In the 10 months it took to build this house from the ground up, a lot happened in the Wetmore family. Diane’s mother, the matriarch of the family, died, and her daughter got married. What she realized then was just how important it was that this new home become the center, the gathering place, for the family.

And to Diane and Ray, whose four grown daughters all attended St. Martin of Tours, that meant big, open spaces for entertaining, both inside and out. And that starts at the majestic front door, a work of iron art with wavy glass windows that open behind it, letting the California breeze blow from the front all the way to the glass doors that slide into the wall in the back. The family graciously opened their home for the Rose Garden Homes Tour this fall.

Ray is a commercial masonry contractor and the home that Diane describes as part Arizona, part Florida and part Hawaii needed some signature stonework. With the help of architect Chris Spaulding and designer Susan Powell, they created a stone alcove that can be glimpsed from the entryway as well as a stone-covered stove hood. Even the risers on the curving staircase are covered in a distinctive tile to add interest. The living room ceiling soars two-stories high, with windows upon windows to let light in. The front room was designed as a “mancave” with leather sofas, a wet bar, stone fireplace and vintage wine barrels. Limestone tile floors make a seamless transition from the living room through the wall of windows(that disappear when opened) to the covered patio, complete with a Tuscan-style dining table and plans for a full-service barbecue area.

With a gracious master bedroom downstairs, the upstairs is reserved for family, including a nursery for the Wetmore’s grandchildren.

“Everyone comes here and stays here,” Diane said. “It was built to bring the family together.”

Here’s the complete slideshow:

Feel that crispness in the air? It’s home tour season! And Lookiloos is giving away two pairs of tickets to the 2011 Rose Garden Homes Tour in San Jose this weekend, Oct. 14-15. See below how to win! And take a look at the facades of the homes on tour below, and just imagine what’s inside!

Don’t you want to go inside this meticulously-restored Neoclassical Victorian, shown above? There’s some amazing salvaged stained glass, high ceilings, and a spectacular master bedroom, which had been an attic. How about this one below, a 1930 Spanish-style family home with remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, inlaid with special vintage-inspired tiles?

Check out this one below” A newly-built Tuscan home with exceptional stonework and a wall of windows that slide open to the garden. It’s amazing.

The traditional ranch house below has amazing woodworking details and hand-painted finishes.

 These four lovely homes, plus an elegant Victorian garden  will be featured Oct. 15-16 during the 16th annual Rose Garden Homes Tour in San Jose, benefiting St. Martin of Tours School.

Gather your friends, put on your walking shoes and enjoy an afternoon in one of San Jose’s finest neighborhoods. Afterward, indulge yourself with a gourmet luncheon and browse through a gift boutique in the gardens of a rescued and lovingly restored Italianate Victorian.

 When: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16, 2011. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Tour begins at 2017 University Way, San Jose

Tickets: $30 in advance. $35 at the door. Lunch tickets must be ordered by Oct. 11, $13.

Tickets may be purchased through the website at www.rosegardenhomestour.com , Not Too Shabby at 481 S. Bascom Ave. San Jose; Willow Glen Home and Garden on Lincoln Avenue,  and Vintage and Vogue at 241 E. Campbell Avenue, Campbell.

Benefiting St. Martin of Tours School, San Jose.

Website: www.rosegardenhomestour.com

 To win the tickets, leave a comment on our lookiloos facebook page (we’re having a technical problem here) and tell us why you want to go and we’ll pick a pair of winners!

Photos by Marie McEnery.

But once they moved in, how did these new urban dwellers decorate their own spaces? And more important for the voyeur in all of them, how did their neighbors decorate theirs, especially the guys in the penthouse?

Last week, homeowners in the 22-story “The 88″ on Second Street in downtown San Jose hosted their own “progressive design party” to show off their own places and peek in on others.

“I want to see how other people live,” says Karen Mandell, who had cheese and wine waiting for her guests in the unit she shares with her husband on the ninth floor. (Hint: There was more than one white couch on the tour.)

High-rise living is new to San Jose, a city known more for its suburban sprawl than hip downtown living. Beginning in 2007, just as the real estate market was tanking, the first of four towers were built downtown, starting with City Heights, then Axis and The 88 and finally the 360 Residences. The 88 is the tallest of the four. It opened in late 2009, is 65 percent full, and the homeowners couldn’t seem happier.

About 30 neighbors gathered first in the “entertainment room” on the fifth floor that opens to the spalike pool and grand, tree-studded terrace. And a surprising mix of neighbors it was, from European singles working in local high-tech to a young couple who traded a 3,000-square-foot in Denver, to empty nesters who left their Redwood City home of 33 years.

