Cottage Living

One of my first projects was this cottage remodel.  The main house had undergone a massive renovation and the cottage was the last piece of the puzzle.  It took about three months to complete, but it is now the perfect guesthouse!

The first thing I wanted to do was change the roofline.  The previous roof made the space look more like a storage shed than a guest house.  Pitching the roof was probably the biggest improvement we made.  Not only did it bring balance and beauty on the outside, but also the newly vaulted ceilings on the inside made the room feel far more spacious.

For space and budget reasons we really did not want to alter the original footprint of the cottage too much.   However, we did want to push the bathroom wall out a bit to give us some much-needed space inside.  We decided to take advantage of the loss of symmetry.  We added a storage bench to line up with the new bathroom wall.  This gave us extra seating in the patio area as well as storage space for garden tools. 

Our objective was to have this small space feel as thought it was an extension of the main house.  This meant that matching the detailing was imperative! We began with changing the siding to a slimmer wood siding.  The skinner siding helped achieve a more polished look.    We also made sure to match the trim around the doors and windows to coordinate with the trim found on the main house. 

Once the bones were in place, we painted the cottage a dusky navy blue with bright white trim. Since the cottage was not completely symmetrical we were strategic about how we painted it to give the illusion of balance and symmetry.  The wall to the right of the cottage door is actually wider than the left.  In order to give clearance to walk between the main house and the cottage the left wall had to be angled.  So to draw your eye out and give the illusion of symmetry, we kept some of the trim painted blue to make the left side seem as wide as the right.

To stay on budget many of the items used were salvaged from the main home remodel.  The windows and French door were all saved and put to great use!  These “new” windows are slimmer but longer, giving the space much needed light and elongating the building.  The French door was also a big improvement.  It’s a great way to bring in a lot of light to a small space.  We added roman shades on the inside for privacy. 

Finishing touches included the addition of window boxes.  The main home flaunts window boxes all around the property so it only made sense that the cottage had them as well.  It was a simple construction with wainscoting along the outside.  We used the wainscoting again under the eves to make sure that we had a clean finish.  It’s the small details that matter!

Stay tuned for my next blog detailing the changes made to the cottage on the inside!

This cottage can be found on AirBnb for those of you interested in a vacation rental in Palo Alto, California. 

Mastering the Master

I set out to design a master bedroom that was both masculine and feminine. Layering color, textures, patterns and prints helped me to do so.  The crisp white walls, delicate chandelier, and intricate gold frames brought the feminine vibe, and the dark rug, black pinstripes on the bedding and the heavy slate drapes added the masculine touch.  The pinstripe suiting material on the rounded slipper chairs is a bit of both!  The prints and colors may all vary, but since they are still in the same palette they all work well together. 

After much debate we finally decided to paint the room a crisp white.  Now I realize that doesn’t sound like the most exciting choice, but white can have a pretty dramatic affect.  Color does not have to come from painting the walls.  We can also bring color to a space in the accessories and allow the walls to be the backdrop where these details can pop.

These end tables were the perfect size for our room; they just needed a little sprucing up.  A fresh coat of paint and new hardware gave the tables a crisp updated look. 

Art is important for any room, but when the room is surrounded by beautiful picture molding it is essential!  Frames sit in the grooves of the molding making nails and holes in the wall obsolete.  This also allows you the opportunity to layer artwork and pictures as well as giving you the ability to change the look easily. The prints seen here are hand painted silk screens that I picked up on my last trip to India.  I brought them back and had them professionally matted and framed.

Window treatments were really important for this room for a few reasons; warmth, privacy and the visual effect.  I chose these slate velvet drapes from Pottery Barn to help achieve this. The heavy material helps keep in the heat and the dark slate color helps break up the wall and adds the much needed drama to an all white room. Our bedroom windows face two other buildings, and I didn’t want to have the curtains drawn at all times to maintain our privacy.  I was fortunate enough to have my mother make us roman shades.  We chose a light transparent white linen so that light can shine through the room during the day without having to lose any privacy.   

Lighting also really impacts the room.  Gray bedside lamps flank the bed.  We changed the ceiling fixture to this crystal chandelier.  The antique brass compliments our room since the home already has vintage brass doorknobs.  It also allowed me to keep the antique gold detailing throughout as seen in both the framed artwork above the bed and in the frames found on the night stands.  

Before

After

This room has come a long way and it's only halfway finished. We will be building out the other side of the room so that we have more closet space.  I hope to be sharing that transformation soon!

Garden Apartments

Living in a city comes with so many benefits, however green space is not always one of them.  There are tons of gorgeous parks and gardens in San Francisco, but I still wanted to have a little more green in our apartment.  We live on the second floor of a three-story building with a couple of trees trickled down our very busy street, making having plants in our home even more important. 

Window boxes

Window boxes are a great way to add the illusion of a garden to your cityscape.  Having lived in a teeny tiny (but lovely) apartment in Italy for years, my roommate and I made the most out of our 2x4ft balcony.  Hanging plants off the balcony railings allowed us to pack the space with greenery while still giving us enough space to keep a couple of chairs.  I don’t have any balconies here, but my husband managed to find some window boxes that fit outside our two large kitchen windows.  Now instead of looking at a wall, I can see our freshly planted garden of flowers and herbs. 

Large plants

Every house needs at least one large plant.  They ground a room, are great for the air, and are just plain beautiful.  Ficuses are great, and pretty low maintenance! In our home I chose a coffee plant.  It’s not very large now, but should grow in a tree that is about 6-8ft. 

Living walls

I have been seeing living walls everywhere lately!  From restaurants, shops, even weddings! They come is many shapes and sizes, making this a completely customizable way of adding plants to your home.  Hang terrariums filled with succulents, mount jars of herbs, or fill boxes with your favorite potted plants. 

Fresh cut flowers

If maintaining plants feels like too much work, consider adding fresh cut flowers to your table.  No need to wait for a special occasion to have a beautiful bouquet of flowers in your home.  Just because they don’t last forever, doesn’t mean you cant enjoy them for the short term.  If that still feels like too much consider a bunch of lavender.  This will last for months, and even in a dried state, offer a wonderful perfume.  Cherry blossom branches also make a wonderfully long lasting fresh cut arrangement.

Happy planting!