Before and After « Lookiloos

Before and After

Inspiration Table: Can Lookiloos Pass a Wabi Sabi Test?

Monday, April 6th, 2009

When San Jose floral designer Jose Ibarra set a stunning Easter table for Lookiloos, he promised that anyone could do it. Just pull out some old — and even broken — things from your cabinets and take some clippers into the garden and you, too, could elevate Easter brunch to a “wabi sabi” art form. That’s the Japanese way of finding beauty in imperfection.

So Lookiloos photographer Desiree Northend and I took him up on the challenge. We made a slight modification — instead of an Easter brunch, we set the table for a friend’s birthday brunch in Santa Cruz. But we tried to emulate the spirit of the table in every other way. You be the judge about how we matched up. Here’s what we did:

1. Broken Can Be Beautiful: Jose took an old broken urn and said he glued it back together. I went into my backyard and found the remains of a wire plant stand (with a broken top) and pulled it out from under a bush. Jose added texture with an old linen tablecloth. Desiree pulled out a vintage white tablecloth from her cupboard and I added a sheet of burlap from my shed.

2. Vary Heights on the Table: Jose started high at the back of the table with the tall urn, then stepped downward with a shorter planter, a vintage scale for scones, upside-down cups as risers for juice glasses, and stacked plates and fruit. Desiree found a strawberry pot to replicate the texture and height of the urn. I pulled out a shorter, galvanized metal planter from my sideyard. Desiree grabbed some little metal buckets she had left over, flipped them and mounted juice glasses on them. She also had a foot-tall, cast iron birdbath from her front porch for pastries.

3. Add Flowers: Jose had a huge bunch of fresh lilacs in the urn and white orchids in the smaller planter. Not wanting to spend money on lilacs, I grabbed a pair of scissors and tiptoed through a vacant lot for purple weeds, er, wildflowers. Desiree picked up a white hydrangea at Trader Joe’s.

4. Add Whimsy: Jose placed some classic yellow chicks on the table along with a vintage chocolate bunny mold. I violated the wabi sabi code when I found a weathered-looking bunny at T.J. Maxx and bought it for $6.99. The concrete snail with the broken ear under my orange tree could have worked, but that bunny was so cute!

5. Be Thoughtful: Jose wrapped eggs in egg carton containers and tied them with pretty ribbon. We found linen cocktail napkins emblazoned with the birthday girl’s initial, wrapped them around the silverware and tied with a pretty ribbon. Unlike Jose’s table, we added champagne. It’s a girls’ weekend, right?

How close did we come? You decide. Better yet, try it yourself and let us know how close you came.

(photographs by Desiree Northend)

You might also enjoy these stories:
Wabi Sabi: Where the Imperfect is Beautiful
Aptos Beach House
Valentine’s Day Decorating Tips: How to Make Paper Roses
Los Gatos: Bianco – A Home and Garden Shop All in White
St. Patrick’s Day Table Decorating Ideas: Going Green on a Budget
Wisteria Antiques and Design – Soquel
Carmel Valley Cabin – Back to Nature

Here’s the complete slideshow:

Posted in Before and After, Decorating, Desiree, Dining Room, Food and Drink, Garden, Home and Garden, Home Decor, Julia, Q & A, Q and A, Santa Cruz, Yard | 1 Comment »

Tips: Garden Patio Makeover on a Budget

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

When Mary Schlichting Francis moved into her four-plex in central San Jose, a small corner patio came with it. It was a blank slate of concrete and gray. For this woman who loves to garden as well as collect vintage treasures, her task was a welcome opportunity. So with a little imagination, a can of black spray-paint and an internal compass leading her to bargains, she transformed her patio into a creative, welcoming spot.

“You get so much more joy out of it knowing you spent so little,” she said.

Here are some of her tips to get your patio ready for spring — on a dime.

1. Find a small fountain(Mary found hers at Savers on San Carlos, painted it and added river rocks.) The sound of gurgling water creates a soothing atmosphere.

2. Rescue orphan plants from friends who are moving or cleaning out. Mary, who has a green thumb, loves to nurse sickly plants back to life — her exquisite white azalea is testament to that. Cast-off cyclamen bulbs from last year are blooming on Mary’s patio this year.

3. Shop second-hand stores, like Move It Elsewhere on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose that is open one weekend a month for old pots, garden furniture and interesting “found art.” Try Salvation Army on Taylor Street, too, or Marshalls and T.J. Maxx.

4. Buy a can of black “Painter’s Touch” semigloss paint at Home Depot, and spray a coat on old orange pots, especially plastic ones, to give them a more sophisticated look.

