Leilani Marie Labong's Architecture + Design Writing Portfolio

PH

OT

O C

RE

DIT

TK

PH

OT

O C

RE

DIT

TK

menlo park

fuzzy logic A cool modern home gets its warmth from the architect’s intentions, the homeowners’ style and two kids just being kids. BY LEILANI MARIE LABONG PHOTOGR APHY BY MARIKO REED

Architect Matthew Mosey oriented this U-shaped home away from the school next door in order to create a serene and private oasis that is designed specifically for an indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

88 89MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGNCALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COMCALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COMCALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2011

rchitect Matthew Mosey, a self-professed modernist, is the !rst to admit that the boxy, minimalist structures he loves to design could be consid-ered, in his own words, “frosty and indi"erent” were it not for “fuzzy modern,” a unique discipline he’s developed to buck such unfavorable stereotypes.

“By no means is ‘fuzzy modern’ an o#cial architecture term,” says Mosey, a coprincipal at San Francisco–based Dumican Mosey Architects. “It’s an attitude toward materi-ality and livability that embraces texture, warmth, lightness and a connection to the outdoors.”

$e Menlo Park home he designed for two New Zealand transplants—Vaughan Smith, director of corporate development at Facebook, and his wife, Bridget McIver, a stay-at-home mother—could be viewed as a paradigm of Mosey’s

philosophy. While the design exhibits many trademarks of minimalism (clean lines, hard surfaces, high ceilings and lots of glass), the architect also integrated antidotes to the inherently cool style: a U-shaped courtyard, raised sundecks and a sophisticated playground, complete with a pool and—much to the delight of the couple’s young children, Emilia and Finn—a trampoline.

“Almost every space in the house focuses on this court-yard,” says Mosey, who nixed a two-story plan because a second-%oor view would not only o"er nothing more than a peek of the neighbors’ lawns and the adjacent schoolyard, but, more importantly, would detract from the intimacy of the family enclave. In fact, the home was !rst conceptual-ized as “an archipelago of isolated islands.” But the eventual merging of the separate pavilions (which the architect

jokingly refers to as “continental drift”) for entertaining, sleeping and hosting guests has added, by virtue of its now-interconnected spaces, a more subtle intimacy.

Such earthy wood details as the beautiful mahogany cladding on the home’s exterior, white oak pan-eling in the master bedroom and walnut veneer on the kitchen island help defrost the home’s boxy shapes, spare decor and shiny metal !nishes. Mosey believes that the custom-designed corrugated texture of the great room’s concrete hearth and the light color of the con-crete %oors are less austere than standard applications. “For most people, concrete is the stu" their driveway is made of,

ABOVE: Finn, Vaughan, Emilia and Bridget take

a quick break from an afternoon game of croquet.

RIGHT: The integration of the pool area and patio with

the living room allows for easygoing entertaining—as does a separate guest suite.

The master bedroom’s entire corner opens to the pool area by way of a sundeck featuring an automated shade canopy. Bridget McIver furnished the house with Italian pieces from Dzine, such as Paola Lenti’s outdoor seating.

a90 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN 91

PH

OT

O C

RE

DIT

TK

not something that could potentially make their home a richer environment,” says the architect, who also notes that the heated o"-white %oors are “visually—and literally—warm.”

$e home’s seamless connection to the outdoors—best represented by the great room’s clerestory windows, skylights and 40-foot-wide series of sliding-glass pocket doors—are also a major counterpoint to the cool minimalism. After all, the generous portals don’t just allow for an abundance of

warm sunlight and fresh air, they also encourage a %urry of activity that brings life and energy to the stark architecture.

“$e house is simple upon !rst impression, but it quickly reveals itself to be a space that is really designed for family and friends to spend time together,” says McIver.

LEFT: The front door, which features a living wall by Kevin Smith, has a high-tech system that unlatches as the homeowners approach. BELOW: The streamlined Boffi kitchen was customized to hide all the unsightly necessities of a family of four.