The Colorado couple are Karen and Evan Mandell. They moved to San Jose in late 2009 when Karen Mandell, 37, got a job as the research director for the Mineta Transportation Institute. She gave up her car when she moved here and walks the half-mile to work.

“It’s a very simple, clean, sustainable lifestyle,” she says. (Grocery shopping is easy with a Safeway on the ground floor, her husband says. “It’s like having the world’s largest refrigerator in the basement.”)

When they sold their big Denver home and were moving to the one-bedroom unit in the high-rise, they were faced with the quandary of what to do with all their heavily carved, marble-topped Baroque-style furniture. “We sold everything but the bar,” she says.

“You have to maximize your style when you only have two or three rooms to work with,” Evan Mandell, 38, says.

In came a new white leather sectional, a triangle-shaped dining table that seats six and a can of dark red paint to add drama to the living room walls.

While Karen Mandell gave up a lot of furniture, she didn’t seem to get rid of any shoes. She has floor-to-ceiling shelves of them in her closet, which she illuminated with a pink crystal chandelier; it was one of the most popular rooms on the tour. “Who are you, Lady Gaga?” her neighbor, Rosa Passanisi, asks, peeking in.

Passanisi, who works at the U.S. Postal Service with her husband and is nearing retirement, took a different approach to decorating. She simply moved all the furniture that would fit from their Redwood City home, right down to the oak ladder-back dining room chairs. Her house is comfortable, she says. “We don’t have a showcase house.”

Mohamed “Mo” Marleen’s 14th-floor space couldn’t be more modern, from the white couch to the bubblelike chandelier and arching globe light.

Rob and Laurie Howe moved much of their traditional furniture with an Asian influence into their 17th-floor home, adding walls of storage to accommodate the extras they couldn’t part with from the 4,200-square-foot home they gave up on a half-acre in Belleview, Wash., when Rob Howe took a job at eBay.

The tour’s big reveal was one of the penthouses on the 21st floor. Engineers Paul Teixeira, 35, and Jose Mendez, 28, own this 1,700-square-foot home with two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, 11 1/2-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. “It’s like a glass box in the air,” Teixeira says.

Teixeira was happy to give up his four-bedroom, two-story house in South San Jose that kept him doing yard work on weekends for the penthouse with the views from the eastern foothills all the way to San Francisco. Both men take the light rail to work most days. About the only things Teixeira kept from the old house were his childhood piano with the varnish flaking off (“It’s rustic and kind of weird,” Teixeria says) and the massive sectional that fit perfectly between two support columns.

“It’s that modern rustic, a cross between Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware,” he says of the comfortable, low-profile couch. “Neither of us are ultramodern. We were trying to shoot for that clean modern look, but a little bit warmer.”

The bar with the LED-illuminated shelving is new — lighting up his liquor bottles in an array of colors — along with the outsized artwork on the walls.

Before moving in, the couple modified the kitchen, adding a huge granite-topped island that has become party central. To add color to the mostly black-and-white palette, they added a trio of blue pendant lights over the island.

They also made a centerpiece on their seldom-used dining table with a giant ceramic abalone shell and blue and green blown glass that practically glows when the natural light streams through it.

As much as the couple enjoys the inside of their penthouse, it’s what’s outside that made them fall in love with it. On a clear day, they can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here’s the complete slideshow:

You can find the complete virtual tour here.

Don’t you just want to get into this charming English tudor? You can just imagine it’s as lovely on the inside. But hey, why imagine? It is one of five houses, plus a garden, that is being featured in the 2011 Willow Glen Home Tour. And Lookiloos has a pair of tickets — worth $60! — to give away.

Here’s a little advance info about the other homes and garden you will see:

* A remodeled ranch with a wall of windows in the family room leading to a gorgeous pool and yard;

* A southwestern-style bachelor pad with a new kitchen;

* A recently renovated contemporary home filled with a collection of local artwork — and another window wall overlooking a koi pond

* A lovely garden, tended by the homeowner who is a master gardener, features drought resistant plants.  This will also be the setting for a boutique featuring local artist and plants for sale, as well as box lunches.

If you’d like to win a pair of tickets , leave comment below otherwise, please go to sjdn.org to buy tickets that benefit the San Jose Day Nursery.  Tickets are $30 each and box lunches are $13.  Tickets may also be purchased on Lincoln Ave. at Willow Glen Home and Garden, Domus or Grace on the Ave. Tickets are also being sold at Able Printing on Meridian at Hamilton Ave.

