Some friends gave us a nice little bottle of gin that was too good-looking to throw out once the booze was gone. So I’ve turned it into my new dish soap dispenser. It’s easy to do. I just added some soap—mixed with a little water—and topped it off with a chrome pourer.
It’s been awhile since I posted. Mostly I’ve been busy with work, but I have been able to squeeze in a couple creative projects, including fixing up the front of our house.
We’ve known since we bought this place that we wanted to replace the painted-gray shingles. Our street is awash in gray—the bulk of our neighbors having painted their homes various shades of it, although a few went a little crazy and painted their houses light beige. (Those people throw the wildest parties!) Mix that with gray sidewalks and a gray street and you’ve got a block that’s begging for some color.
So when it came time to replace the gutters, we decided to go ahead and tackle the shingles too. The job was moving along smoothly, the new cedar shingles looked great. Then one night I came home and discovered our painter had stained the shingles THE WRONG COLOR. Instead of a natural brown, the shingles were black. Here’s a picture when I left that morning:
And here’s when I got home:
I cried.
My husband was out of town and I debated telling him. Should I call him now? Or let him have a nice trip and tell him when he returns? I opted to tell him, rationalizing that it would be better if he had a heads-up before he arrived home and had trouble recognizing the house. But really, I just wanted to commiserate with him.
He was great. He said we should think of it as an opportunity to make the house look even better than we’d planned by coming up with a creative solution. He was super optimistic.
Then I sent him the above picture and there was a noticeable downtick in his optimism.
And there wasn’t much optimism from the public. Our street gets a ton of foot traffic and people had opinions poorly disguised as questions. A lot of them starting with: “Why did you…..?”
In an effort to gain perspective, I told myself that if I could go back in time and explain to my twenty-something self that the shingles on my house had been stained the wrong color, my twenty-something self would have said, “A HOUSE?! I’m going to own a house someday?!” And that made me feel better. That is, until I went outside and was accosted by a pedestrian with an opinion.
Meanwhile, we were trying to figure out a solution. We definitely needed to get rid of the white trim. We wanted a paint color that wouldn’t contrast as much with the black shingles, but would also work with the red windows. (The windows had to stay red since they were clad…we’d purchased them based on our original plan.) So for the next couple weeks we spent an enormous amount of time standing in front of the house with paint chips or painted boards. I can’t count how many times my husband jumped on his motorcycle to get another paint sample. Here’s what our kitchen countertop looked like during those few weeks:
After trying ten or more paint colors we still hadn’t found a solution. Some colors looked good with the dark shingles, but not the red windows. Or vice versa.
Then we tried putting an oil rubbed bronze metal sample from Rejuvenation against the shingles and the red windows (yes, we were getting that desperate) and realized it looked pretty good.
So my husband headed off to G&R Paint and had them whip up a custom batch of paint based on that piece of metal. We painted it on a board and realized we were close. The folks at G&R tweaked the paint for us a couple times and then we had our trim color. We’re calling it “Hail Mary Bronze.”
And now we love it! We think it turned out even better than our original plan. Plus, it gave us a dark background for our new sidewalk garden. (Post about that to come in the next week.)
Some weeds are useful. When we moved into our house, the backyard was little more than a rectangle of sand. But this shrub was thriving in the corner and mostly hiding the view of a dilapidated shed in my neighbor’s yard.
So even though I was told it was a “weed” there was no way I was removing it. Instead, I added a clematis vine near the base. And two years later there’s plenty of blooms on this “weedy” shrub. And enough height to completely block out the shed.
There’s sometime to be said for embracing the weeds.
I was more than a little sad when a very old ceanothus in our backyard finally kicked the bucket. But there was a silver lining—I was left with a couple beautiful branches, artfully covered in lichen. One of them now resides in the dining room, adorned with some air plants.
Here it is. The last post about our remodel. It’s a little bonus attic room at the top of a ladder. Two twin beds laid out in an L-shape. Great for reading. Or storing guests.
Heating ducts needed to run through this room, so before building the casing that would hide them, we figured out measurements that would allow them to do double-duty as “headboards” for the beds.
We bought this mattress for both the beds because it arrives compressed. Which meant we could get it up the ladder. If we’d tried that with regular mattresses there would have been a lot of swearing. And zero success.
The bed covers are just canvas drop cloths. We wanted to keep this room very simple.
The view through the skylight, which we can crank open on warm days.