Fatboy beanbags and playful “Scrabble” tiles by Justine King make the kids’ playroom a rainy day place for movies and video

games. BELOW: Both of the kids’ rooms are decorated with Blik wall

decals, and Finn’s has an added touch: a wall-mounted fishbowl.

“The house is simple upon first impression, but it quickly reveals itself to be a space that is really designed for family and friends to spend time together.”

$e kids and their pals ceaselessly explore the home’s blurry footprint with mad dashes from the kitchen to the pool to the trampoline to the basketball courts, which are located just over the fence at the neighboring school.

$eir parents also celebrate the indoor-outdoor lifestyle, in the context of legendary parties. For the home’s inaugural soiree in 2009 (made possible in large part by the construc-tion team, SF-based Matarozzi/Pelsinger Builders, which achieved an almost-unheard-of early-completion date), several dozen friends feted McIver’s 40th birthday with cake and Champagne on a warm summer night. Since then, the couple has hosted such unique gatherings as a make-your-own-pizza social for 50 guests and a wildlife-themed

92 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN 93

birthday party for Finn. Coming up: a karaoke blowout for 100 of Smith’s coworkers, who will take the stage on the deck adjacent to the master bedroom.

Beyond the thundering bashes that have given the home its illustrious reputation as the ultimate entertaining pad, dozens of intimate dinner parties have also been hosted in the formal dining room—the glass-wrapped space near the entryway o"ers dramatic features that each take a di"er-ent spin on light. A Bocci pendant is made from 36 dangling glass spheres that gleam from within; the steel-and-concrete !replace re%ects light o" its polished surface and the %icker-ing glow from the !re provides warm illumination. A vertical garden of living moss, created by SF-based designer Kevin Smith (no relation to Vaughan), keeps the room down-to-earth and adds a unique organic texture to the elegant scene.

$e freestanding architectural elements—namely, the !replaces in the great room and dining room, and the powder room-pantry cube in the kitchen area—are residual in%u-ences from the early “archipelago” scheme.

“Space gracefully %ows through and around these %oating pavilions, which creates depth,” says Mosey. “Interestingly, the structures also anchor the rooms.” A sculpture by Toronto artist Ken Gangbar symbolizes the multidimensional aspect of the design. Installed on one side of the pantry unit, the abstract piece features hundreds of irregularly shaped porcelain orbs suspended from the wall with short stainless steel rods. “I love the playful shadows these shapes create,” says McIver.

“It is just so unexpected.”

To further texturize the architecture’s smooth planes, McIver, who is on the brink of !nishing her degree in interior design, incorpo-rated such elements as rugs and blankets (faux fur drapes the living room sofa), plants (agave, acacia and olive trees make up the drought- tolerant landscape in the courtyard) and, of course, art. Like Gangbar’s otherworldly piece,

Topher Delaney’s poolside rope spheres and an oversize oil-on-canvas by Meredith Pardue in the dining room are also captivating works. But it’s the large photos of a toothless Emilia and a widely grinning Finn in the hallway that are the real scene-stealers, proving that !nding the gray area that makes up “fuzzy modern” can be as simple as black-and-white family photos.

“Space gracefully flows through and around these floating pavilions, which creates depth. Interestingly, the structures also anchor the rooms.”

The dining room, located to the right of the entry, is like a glass vitrine at night with 36 Bocci pendants and a glossy white table. Both fireplace surrounds were custom-

designed and fabricated by Concreteworks’ Mark Rogero.

The McIver-Smith household takes on a new vibe in the evening, when two fireplaces and an ensemble cast of dramatic light fixtures are turned on. BELOW: The master bed and bath are tucked into the lot’s far corner, allowing for plenty of glass but ensuring privacy.

94 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM MAY/JUNE 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN 95

PH

OT

O C

RE

DIT

TK

PH

OT

O C

RE

DIT

TK

san francisco

educatedpalette

A family with young children needed just a nudge from designer Jay Jeffers to get their new home up and running in style.BY LEILANI MARIE LABONG PHOTOGR APHY BY CÉSAR RUBIO

Designer Jay Jeffers’ masterful eye for color has become his signature.