Hiding TVs has been a chronic conundrum for designers, architects and significant others who once tackled the problem in the olden days by tucking them into with furniture-like wardrobes. But 60 inches across aren’t easy to conceal. That’s why Bill Cardoza of San Jose started a business called “The Art of TV,” transforming your flat panel into a beautifully-framed mirror or a stunning piece of digital art formatted to fit your wide screen HDTV when not in use. Mona Lisa on the living room wall, anyone? You can choose from a library of digital images and rotate them as well. A family portrait can also takes its rightful place –integrated into the TV screen. The Art of TV will create a boot that consists of a custom frame and special two-way glass. The boot fits right over your existing flat panel and the two-way glass gives you the option to the display digital art or the mirror. Since each is custom, the turnaround time can take two to three weeks.
And it’s not cheap _ it costs about $3,200 for a 37-inch screen. The TV is included in the price. So, you might say it’s worth it!
And with wives now able to enjoy the look of their husbands’ electronic monstrosities, Cardoza says, “it’s better than marriage counseling.”
For more information, go to The Art of TV.

Crab Melts

1 loaf sweet french bread
1/2 cup pesto (roughly–I’ve never measured it)
4 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
1 lb. lump crab meat
15 slices of Havarti

Pre-heat broiler. Slice french bread into approximately 15 slices. Spread a thin layer of pesto and top with a slice of tomato. Next, mound a small amount of crab and top with cheese. Place under broiler for approximately 4 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and turning brown.

Favorite Whitter Cheddar

This week we are having Mac and Cheese. This recipe is actually a blend of two—Martha Stewart’s and Ina Garten’s. I love Martha’s for the bread crumb topping, but not the elbow macaroni or the gruyere. I love Ina’s for the penne and all the different cheeses, but not the tomatoes. I’m not a tomato hater—in fact I love them—just not in my mac and cheese. So, I made it my own. I will serve this with a big salad and all will be happy.

Delicious Gooeyness

My Mac And Cheese
Serves 12

6 slices brioche pulsed in food processor
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups grated Havarti
1 1/4 cups Parmesan
2 pound Penne

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with breadcrumbs, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Havarti and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add penne; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer’s directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Drain penne and rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir penne into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Havarti and 1/4 cup Parmesan; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

I got to thinking which books have meant the most to me. Which stories made me stop and think? Made me laugh or cry? I created a list of my top books. Most of these are still on my bookshelf and some have moved on to other shelves. I wanted to limit the list to five but my brain said no—how can you choose?

I didn’t start out loving to read—in fact I hated it. It was a giant pain in my backside. I read only what was required. It wasn’t until my seventh grade English teacher assigned Durango Street by Frank Bonham, that the world of reading was different for me. I read ahead of the class—I re-read chapters. I can say, I may have even skipped other homework in lieu of reading. It wasn’t just the book, but that seventh grade teacher who held amazing discussions about the previous nights required reading. This was learning? Miss Bell, I thank you.

I digress—back to cleaning my bookshelf. Here are my top choices for books that made me stop. And, yes I know I’m kinda all over the place with these choices. My only defense—that’s just me. I’d love to hear what books have stuck with you year after year.

1. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
2. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
4. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
5. Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg
6. Shutterbabe by Deborah Copaken Kogan
7. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
9. Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris

Saffron and Genevieve

The black and white striped awning catches your eye as you are strolling down Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz. As you approach the large Victorian windows—it’s apparent—you must stop in. Owner Scarlett Reed, is a self-proclaimed buyer extraordinaire. Her shop Saffron and Genevieve is proof that she has got a great eye for unexpected gems.

Growing up in the Bay Area, she has always had a passion for design. After working with many designers, she took the plunge and started her own design business.

Front Window Display

Metal Garden Chair

Saffron and Genevieve has been offering the most wonderful treasures of antiques and furnishings for your home and an eclectic collection of gifts for the past five years. Her shop is always evolving. One of her many talents is taking old vintage pieces in desperate need of care and redesigning and reupholstering. Classic well made frames are the only requirement to get a new lease on life. Scarlett seems to know where to find great handmade items from local artists. Finding that special one of a kind gift is a snap at Saffron and Genevieve.

Leather Boots

Scarlett has recently partnered up with Oak & Company, an organic, fair-trade, sustainable clothing label and together they are hosting an celebration on January 14th. Tea and treats from 11am to 4pm and an opening party from 5pm to 9pm. I love these boots—they are handmade and the soles are crafted from recycled tires. No two pairs are alike—you can even see the white wall on some! Keeping old tires out of landfills and looking fabulous at the same time—now that’s an amazing feat!

Saffron and Genevieve
910 B Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
831.462.4506