5. Create vignettes by combining plants, sculpture (like Mary’s buddha statue), garden mosaics and even cheap paintings or pictures that can hang under the eaves, or over a bench. “Some things can handle the weather,” Mary said. “If it only lasts a season, but it doesn’t cost much, it’s just fine.”

6. Go green and purchase a compost bin. Mary is sharing it with the other tenants in her complex.

Update:

This post is featured in the San Jose Mercury News Home and Garden section here.

Posted in Before and After, Decorating, Featured in the San Jose Mercury News, Garden, Julia, Landscape, Q & A, Q and A, Wall Decor, Yard | 4 Comments »

Green Building Materials – Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

You know you’re immersed in the Berkeley vibe when you wander down San Pablo Avenue at Ashby. You can’t help but feel all “green” inside when you stop at Ohmega Salvage yard, where re-use and repurpose is at its best. It’s a place that was in business long before the term “green” became vogue, and has even been featured on “This Old House.”

Here in the open lot, you can find everything from old bathtubs to Buddhas from Bali. Ohmega Salvage specializes in pre-1950 architectural artifacts, so if you’re restoring a Victorian or old Craftsman, you can find stained glass windows, chandeliers, sinks and doors. Stacks of old glass block can be purchased for $4 a block. A pair of cast iron chairs sell for $300, plus another $150 for the pub table with the marble checkerboard top.

Ohmega Too is across the street, where the lot has more of a flea market feel. Urban Ore, another salvage yard, is on Murray Street around the corner. It calls itself an “Ecopark”. Hit all three, plus grab an organic, free-range, locally-grown bite at almost any corner restaurant, and you will have experienced Berkeley.

Update:

This post is featured in the San Jose Mercury News Home and Garden section here.

Here’s the complete slideshow:

Posted in Architecture, Bathroom, Before and After, Craftsman, Eco Friendly, Featured in the San Jose Mercury News, Home and Garden, Julia, Lighting, Looki What I Found | 4 Comments »

Before and After: Recovered Chair Gets Double Makeover

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

The Problem: When Judy Stanley first saw the little armless chair at a garage sale down the street from her Los Gatos home, it looked a little sad. The fabric was worn. It smelled musty. But it reminded her of a chair her grandmother had passed down to her — a chair she spent a fortune to recover — and she decided to buy it. She put down $5, took it home and vowed to recover it herself this time.

Solution No. 1: Her daughter was nearly one year old and the idea of a charming little chair with a dust ruffle sounded just right. So Judy, who has her own business designing and decorating belt buckles, went to work.

“I wanted it to be really girly and pink,” Judy said. So off she went to Calico Corners and with $40 bought two fabrics — a plaid blue and pink and a floral.

As she pulled off the old fabric, she used each piece — the seat, the back and the front — as a pattern for the new fabric. She cut out the pieces and folded and ironed the edges to the exact dimensions. Then with her staple gun, affixed it into place. A pretty piece of ribbon trimmed the seams.

Solution No. 2: By the time her daughter was in third grade and Judy and her husband, Guy, had completed a major remodel, it was time to focus on their son’s room.

The girly chair had been relegated to the attic and the time was right to pull it down.

Judy took her four-year-old son with her to Beverly’s Fabrics this time and mother and son chose a vintage-style cowboy fabric. Each horse head had a name — Maverick, Mojave, Juniper, Freckles.

Just as she did the first time, Judy used the old fabric as a template for the cowboy fabric. Her son is seven now and she has no plans, at least for now, of recovering the chair again.

“I love that chair,” she said. “It’s so cute.”

Here are some other stories you might enjoy:
Judy’s Small House Remodeled
Modern Nursery With Vintage Flair
Updating from Little Girl to Tween Room
Updating Kid’s Playhouse to Tween Club House

Posted in Bedroom, Before and After, Decorating, Home and Garden, Home Decor, Julia, Q & A, Q and A | No Comments »

Before and After – Rustic Kitchen Remodel

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

When Beth and Rick Weger bought their 1930s Spanish bungalow in San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood, the house was filled with vintage charm, from detailed archways separating the rooms, to a built-in telephone nook in the hallway. But the kitchen? A 1950s or ’60s remodel that needed attention. Since Beth had remodeled the kitchen of her last home and won second-place in a San Jose Magazine competition, she felt empowered to take on this kitchen for her family of four. Because she didn’t like the available options to go Spanish classic style, she went rustic instead.

The Problem: A wall with an awkard pass-through separated the kitchen from the breakfast nook. The counters and backsplash were about as dated as you can get — beige tiles with dark brown grout.

The Solution: Remove load-bearing wall between the kitchen and breakfast room, adding a chair-height breakfast bar (instead of stool height she didn’t like in her last kitchen). With the wall gone, the sunlight from the gorgeous bay window flooded the entire kitchen and gave Beth a new view from the sink down the driveway to the street, which she didn’t have before.