This San Francisco family home announces its pure prettiness at the entry with a pair of Gregorius Pineo chairs upholstered in blue linen with orange accents that are picked up in

the drapery panels and shelves.

83MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGNCALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAR/APR 201182

omewhere between candidly admitting that they were !rst-time decorators and

coming up with the inspiration to pair large-scale abstract canvases with classic Louis XV–style furniture, the new owners of an architecturally ambiguous 1912 home in San Francisco made a surprising discovery: Under the guidance of designer Jay Je"ers, they were actually bolder risk-takers than they ever imagined.

It was a valuable revelation, considering their ambitious goal—completely redesigning the interiors of their Paci!c Heights home in just seven short months. #e March 2010 move-in date was non-negotiable because the wife—a former corporate recruiter turned stay-at-home mother—was at the time expecting the couple’s second child and quite eager to settle the young family into its !rst real home.

“#ey learned to trust us pretty quickly,” says Je"ers, principal of Je"ers Design Group in San Francisco. “#ey didn’t have time to agonize over 12 di"erent ottoman options or stew over wall treatments—which is not to say they didn’t have their reservations about some choices.”

S CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Dividing the vast living room into two seating areas allowed for a blend of new and vintage

furniture; a pair of 1950s armchairs were covered in sea-green velvet; a large Sheri

Franssen painting anchors the room.

TOP TO BOTTOM: In the entry, an elegant Oushak rug gives way to a

more modern staircase runner; Kelly Hohla and Jay Jeffers completed

the speedy transformation; Willem Racké’s hand-painted walls in the

powder room were the client’s idea.

84 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN 85

PH

OT

O C

RE

DIT

TK

!e detail in question: a neutral lattice pat-tern wall treatment in the living room, hand screened by SF decorative painter Willem Racké. !e motif—an artistic diversion from regular "at wall paint—doesn’t detract from the spirited paintings that share the space or compete with the cool green-gray tones in the upholstery, but merely adds a subtle texture to the elegant scene.

“!ey were unsure about it, but once they saw the #nished product, they loved it,” says Je$ers. Other successful leaps of faith included the kitchen’s "oral-mosaic backsplash (at #rst glance, the Waterworks tile seemed more appro-priate for a bathroom) and a pearly salmon–hued trim in the baby girl’s nursery.

“It’s such an unusual color that even the painters questioned it. !at’s when I started to freak out,” says the wife. Lime-green linen draperies boost the room’s spunk factor, while a graceful scroll-patterned wallpaper by Cole & Son bestows a demure, ladylike quality. “It’s now one of my favorite spots in the house,” she says.

Needless to say, adapting to Je$ers’ fearless color sensibility required some personal growth from the couple.

“It wasn’t easy, but we wanted to be pushed beyond our comfort zone,” says the wife. Once accli-mated, she conceptualized a bold, hand-screened, Hermès-orange chinoiserie design on the walls of the powder room, while Je$ers, who envisioned the small space as a “jewel box,” installed a spar-kly crushed-glass tile "oor.

!e home’s fresh coral, blue and green pal-ette saturates the upholstery and art. “We’re new to buying art,” says the wife. “We’re also realizing that when it comes to art, we’re less traditional than we thought.” A colossal abstract canvas by Sheri Franssen punctuates the serene living room with a turbulent burst, while another interpretive piece by John DiPaolo enlivens the family room’s prevailing wood #nishes. Both paintings serve as contemporary counterpoints to the design’s more traditional elements.

Using the home’s majestic French-style wrought-iron banister as inspiration, Je$ers

“From the beginning, the clients kept saying that they weren’t ‘fancy,’ just normal people who wanted a beautiful—and functional—house.”

At the far end of the family room—across from the kitchen—built-in storage creates a cozy dining nook or a stylish place to play cards under the light of a Venetian mirrored chandelier.

