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The first time the Los Gatos house got a makeover, Betsy and Dan “Whizzer” White just needed a bigger house for their growing family. The house they bought in 1977 was 900 square feet and with one child and another on the way, they added a second story in 1984. In 1991, they did a major kitchen/family room remodel. Then on New Year’s Eve 2003 while Whizzer and Betsy were at a party, they got a call from a neighbor: “Your house is burning.”
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A lit candle left on her daughter’s bedroom desk had destroyed nearly the entire house. With the help of architect Phoebe Bressack of Bressack and Wasserman Architects in Los Altos, ) Chateau Construction (theirr builder for 30 years), interior designers Ann Sonnenberg of Palo Alto and Susan Hoffman from Los Gatos, the house was redesigned, rebuilt and redecorated. With all the loss, chaos and rebuilding, Betsy said, “The day I cried was when I found I could have the same tile in the kitchen,” that she had loved when she remodeled it in 1991.
As much as she loved her house before the fire, the third incarnation has it’s benefits. Along with increasing from a three bedroom, two bath, the house –built in a Bernard Maybeck craftsman style and shingled — now has four bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths. They reconfigured the downstairs space to add an office and laundry room. All the bonuses came inside an extra 400 square feet.
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The stair railing also saw an upgrade, from what Betsy affectionately called “barnyard chic” to an elegant iron railing with a leaf motif modeled after the magnolia tree outside the window. The couple enjoyed weekends at garage sales and antique shops to replace their furnishings and collected Mexican pottery and other crafts from one of their favorite destinations: San Miguel de Allende.
The house sits on nearly a third of an acre and the grounds are gorgeous, from a shady patio in front to a lush vegetable garden in the back.
While Whizzer’s wife considers her husband a “farmer,” because of his 60 tomato plants, chili peppers and other fruits and vegetables, Whizzer simply considers himself a “foodie.”
With his heirloom tomatoes, “I freeze 50 pounds a year for cooking and give away about 200 pounds,” he said. He’s also proud of his “pimientos de padron,” a chili pepper made famous by writer Calvin Trillin that is popular in Spanish tapas.
Whizzer is well known in Los Gatos for supplying the enormous squash for the annual march of the “Cucuzza Squash Drill Team” in the town’s Christmas parade. “We’re the successors to the Pigmy Goat Herders that were kicked out a few years ago,” he said. “They got too outrageous.”
And while Betsy still finds herself “going for light switches in places that were there for 20 years,” she loves the third makeover of her home. The couple have no plans to do it again.
Knock on wood.
Here’s the complete slideshow:
Coffee in hand, Desiree and I headed out early last weekend to check out the Hanchett Park historic home tour. I seriously love the 
1.) Deborah Arant and Richard Nieset’s Spanish Colonial Revival on Sequoia Avenue seemed like a dream. I could imagine lounging by the pool, margaritas in hand as I cooked a grand BBQ in their outdoor kitchen. The home shaped like the pii symbol had three separate gardens, giving everyone in the household an area to relax and call their own. The home featured an extensive collection of Turkish rugs and art from the couple’s travels around the world, including pieces by Thomas McKnight. Desiree and I were on vacation!
The homeowners also remodeled the original kitchen, transforming it in a green certified masterpiece. They reused 100% of the materials, meaning nothing went to the dump! The result? A modern kitchen with a nod to the 1920’s feel throughout the home, complete with built-in espresso maker! In addition, when building their outdoor kitchen and gates, the couple used reclaimed wood from Napa.
2.) The Washington’s Tudor Revival home on Sierra Avenue was picture perfect. Central to the quaint home, the fireplace features Malibu pottery tiles in the Mayan and Aztec motif, very typical of California homes. On the other hand, consistent with classic Tudor styling, the home had perfectly preserved Tudor arch door with glass stained windows and American walnut beamed ceilings. I loved their collection of antique silhouettes from the 1890’s through the 1930’s.