She added coppery green granite counters from Bedrosians in San Jose, new cabinets in distressed rustic alder, KitchenAid and DCS appliances, and a tile backsplash installed by S&S Tile from Tile Fantastic. She finished the look with a Kelly-Moore paint in Chamois Shirt, but 50 percent darker.

“In the end, we kept it warm and rustic and what we liked instead of going with exactly the style of the house,” Beth said.

Posted in Before and After, Bungalow, Decorating, Home and Garden, Home Decor, Interior Design, Kitchen, Q & A, Q and A, Remodel, Rose Garden, San Jose | 8 Comments »

Colonial Revival Home Renovation – Whitney Wright Mansion

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

My children and I walked past the Whitney Wright Mansion on Morse Street for years on our way to the Rose Garden YMCA. This particular “mansion” was overgrown, dank and well, scary, leaving many lookiloos like us wondering what happened to the grandiose home. In 2004, brothers Dave and Clyde LeBaron, along with their partner, local home builder Mark DeMattei, embarked on the gargantuan task of purchasing and restoring the 1920′s Colonial Revival home.

“When we bought the house, it was a huge eyesore,” said builder Mark DeMattei. One side of the 4 bedroom, two-story home was lifting from its foundation. Ivy was growing inside and cracks were so big through the walls that an entire hand could fit through. The home was in such disrepair, DeMattei said he was told that the previous owner moved into one room to avoid leaking ceilings. With a full crew, it took nearly a year to complete the home renovation. And the results are stunning.

Because of its historical designation, the home was restored following the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which provides strict guidelines on preserving these types of homes.

As you enter the home you are immediately welcomed by the original stair case, which has been delicately restored. The balustrade was cleaned and repaired, revealing fine original craftsmanship. The team kept the old trim (thicker head pieces with thin side rails which were popular during that time), but replaced the old windows with modern eco-friendly types. DeMattei made sure there were “no dead end rooms,” meaning that in true California style each room has several outlets or walkways to improve the circulation throughout the home.

Overall, the home felt fresh with a nice blend of old world charm balanced with modern amenities. The living room opens up to the back yard through French doors, where you can make the most of California’s inside-outside style of living and entertaining. The formal dining room connects to a butler’s pantry and features a beautiful antique chandelier.

Because parties often end up in the kitchen, the builders added a family room to the back of the house attached to a jaw-dropping kitchen remodel. I can see myself cooking, entertaining, playing board games and checking my children’s homework in this beautiful, yet cozy space. I love the microwave set low, so kids can heat up instant popcorn or afternoon snacks on their own. The family room features recessed space above the fireplace ready for a new flat screen television. I imagine myself leisurely prepping a fantastic gourmet dinner as I watch Martha Stewart giving me tips on making the perfect dessert.

The kitchen features beautiful subway style tiles (matched to the period trends), granite counters, a breakfast bar and walk-in pantry. The builders were conscientious of placing period specific touches, such as shaker cabinets and square, not bullnose, finishes to counter tops. Today many of these touches have come back in vogue and can be found in places such as Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn.

The second floor features two additional bedrooms and a grand master suite with a small balcony. DeMattei picked the Italian calacatta marble for the bathroom himself, pointing out the rich brown honey tones that only a connoisseur knows to looks for.

“When I am involved in a project, I build it as if I was going to live in it,” DeMattei said. After lookiloo-ing around a bit, I could tell he meant what he said. It is hard to believe it is the same home we walked by years ago. I am sure that Whitney Wright and his family would be proud.

Here’s the complete slideshow:

Posted in Before and After, Peek of the Week, Rose Garden, Sheila | 7 Comments »

Before and After: Glamorous Masculine Townhouse

Monday, November 10th, 2008

The Problem: Can you say wall-to-wall light blue carpeting? And that was just the start of the unattractive elements that greeted Paul Rokovich when he first set eyes on this 1981 townhouse off Race Street.

The 1970s had carried over strongly into this abode, with an amber-glass partition jutting into the living room, and a blue-and-white wallpapered entryhall with orange and brown-patterned vinyl on the floor. The fireplace mantel was a dull brick and the kitchen had counters were covered in those ubiquitous off-white tiles with brown grout. An awkward kitchen layout thrust the refrigerator into the room, blocking corner cabinetry.

The Solution: Rokovich knew that large townhouses were difficult to come by. At 1,725 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths, this had the space he wanted on a quiet street.