FROM TOP: The kitchen, with its floral-mosaic tile backsplash

and upholstered bar stools, exemplifies the pretty-meets-casual edict (even the comfy family room sofa fits the bill).

CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN 8786 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM

and senior designer Kelly Hohla helped the couple choose, among other distinguished pieces, the baroque gilt-wood mirrors for the foyer, the Chinese Han Dynasty vases on the entryway table and a pair of French carved-alabaster urn lamps in the master bedroom. “We definitely jump-started their new antiques collection,” says Hohla. “But they want to really start collecting when their children get a little older.”

While historic vestiges add an air—or, in this case, a gentle breeze—of distinction to the design, the homeowners’ need for what they call a “kid-proof, stress-free environment,” took

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The master bedroom continues the color scheme from the main living areas; traditional fixtures and white marble elevate the look of the bathroom; misty blue and taupe reference the valuable views.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: In a slight departure from the standard kids’ colors, Jeffers brought a range

of blue-greens to the boy’s room (where a map is a vibrant focal

point) and contrasting salmon and lime green to the girl’s nursery.

88 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM 89

precedence over acquiring too many costly objets d’art. “My husband began yearning for anything from Ikea,” says the wife, citing the couple’s two-year-old son and his daily rituals of sliding on the walnut !oors and clambering over the furniture to glimpse passing trucks through the windows.

“From the beginning, the clients kept saying that they weren’t ‘fancy,’ just normal people who wanted a beautiful—and functional—house,” explains Hohla. "e toddler’s daring feats are made less nerve-wracking with high consoles that place prized possessions out of his reach (other

valuables are displayed on the upper shelves of built-in bookcases). And durable outdoor fabrics were used cleverly, especially in the boy’s bed-room, where a colorful world map on the wall was the inspiration for the youthful blue, green and white geometric-patterned fabric used for bedding and throw pillows—a far cry from the staid designs of outdoor fabrics past.

“It gets loud and messy in this house,” says the wife. “But we don’t have any ‘o#-limits’ rooms here—they would just be a waste of space.”

In a home where the concept of a forbid-den room is, well, forbidden, there are still a few areas in the house that are more celebrated than others. From a design perspective, Je#ers has a soft spot for the living room, citing its whimsi-cal and easy take on classical pieces (“It really

“It gets loud and messy in this house. But we don’t have any ‘off-limits’ rooms here—they would just be a waste of space.”

sets the tone for the rest of the house,” he says), while Hohla has a fondness for the airy master bed-room’s calming blue-and-taupe color palette and subtle pattern combinations. But the family, not surprisingly, prefers to dwell in the combined open kitchen and family room. "ere, the deep sofas—transplants from their previous residence—are cozy and familiar, the sizable marble breakfast bar works superbly as a desk (the formal o$ce seems far away on the third !oor) and the large windows, which pro-vide a generous infusion of light and views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands, are perfect for watching the trucks go by.

ABOVE: The walls in the basement-level media room

were given a strié finish for a subtle added texture. BELOW: The artwork over the A. Rudin

sectional sofa is a mixed-media piece by Judy Pfaff.

RIGHT: The husband’s office on the top floor is a quiet spot where he can work early mornings and late

nights without disturbing his family. ABOVE: The office leads to the roof deck, where the views make for a

spectacular breakfast setting.

90 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM CALIFORNIAHOMEDESIGN.COM MAR/APR 2011 CALIFORNIA HOME+DESIGN 91

What sets this Oakland kitchen apart from the run of the mill? A touch of art By Leilani Marie Labong | photographs by jeffery cross

Cookingwith soul

WT: KitchenPF: 01ZO: AZ

page

56

56 Sunset July 2011

Before & after

hcb0711b_OaklandKitchen.indd 56 5/18/11 11:43 AM

before

Cathy Lo (left) and Christina Zamora

Disappearing Act“We wanted the kitchen to feel really integrated into the space,” says Christina. The design does this in subtle ways: The concrete wall doubles as a backsplash; the new island “floats” in the open loft; and the color of the island’s white oak echoes the warm pine floorboards.