Installing a traditional wood floor wasn’t an option because we couldn’t get the machinery up the ladder. I started thinking about a painted floor after seeing this post on Door 16. Ultimately, we went with a whitewashed plywood floor. There are good step-by-step directions here.
The ladder up to the lookout. My husband wanted something simple that came straight down the wall. My fear of heights wouldn’t have it. Instead it is couched into the wall at an angle with handles cut into each step.
The ladder to the lookout is tucked into one of the walls of the laundry room.
I need to think up a better name for this room. It’s true that clothes get washed here, but it’s also one of the places I escape when I’m trying to get away from my keyboard. There’s no phone in this room. No computer. Just various art supplies, fabric and a sewing machine. It’s my rainy day retreat. With my garden picking up the slack on sunny days.
I designed the two tables in SketchUp and had them built out of reclaimed fir, but unlike our desks, we left these unvarnished. We also tucked two twin beds under the worktable for whenever we have houseguests. Now I just need to find the perfect stools…
I’m using IKEA Mandel pots labeled with chalk, old jelly jars, cardboard bins and canvas bins to keep things organized.
The sewing table is on casters, so it can be pulled away from the wall when in use. It’s also narrow enough to fit through the doorway, so we can use it for extra desk space in either of our offices.
Out of the whole remodel, this is probably the area we measured and re-measured the most. We wanted an internal window to let sunlight into the stairwell. And we wanted a sliding door that could hide the washer and dryer, but also function as “curtain” over the window when needed.
As with the other rooms, I used SketchUp to draw up our ideas.
And here’s the husband’s room. The closet doors are a much larger version of the one in the bedroom. His desk is made out of the same wood as mine, but with an L-shape that anchors in a corner, instead of a wall-to-wall design that anchors on parallel walls. It also has drawers and nooks and crannies to hide things away.
The corner of his desk. There’s a very thin, almost hidden shelf under the left side of the desk to hold papers.
Since his desk doesn’t go wall-to-wall like mine, it has sides. These vertical planks are also made out of reclaimed fir.
A begonia mixed with aeoniums sits on a cabinet.
This space didn’t need a huge overall. Just a lot more natural light. (The recurring theme of this remodel.) So we added transoms above the doors and an internal window in the stairwell. And then finished up with some new paint and doorknobs.
Oh, and we added the drinking fountain so we’d have easy access to filtered water.
Light from the internal window reflects off the wall of the stairwell. The paint color is Artichoke Heart, made by C2 Paint. We used their LoVo line and found it to be the best of the non-toxic, low-VOC paints we’ve used so far.
We continued with the Artichoke Heart paint down the stairs and into our entryway.
The light from the internal window brightens a formerly dark corner and makes climbing the stairs a bit more inviting.
Sunlight streams into the laundry room—shown on the left—which then lights the stairwell via the internal window. And of course, the new drinking fountain, which I’ve mentioned in an earlier post.
The landing with the new transoms. We also swapped out rickety doorknobs for sturdy bronze ones from Rejuvenation. We opted to keep the existing backplates and painted them white.
Years ago, I sketched what I considered to be the ideal house if I ever got married. It had a small bedroom for my husband and I, with adjoining rooms on each side. One for me, one for my husband. A little space for each of us to call our own.
And even though that was many years ago, it was basically the footprint plan for this remodel. We decided to have a small bedroom, really only big enough for a bed. No dresser. No chair. Just a bed. And separate rooms for each of us that would do double-duty as offices and closets.
So here are the “after” photos of my office/closet. As with the bedroom, the first goal was to gain natural light, which was accomplished by two skylights and a larger window. The second was to get rid of clutter. I needed storage. Shelving and a bigger closet. And I wanted those spaces to be well-organized.
And this is where my love of organizing might have gotten a little out of control.
When my best friend saw this room, she doubled-over in laughter. All the carefully labeled canvas bins, the closet arranged by silhouette and the makeup organized by color. Even though she knows me well, it still shocked her.
But I absolutely love it. Getting ready in the morning is a breeze. Do I feel like wearing wide-leg pants? Well, I’ll just grab them from that section of my closet, which means I’ll need a fitted shirt, which I’ll just grab from that section. Then, based on my outfit, should I grab makeup from the warm, cool or neutral drawers?
Some might wonder if it’s all too much. And I would answer, “There’s no such thing as too much awesome.”
From the viewpoint of a very tall person. Or me on a stool.
The desk is made out of reclaimed fir beams.
