenged by wall space.| Green Eye Candy - Fun Websites for Eco-Friendly Home Design | August 6th, 2008 |
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PaperStone - PaperStone’s eponymous product is a durable architectural finishings for everything from countertops to furniture to bathroom partitions. It is made from recycled cardboard and office paper. They mix the stuff up with resin to make it tough enough for outdoor kitchen cabinetry and commercial grade needs. Windfall Lumber in Olympia, Washington has been committed to sustainable forest products since day one– and tries to deliver affordable products as well. Toto Plumbing Products - Toto’s website makes toilets and sinks look sexy with mood music and lighting. |
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