An interior designer with a degree from the Art Center in Pasadena, he ripped out blue carpet and laid down a tan one. He replaced the vinyl entryhall flooring, and extended the walkway to meet the living room. The brick fireplace came down and a decorative mantel went up. He started over with the kitchen, moved the refrigerator into an alcove, and added granite counters. And with collections of artwork and antiques he began collecting when he was 13, he pulled together an eclectic mix of leather, leopard skin, gold leaf and chandeliers. The effect? As he puts it, "glamorous masculine."

Here’s the complete slideshow:

Posted in Before and After, Julia, Q & A, Q and A, San Jose, Willow Glen | 2 Comments »

Modern Cocktail Lounge Party

Friday, October 31st, 2008

When the former visual director of Neiman Marcus in Palo Alto throws a party at his house, you’d expect the decor to be something special. But would you think he’d empty his Menlo Park cottage of furniture and transform the place into a swingin’ white cocktail lounge?

It was nothing but fun for Tim Ballengee, who filled the main rooms with white leather furniture last weekend, including a big round “daybed” in the middle of the living room. Oh, behave!

(more…)

Posted in Art, Before and After, Bungalow, Decorating, Garden, Home and Garden, Home Decor, Inside Stories, Inside Story, Interior Design, Julia, Lighting, Modern, Painting, Wall Decor, Yard | 2 Comments »

Before and After: Italianate Victorian

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

The Problem: Where to begin with this 1870s Italianate Victorian in San Jose’s College Park neighborhood? No foundation, only redwood sills on dirt. Pigeons in the attic. Plaster crumbling off the walls. Holes in the roof. Abandoned for five years. And, on a midnight tour by the new owner, a homeless man sleeping against the wall.

Neighbors were so thrilled to hear that Gail and James Beard planned to rescue the house, they arranged a welcome party on the front patch of dirt with a banquet table of appetizers and wine. The year was 1997 and the Beards had a toddler son and a baby daughter on the way. Without a foundation, the couple had to pay cash for the house. James’s boss at the time, Bobby Greenberg from Prism Technologies, believed in the Beards and believed in the house and gave the young couple a loan.

The Solution: When James first saw the house, it reminded him of his grandmother’s house in Kentucky. “I swear to God it has the same banister I slid down a thousand times as a kid,” he said.

It took two years of work _ about one year building the foundation _ before the Beard family could move in in 1999. They hired George Serpa, a general contractor and “a fantastic carpenter, which is just what this house needed,” James said. The siding was made of actual two-by-fours from old growth redwoods that termites hadn’t touched. The paint was stripped, the extensive woodwork repaired, the gutters and roof replaced and the disintegrating plaster pulled out and replaced with drywall. The Beards changed little of the original floor plan, only removing a wall between the kitchen and butler’s pantry and adding an upstairs bathroom. They built a period garage on the property and, without much of a backyard, added a wrought iron fence around the front for the kids to play. To this day, neighbors still thank them. And you can see why.

Posted in Architecture, Before and After, Garage, Julia, Landscape, Painting, Q & A, Q and A, San Jose, Victorian, Yard | 1 Comment »

Estate Garden Makeover

Friday, October 17th, 2008

When David and Marti Martz bought the 1912 “Four-square” house in San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood, the backyard “was a disaster,” Marti said. Concrete covered the entire area between the house and the garage and the pool was surrounded by an eight-foot tall cinder block wall. The landscape was dead.

“Our family looked at us and said, ‘Thank God you’re young.’”

And so in late 2004, they began a major project to bring back the grandeur of this estate lot. The gardens will be the setting of an elegant luncheon and tea this weekend (Oct. 18-19) as part of the Autumn in the Rose Garden Homes Tour. Three other homes will also be showcased.

Marti wanted the space to be “park-like” and simple and elegant for entertaining. She ripped out the concrete and planted grass and a flower and vegetable garden. What once had been a bank of garage doors facing the house got a new life with windows the couple salvaged from an exterior porch that once had been enclosed. Concrete walking stones were poured leading up to a graceful fountain.

To make the sprawling grounds more intimate, San Jose interior designer Paul Rokovich is taking his talents for home decor into the garden. With sustantial furnishings provided by Smith and Hawkin, he is placing sofas, lounges and ottomans around the pool and garden for the home tour. He is bringing in flowers and plants and banana trees and wrought iron trellises.

The Martzes also restored the house to nearly original condition. Their main modification was converting the rear laundry porch, with its row of windows, into an informal eating area. Now the family can enjoy their new garden over breakfast.

When: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19, 2008. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Tour begins at 1262 University Ave, San Jose
Tickets: $30 in advance. $35 at the door. Lunch tickets, $13.
Benefiting St. Martin of Tours School, San Jose.

Posted in Before and After, Garage, Garden, Historic, Home and Garden, House Tours, Julia, Landscape, Peek of the Week, Rose Garden, San Jose, Yard | No Comments »