“The old kitchen was lacking in the charm depart-ment, for sure,” Christina Zamora says of what came with this live-work loft in West Oakland, in a former elementary school from the 1920s. After a clever, very functional remodel, though, the kitchen for two artists (Christina is a designer at Heath Ceramics in Sausalito and her partner, Cathy Lo, works as an art director in San Francisco) has charm to spare. Collaborating with Jon Norton—a designer in Emeryville—the couple came up with a layout that worked for their creative life-style: the key addition being a new island. “The island isn’t a barrier between the kitchen and the studio—it’s just a part of the studio,” says Christina. Design Jon Norton, Emeryville, CA >58


page

57


Sunset July 2011 57


1 island living A slab of white oak serves as the breakfast bar; on the far side, a sleek induction stove is set in a stainless steel surround. The drawers below the cooktop have cutout handles instead of pulls to let air cool the hot surface.

2 Material Gain The “wood” panels on the front of the island are actually recycled ceramic kiln shelves that Heath offers as part of its tile collection. Christina cut the shelves to resemble pieces of lumber, then screen-printed beetles and lettering on them.

3 Hidden Motives Sometimes, when planning storage for a new kitchen, a little reverse psychology is in order. “Having closed cabinets would only give me permission to accumulate more objects!” says Christina.

4 Clean Slate Roomy cabinets hide appliances, while tea and coffee provisions are stored in a long, narrow built-in above the counter. Heath seconds—in this case, slightly wonky teacups from the Dosa collection—sit atop the slender case.

5 The Great Wall The wall makes a dramatic (18 feet high!) backdrop. The concrete’s raw color and texture are echoed by the vintage Cosco barstools, which Cathy rescued from Berkeley’s Urban Ore salvage yard.

Why we love their kitchen

1

2

3

4

5

To change background color (fill), with direct selection tool (hollow arrow) in layer palette to select “background shape” layer, then choose color from swatch palette.

To change mouse color, (fill)with direct selection tool use layer palette to select “compound shape” layer and shape layer, then choose color from swatch palette.

To change mouse tail (stroke), with direct selection tool use layer palette to select “mousetail” layer, then choose color from swatch palette.

Design ideas for your perfect kitchen: sunset.com/kitchens


page

58

58 Sunset July 2011

Before & after


Imperfect teacups make good holders for air plants.

The rest of the loft is dominated by the making of art.

The clock that used to hang in my mother’s kitchen.

It doesn’t even work anymore, but it always reminds me of our nightly family dinners.

Robert McCormick, executive chef, Montagna at the Little Nell, Aspen, CO

There is a painting of a tangle of garlic.

It’s in a worn walnut frame carved with

daisies. You probably wouldn’t give it the time of day. But my father painted the

garlic. His father grew the garlic. And the

flowers were hand-carved for my grandmother Daisy.

Chris Bianco, chef-owner, Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix

Our kitchen is where all the good stuff happens: dance

parties, recipe successes, culinary

failures, and, of course, pit bull trick training.

When I die, you might as well bury me under

the floorboards.Jessica battilana, editor,

Tasting table, San francisco

I have a dozen 60- to 70-year-old bamboo

baskets that I’ve collected from flea markets and junk shops around Japan. They

make it feel like an old Japanese farmhouse.

Sylvan Mishima Brackett, chef-owner, Peko-Peko Japanese Catering, Oakland

My father’s cleaver hangs with my

other knives. He would use this cleaver

for everything from butchery to brunoise. It would even make

an appearance at the holiday dinner table.Elias Cairo, salumist-owner, Olympic Provisions, Portland

A kitchen is also a living space: People always gather there.

So why not give them a place to sit? I’ve got a sofa in mine.

Kevin West, canning guru and author, Savingtheseason.com, Los Angeles

A late-’60s Chemex

coffeemaker that was a gift

from my father. I consider it

an art object, and I’m not alone––the

Chemex is in the permanent

collections at the Smithsonian

and MOMA.Philip Anacker, cofounder,

Flying Goat Coffee, Healdsburg, CA !

