Chuck just pasted the new wallpaper in the master bedroom. Isn’t it fabulous?
It’s the Graham&Brown pattern called “Trippy” and we’re so excited to see it up. It’s a bold splash of color and pattern on one accent wall and really enlivens the space.
We thought it looked familiar and what do you know? Set designers on at least three TV shows love it too! Here it is on Mad Men:
And 2 Broke Girls:
And Shameless:
Our wallpaper is everywhere! Can we get a cut of the royalties?
Now that our house is nearing completion, let’s recap how Chuck transformed it with thoughtful space planning. He does have an architecture degree from one of the world’s top schools, after all. When we bought it on December 31, 2012 our house had 980 legal square feet (91 m²) and 265 square feet (24 m²) of illegal “unpermitted” space that someone added on without building permits. Now it has 1245 square feet (115 m²) and an expansive, open concept feel.
The kitchen and dining area used to share the same room. There was no space for a proper dining table, only a two-seater “dinette.”
The refrigerator protruded far out into the room, effectively bisecting it.
The living room was separated from the rest of the house by a narrow passageway. And the abrupt transition from hardwood to linoleum in the kitchen/dining area further emphasized the choppiness of the space.
Despite the large windows facing the ocean in the living room, it still felt narrow and dark.
The new plan dramatically altered the look and feel of our home. Although the exterior footprint is the same, it seems much larger now because the living room, dining room and kitchen are a single free-flowing zone. We now have 1245 square feet of livable space.
In Chuck’s plan, we moved the kitchen into a former bedroom, turned the former kitchen into a full-size dining room, partially opened the wall between the new kitchen and living room, added a second outside entrance through the kitchen, and legalized the unpermitted space into a master bedroom suite.
Adding matching hardwood in the new dining room visually unifies the area.
This opening used to be a hall closet, but now it’s a bright, airy passageway between the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
A four foot tall opening between the kitchen and living room was enough to give the feel of a totally open concept space while still leaving room for cabinets and appliances.
The meager two-seater dining nook that had to share with the kitchen is now a full-fledged dining room with space for eight to sit and a beverage fridge. Chuck didn’t add a single square inch to the floor plan, but he made the existing area far more livable with intelligent space planning.
Chuck’s beautiful kitchen design will soon be on TV! We caught the attention of local broadcaster KSBY-TV, and they asked to film a commercial in our kitchen for an advertiser. It will be fun to see our home on TV. I’ll post a link to the commercial when it’s available.
Our backyard is beginning to take shape. The gravel area will be covered over with stone pavers, while the white pipe in the center marks the approximate location of a fire pit. The rotting steps will go next, replaced by a deck big enough for a seating area and wrap around steps.
Here’s a nice new lime tree that will grow up along with the mature lemon tree nearby. 
I like the attention to detail of the Gardens by Gabriel team: our gutters are now connected directly to a new underground drainage system. The heavy winter rainfall will be directed away from our house. Back in January when we began work, the ground next to our house was a mud pit. It will be much better when the next rainy season starts in November.
To refresh your memory, here’s a picture taken in December of the weedy and overgrown yard.
Here’s the same view now. The bamboo in the back corner will grow tall enough to provide privacy.
And here, Chuck is standing next to a scary dead tree. Notice the little secondary roof below the garage roof? That was a homemade lean-to storing heaps of bug-infested wood, broken tools, and tetanus. 
It’s all cleaned out now.
I love to see progress in the back yard. A nice level sandy area has been prepared, ready for stone pavers. Some of the plantings are in too.
This fast-growing bamboo will add privacy quickly.
I was so happy to see the Gardens by Gabriel truck outside our window this week. That means our landscaping is about to begin!
You may recall our plan for the backyard. Right now it’s a big empty canvas, with some architectural interest added by old retaining walls that we’re keeping. Because we’re on a hill, the neighboring houses all seem to hover overhead, so adding privacy is a also a must.
The only plants we’re keeping are a mature lemon tree and a dwarf orange tree. There’s nothing like fresh-picked fruit from your own backyard. The dilapidated fencing will go too, replaced by new redwood.
Here’s the plan. We’re adding a larger deck to replace the dinky, rotting steps, which will transition into hardscape and a fire pit. 
And the work has begun. There’s always so much destruction before rebuilding can begin. The crew is excavating old concrete, digging up the broken irrigation system, and replacing with all new irrigation, electrical and drainage systems. It’s similar to what went on in our house: four weeks of invisible but essential underground work on the plumbing, structure, and electrical before any progress was visible.
Can’t wait to see results!
What can you do when you like to display art but your modern open concept house has few walls? Create an art wall! Chuck designed this beautiful display by carefully arranging many different sizes, colors and frame styles. The trick to making it work is packing the art densely together and going floor to ceiling. Otherwise it can look like you forgot to measure and ran out of pictures. In the foreground is our beautiful new Lawrence McRae lamp, handmade in the ceramic artist’s Boston studio, and our chic new Room&Board sleeper sofa is along the other wall.
930 Stratford 