Beautiful, Modern Take on a San Francisco Victorian

I came across this light and airy home in Noe Valley which recently sold after receiving a complete overhaul and lift to create parking.  The developer transformed the shell of a traditional Victorian and used the extra tall pitched roof to expand the interior ceiling height.  What a stunning transformation!



Listed for: $3,600,000
Sold for: $3,625,000
Size: 4-bed, 4.5-bath single-family home
Location: 4179 23rd Street, Noe Valley
Details: Fully remodeled 3-level home went to market on February 1st and went into contract two weeks later.
Original Purchase Price:  Subtract $3,000,000 from the sale price!








































This is the same house in 2010...before the lift

One & Done-- A Decorating Urge Meets a Parenting Urge

I can't believe it's been two months since I last posted-- one sixth of a year.  Where does time go?  I am just now recovering from a burst of projects-- six all at once-- a big remodel, several whole house decorating jobs, and a few other "normal" decorating projects sprinkled in.  I had a lot of fun working, but did little else for three months straight, which had an impact on family matters.

 

I noticed my children weren't quite as receptive to my requests..."Brush your teeth,"  "Put on your shoes," "Do your homework." The usual repeats were being ignored and sending my octaves higher and higher.

 

Then it hit me.

I instituted a new challenge called "One & Done."

 

Each time I make a request and they follow through immediately, they get a point on the chart, which hangs front-and-center on the chalkboard in the kitchen.

 

 

After they receive 50 points they get to choose from one of these jars, which also hangs front-and-center in the kitchen, just up high-- away from prying hands:

I went to a high-end candy store and spent $50 on candy I probably could have bought at Target for half the price, but I wanted to make a statement that this new challenge was serious and I was taking it seriously. I drove to an official candy store and bought my childhood favorites-- red hots, bubble gum machine gum, lego candy.

A side benefit to this challenge was that I wanted to redecorate my seedling tray kitchen shelf for sometime, swapping out flea market finds for some bursts of color.  I came up with the idea of Bell jars filled with candy at the same time I devised "One & Done." 

So far, it's been one week and is working like a charm. The kids are motivated to score points and I've kept it competition-free. If one gets to 50 first, the other also gets to put his or her hand in the candy jar.  Points cannot be taken away, only added, to keep things positive.  Today, they each scored their first jar opening.  They selected lollipops.

50 times this week my daughter has said "Yes mam" and did what I asked her to do on the first go.  Fingers crossed, they don't lose interest.  It's worth $50 to have a little less talking and far less shouting at home.

Family Photos as Works of Art for the Home



I wanted to share with you some of the results of a wonderful photo shoot my friend Lily and I organized for our family photographer, Molly Aguilar, of Picadilly Posh Photography.  We invited 40 friends to a fun little alley way in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood to snap photos for the holidays.

 

What we ended up with was so much more than the usual family portrait.  Molly snapped works of art. It's amazing how color, perspective, and interesting angles on ordinary objects can turn a family portrait into inspiring decor for the home.

 

Check out the photos to see what I mean...

 

Look at that ridiculous lighting.  The umbrella!

 

Why wouldn't you pose in front of the meat truck?!

Are you kidding me with those glasses?! The colors in this photo are fabulous.

So cute!

 

Is this a page out of magazine?

 Photos in front of graffiti are always so vibrant

 

How cute is this couple?!

...Even cuter in this photo! 

Kids and construction- a happy mix

I love this angle

What a clever shot with the sign in the background, not to mention a blurry Santa

 

Thanks to Molly's clever shots, gone are the days of portraits on Santa's lap.

 

I hope these unique shots inspire you the next time you consider taking a family picture.

Pops with Pillows

I was shopping for a client today at Summer House in Mill Valley.  I was especially interested in their overdyed rugs and sofas but could not resist taking a peak at their mountains of pillows.

 

They have a broad range of colors and patterns including soft grain sacks overdyed in a range of lavenders.  The prices are reasonable for the quality, ranging from $112 to a couple hundred dollars and change per pillow. 

 

This casual boutique is a great source for giving your living room a quick lift without the time, effort and expense of going custom.  And, if you aren't sure how they will turnout, you can always take the pillows out on approval. 

 

Enjoy getting your home ready for the holidays!

 



 

 

 

Trove Wallpaper

Have you checked out the beautiful Trove wallpapers?  My friend Kelly introduced Trove to me and I fell in love with their organic images and varied colorways right away.

Based in NYC, Trove wallpapers are moody, modern and unexpected with some brighter colorway options as well. They take photographic images and turn them into artsy wallcoverings. Everyday images like birds, butterflies, branches, smoke, and even air are used in unexpected ways to create drama and depth. This is not the old wallpaper in your mother's bathroom! 

The papers are not only made-to-order but made in-house so quality control is strictly maintained.  And, apparently they have a collection of wallcoverings produced from stone, of all things.  It's called StoneGround and is composed of calcium carbonate (from marble and limestone), and resin.  Besides being tree-less, it's also water-less-- i.e. no water is used in production so there is no waste water to dispose of.  Plus, this process uses 20 to 30% less ink that tradtional paper because the fiberless surface doesn't absorb ink like tree pulp.  Besides being environmentally friendly, it's also pocketbook friendly costing the same as their traditional wallcoverings-- about $13 to $16 per square foot depending upon the design.

I am so impressed with the richness of their designs, I am ordering two of their patterns on canvass to create works of art in one of the rental apartments I am working on.  They also sell their patterns on wood veneers and window film in addition to standard wallpaper applications so there are lots of options for incorporating their cool designs into your home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ridiculous!  I hope you enjoyed these beautiful images of Trove wallcoverings!