Jars filled with posole, pintos (of course),

Anasazi beans, bolita beans, local quinoa,

yellow and blue cornmeal, and best of

all, a whole shelf of dried red chiles.

Andrea Meyer, chef, the Love Apple, Taos, NM

The finishing touch

How food pros make their home kitchens feel like!…!home –interviews by Leilani marie labong


page

58


page

59


2 0 4 L U X E I N T E R I O R S + D E S I G N

HOME BUILDER Eric Freedberg, Milestone Homes

ARCHITECTURE Sonya Sotinsky and Miguel Fuentevilla, FORS Architecture + Interiors

INTERIOR DESIGN Sonya Sotinsky and Miguel Fuentevilla, FORS Architecture + Interiors

BEDROOMS 3 BATHROOMS 5 SQUARE FEET 6,622

TWO GIGANTIC SAGUARO LOVEBIRDS, LOCKED IN A PERMANENT EMBRACE ON

A BUILDING SITE AT THE BASE OF THE CATALINA MOUNTAINS, WERE THE

CAUSE OF MANY A FURROWED BROW ON THE FACES OF SONYA SOTINSKY AND

MIGUEL FUENTEVILLA, OF TUCSON-BASED FORS ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS.

The stunning, contemporary dwelling the husband-and-wife team designed for a high-

powered tech attorney on this particular sun-baked location was, in many ways, at the

mercy of these prickly guardians. “The Tucson desert is beautiful, but it’s intense,” says

Sotinsky, “and totally loaded with saguaros. We had to uproot and replant seven of them,

and quietly dance around the intertwined pair.”

WRITTEN BY LEILANI MARIE LABONG

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM LESCH

S A G U A R O T A N G O

L U X E I N T E R I O R S + D E S I G N 207

C ON T I N U E D F R OM PA G E 205

As mindful as Sotinsky and Fuentevilla were about uniting the new

architecture with its arid environs—not only through cacti relocation,

but also via a thoughtful selection of materials that mimic the desert’s

natural masonry, and a dedication to remain within the original foot-

print of the two-story home previously on the site—the couple was forced

to master yet another delicate two-step, this time with the development’s

homeowners association. “The community no longer allowed new two-

story additions,” explains Fuentevilla. “In order to keep the double height,

we had to integrate part of the old structure—a single column, literally—

into the new design.”

AIR PLANESThe white terrazzo floors, light walnutaccents and abundant glass emphasize theloftiness of the double-height great room.The kitchen windows frame a Sotinsky-designed xeriscape of native ocotillo, teddybear cactus and fountain grass.

STYLE SELECT I ON

Shown in a polished nickel finish, the

elegant curves and simple lines of this

pendant make it the perfect piece to

brighten contemporary spaces. HaydenSmall Hammered Iron Pendant, $109;arteriorshome.com



Thanks to this negligible relic, carefully salvaged from the ruins of the

old edifice, a grand three-bedroom, five-bath residence materialized, the

star of which might be the lofty great room, a magnificent space

enclosed by a south-facing, 40-foot-wide wall of glass windows and

doors. A close contender is the semiprofessional kitchen, outfitted with

top-of-the-line induction cooktops, refrigerators and a Wood Stone

pizza oven. “I love the great room for its sheer volume,” says builder Eric

Freedberg, of Tucson’s Milestone Homes. “But I think the homeowner

prefers the kitchen—she’s a foodie and loves to cook.” By virtue of the open-

plan design—wherein the adjacent kitchen, library and mezzanine are

all exposed to the great room—favoring such a cavernous space may be

the safest bet.

F I RE AND WATER

The seating nook in front of the great

room’s smaller fireplace is the last pit

stop before the space flows out into the

pool, built by Tucson’s Cimarron Circle

Construction Company, or diverges into

the high-tech library.