A corner of my office functions as a “vanity” so my husband and I are rarely tripping over each other in our small bathroom. My makeup is in two stacked drawer units from IKEA. The mirror is from an estate sale.
Lots of labeling. The labels for my closet rod were made by securing a strip of paper with a brass brad.
I used Google SketchUp to create a 3D model of how we wanted the house to look post-remodel. I shared this with the engineer, and he created structural plans to submit to the city.
Was it back in September that I promised to post the “after” photos of the remodel? And now we’re in January. Shameful, really.
I’ve got no excuse except that I wanted to have all the little details completed before pulling out the camera. A silly goal now that I think about it. Who knows when I’ll find the perfect benches to use as bedside tables? Or the right lamps? Or the ideal basket to hold books? And why rush it? I just want to appreciate what we’ve already got.
So here are some photos of the remodeled bedroom. We raised the ceiling, added skylights, replaced the small window with this large one and added a transom. All in the hopes of getting more natural light. It worked. It streams through the window and skylights during the day. And moonlight floods the room on clear nights. We’re thrilled—and relieved—it worked out.
I’ll post photographs of the other rooms in the next week or so.
The northern-facing skylight, which captures more light than we’d expected. And the door to our bedroom, with a “shutter” for the transom that we fashioned out of a leftover door.
A sliding closet door. (A better option for our small space than a traditional hinged door that would swing out into the room.)
Late morning light on a warm day.
The skylights, on a dark and rainy day.
The view from the new window. We went with this window because there’s no center post to obstruct the view.
After several years, my favorite Aeonium plant is blooming. It’s bittersweet since the branch will die after flowering, but it’s had a good run.
I love the Dr. Seuss quality it adds to our backyard. I typically prune my plants to discourage legginess, but with this one I did just the opposite. I wanted it to get as tall as possible.
I found that if I gave it shade/water for half the year and then sun/drought for the other half the year I ended up with taller trunks and large rosettes. (The rosettes shrink up with less water, but become lush and large as soon as you resume watering.)
There are many Aeoniums to choose from, but if you’re looking for large ones, Aeonium undulatum, Aeonium ‘Cyclops’ and Aeonium ‘Voodoo’ are good picks.
If you live in San Francisco, Flora Grubb is a good source for Aeoniums.
The blooms.
The trunks become thick and sturdy.
One of the aeoniums in the bright, early morning light.
One of the rosettes.
A couple new—and much smaller—aeoniums.
Reusable, natural ornaments that can be planted after the holidays. Eventually providing cuttings for next year’s tree.
If you don’t have succulents growing in your garden, Flora Grubb offers a set of three succulents and three hooks here.
Worth watching. Spotted on The Curious Brain.
Over the last few months—whenever I could take a break from the remodel—I’ve been working on a landscape plan for a large hillside in Marin.
I loved working on this design. My client didn’t want anything fussy. “Graceful and wild” was the agreed-upon theme.
And a few weeks ago, the design become a reality. I worked with Carlos Paz Landscaping for the installation and since then the plants have been thriving.
This it tame compared to what it’ll be like in the spring. I can’t wait.
Spanish lavender planted along the pathway.
A patch of salvia is thriving in partial sun.
Woollybush. A tough shrub with silky, silvery foliage.
Coreopsis grandiflora.
Fernleaf lavender.
Before and after.
The Details
Spirit: Graceful, wild
Colors: Focus on blues, purples and pinks. Use white and yellow as secondary colors.
Considerations: Large deer population. | Water conservation is important. | Organic gardening is a must, so include plants that attract beneficial bugs. | Plants that smell good. | Plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. | Be smart with budget, start with smaller plants where it makes sense.
Or at least we’re getting there. We’re unpacking boxes and finding clothes we haven’t seen in four long months. And we’re very happy to see them again. Do they know what we’ve gone through since we last saw them?
More photos to come later. Here are just a few we took before dragging up the moving boxes.
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Hi, I’m Amy. I’ve spent a good chunk of the past five years renovating an old San Francisco Edwardian with my husband. (Or doing freelance marketing work to help pay for it.)
And I’ve been designing landscapes. After overhauling our barren, sandy yard into something worthwhile, I kept going. Turning my attention to other people’s outdoor spaces.
I’ve learned a lot. Don’t rip the roof off your house if there’s ANY chance of rain. Drop cloths are the best things ever. And if you want your garden to look like something from a Dr. Seuss book, use plants from the Canary Islands.