3.) Collections and Obsessions make a house a home. The gorgeous example of a modernized American Foursquare on Yosemite Avenue belongs to Michael Abler and Michael Smith. While the home boasts many features that make this a stand out ( alabaster light fixtures to die for, a grand kitchen, box-beam ceilings and impeccable landscaping), what stuck with me were its owners collections – vintage martini shakers, globes, marbles, pez dispenser and sea shells. All thoughtfully displayed in cases, shelves or oversized jars; they begged me to ask the owners to tell me more. Alas they were not there to chat with, but it made me think about what collections I would put out for display. A wonderful and quick idea I could replicate immediately!
4.) Architect Steve Hinderberger and Michael Segovia own the modern prairie style bungalow on Yosemite. The home is furnished in Bauhaus style with a mix of modern furniture, sculpture created by the homeowner and nods to the homes 1920s roots. I was in immediately in love with lines of the Eames Lounge chair and the glass Noguchi table. Hinderberger also created an easel to hold a beautiful Calder by repurposing a vintage handcart. The bathroom featured chocolate walls with chocolate towels – how is that for a quick way to keep dirty finger print hidden with a touch of panache! The kitchen itself was another example of smart design, where custom built oak cabinets created ample room for a access to a basement office. The result is modern and functional.
I spied a cool exhibit at the Willow Glen Home Tour earlier this month–
The pots look like they have been carved out of stone. Urban Farmgirls uses cement, perlite and reclaimed fibers to create that wonderful faux stone feel. The pots are surprisingly light weight. So as I get ready to re-do my front porch, I will need to pick up a few of these. Pairing them with succulents seems too perfect.
When four girlfriends and I escaped our kids for the afternoon, piled into my mini-van, and headed out for the 
stenciling in the hallway–and eclectic accessories, many of which came from the Vintage Flea Market in Alameda. 
If I had a bigger lot, I’d consider a swimming pool with different lounging levels and contrasting materials like Kris and David Gambelin’s home. If couldn’t get such a lot and wanted to get really creative (or crazy), I’d move next to my sister, tear down the fence between us, and create one big, shared, drought resistant landscape like the Gilliand home. 
considered myself the fretwork girl. I so adored the geometric, intersecting lines of the Asian style, whether on the back of a chair or along a balcony railing, that I made a file of fretwork photos just to gaze at longingly. Trendy interior designer Kelly Whearstler was making wallpaper with the motif. Surely, Desiree must have known my inner obsession! And now, with one grand purchase, she would luxuriate in … well … what should have been mine, mine, all mine?
them. But would I be breaking some friendship code by adorning my backyard with the same spectacular chairs? I flashed back to an episode of I Love Lucy, where Lucy and Ethel fell in love with the same dress to wear to their “show,” and each promised the other that neither would buy it. Well, they both did, and while singing “Friendship” in the identical dresses on stage, they began plucking each other’s dresses apart! Well, call me Ethel to Desiree’s Lucy.
The gauntlet has been thrown–a challenge. Well, this girl never backs down from a challenge. Slightly competitive–you betcha! (Please no Sarah Palin references). It’s a family trait I’ve passed down for better or worse. Just ask any kid of mine.
were in their fort-building phase and demolished those old, nylon folding lawn chairs. I wanted something substantial, something that could really take a beating and still look fabulous when not in use as the corners of a castle. What really drew me to these particular chairs was the high wing back shape as well as that fretwork. But I wasn’t wild about the color — a muddy bronze. And they needed cushions. I consider myself a crafty type, so to complement the wrought iron fence in my backyard, I pulled out a can of gloss black spray paint and went for it. I first considered sewing my own cushions, top and bottom, with fabric I purchased years ago from 
fabric, fluffed them up a bit, and now admire the whole set from my kitchen window. At the end of the day, I think we both did pretty darn well. Don’t you? Please leave a comment and let us know your opinion.
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