UNITED COLORSThe granite-like concrete block and sand-coloredstucco harmonizes the home with its untameddesert environment. A stainless-steel sculptureby Micajah Bienvenu, Dancing Fool, rises from itspoolside location, adding its own unique contoursto the arid landscape.


GOLDEN RULEAccording to Sotinsky, “high drama” was theidea behind the backlit alabaster panels on thismonumental hearth. The hand-blown glasssuspension pendants from Hampstead Lightingcounterbalance the lengthy dining table whileemphasizing the height of the room.


LIFE AQUATICGiven the shortage of water in desert climes,this cast-in-place concrete fountain by theMcNary Company in Tucson uses recycledwater for its refreshing percolation.


There, a monumental hearth, fashioned with backlit alabaster panels,

provides a dramatic backdrop for the dining area, its amber luminescence

echoing the walnut accents in the space and imbuing warmth onto the

polished concrete walls and sleek floors. “The white terrazzo floor tiles

were a special request from the homeowner,” says Sotinsky. These interior

finishes harmonize with the cool, contemporary architecture and serve

as a minimalist gallery setting for the attorney’s extensive collection of

modern sculpture and paintings.

A smaller hearth opposite the alabaster fireplace marks the entrance to a

“library,” which doesn’t contain the shelves of books that typify such spaces,

but rather three flat-screen televisions, complete with computer hook-ups.

By comparison, however, the rest of the house is decidedly low tech.

TOP CHEF

The kitchen’s commercial-grade

equipment would, says Freedberg,

“make most restaurant chefs jealous.”

The inverted L-shaped bar, crafted

from walnut by Tucson-based Timeless

Pieces, features distinctive banding

that accentuates its length.



“The homeowner preferred simple things that turn on and off—not one

big magic button that controls everything in the house,” explains

Freedberg. It’s a mindset that not only complements the keep-it-simple

values inherent inmodern architecture but also ensures a strong connection

between home and homeowner—conceivably, fewer bells, whistles and

wires translates into a purer understanding of the design.

Such clarity is also true of the home’s intimate relationship with the land.

While the Sonoran Desert’s finery is artfully exhibited through a profusion

of glass, it’s the perspective from high up in the mezzanine-cum-master-

suite that offers the most revelatory spectacle: a far-reaching Tucson

cityscape that begins with, appropriately, those two saguaros embracing

by the pool. L LOOKING GLASSThe poolside cuddling saguaros andsweeping valley vista can be viewed fromany point in the great room and mezzanine,thanks to a 40-foot-wide wall of south-facing glass windows and doors.

N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 07x7.CO M62

The

Smal

l Sta

kes

Who says you need a mansion—or even a house—to show off your design sensibility? Not these city dwellers, who’ve made their apartments, all less than 900 square feet, into showcases of urban style.BY LEILANI LABONG

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEN SISKA

STYLING BY MIKHAEL ROMAIN

1

7x7.CO M2 0 1 0 N OV E M B E R 63

WEATHERING HEIGHTSMONIQUE RAMOS AND RICHARD COLMANMISSION DISTRICT850 SQUARE FEET“We like to describe the decor as ‘faded Cuban glamour,’” says stylist and designer Monique Ramos of the Mission apartment she shares with her boyfriend, artist Richard Colman. The intriguing tableau, a sunny 850-square-foot space, arises from the most unexpected medley of nostal-gic travel mementos (jars of sand from all over the world), moody works of art (seascapes and taxidermy installations), and enchanting timeworn furnishings (chandeliers and vin-tage leather seating).

“We’re essentially two hoarders living in a small space,” says Ramos, 42, who launched an online store of home and lifestyle accessories in September to complement her con-sulting business, Brown Bench Design (brownbenchdesign.com). “Richard and I have needed to be extremely creative about how we store things. Organization is a puzzle that we’re always working on.” For instance, the couple’s inge-nious method of displaying books—in shelves fashioned from two stacked antique wooden benches (pictured above, second from left)—isn’t just enigmatic of their weathered aesthetic. It also saves the lath-and-plaster walls of their rental unit from expensive damage. “I loved our bench solu-tion so much,” says Ramos, “I named my company after it.”

2 The sheer size of this muted, but no less dramatic,

seascape—purchased for $10—gives it instant prominence in Ramos and Richard Colman’s large art collection, comprised of anonymous vintage pieces sourced from local flea markets along with works by boldface names such as Shepard Fairey and James Marshall.

3 “I like to hold onto moments in a tangible way,” says

Ramos, whose glass-jar memories include beach sand from vacations in Cape Cod and Tulum, a hummingbird’s nest (a relic from the summer of 2006), and small bits of a Christmas tree from 2007, the couple’s first holiday in the apartment.

4 Ramos enlarged a sample of Cole and Son Woods

wallpaper to fill the space above the hallway’s crown molding. When paired with the palm-green walls, the entry turns into a scene right out of a storybook.

5 Colman gave Ramos a taxidermy fawn from Paxton

Gate on her 40th birthday. The piece is displayed among mosses and porcelain rocks in a Plexiglas case the couple unearthed at Urban Ore in Berkeley. “The installation reminds me of something you’d see at the Museum of Natural History in New York,” says Ramos.

6 Colman displays his collection of “rubber wrestling dudes

and action heroes” in an old wooden gun case found on Craigslist. Ramos lined it with an enlarged image of a diving suit, originally sketched by Houdini.

1 Monique Ramos discovered this old metal chandelier—adorned with lilies

and glass beads—at a 2004 sidewalk sale in the Castro. Though she gladly forked over $15 to take it home, she admits that a small fortune was required to rewire the piece. “It was the first thing to go up in our apartment,” she says.

3

2 4

6

5

N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 07x7.CO M64

LOTU

S B

LEU

RO

UN

D L

AC

QU

ER

TR

AY

; A

ME

NIT

Y A

LPA

CA

AFG

HA

N I

N

DE

SSE

RT

PIN

K. O

N W

IND

OW

SE

AT:

LO

TUS

BLE

U C

UST

OM

PIL

LOW

S I

N

“PU

RP

LE M

U”

AN

D “

RA

SP

BE

RR

Y C

OLL

INS”

BY

MA

DE

LIN

E W

EIN

RIB

NESTING INSTINCT FRANCES WEISS LOWER PACIFIC HEIGHTS, 400 SQUARE FEET

Five years ago, design consultant Frances Weiss and her then-fiancé shared an apartment in Bernal Heights with some pretty rotten mojo. “Someone over-dosed and died there shortly before we moved in,” says Weiss, 35. The couple’s relationship irrevocably soured soon after they took up residence. The newly single Weiss sought safe harbor in a light-filled, 400-square-foot studio in Lower Pacific Heights. “It felt warm and safe from the moment I stepped foot in it,” she says. “It was such a welcome relief coming from a bad relation-ship and a haunted apartment.”

By starting with a neutral canvas of earthy walls and furnishings—not to mention the familiar textures of woven baskets, cashmere blankets, and a chunky wool rug—Weiss created a modern bohemian retreat featuring spontaneously creative touches. Wine crate cast-offs form a small bookshelf, a bathroom light well is now a plant atrium, and a sizeable walk-in closet, trimmed in bright sea-green, acts as her home office. “I like the challenge of putting together interesting, functional, and comfortable spaces with virtually no budget,” says Weiss. “In my case, a safe and cozy nest.”

small spaces

1

7x7.CO M2 0 1 0 N OV E M B E R 65

1 Ever the resourceful scavenger, Frances Weiss rescued these

discarded wine crates from a trash heap, lined the bottoms with samples of Cole and Son wallpaper, and stacked them to create a bookshelf. The unfinished look echoes the apartment’s earthiness while the books enliven the room with their colorful spines.

2 Weiss had high hopes of transforming her walk-in closet

into her bedroom even though her queen-size bed would only fit into the space at an angle. The bed is now situated in the main living area, and the closet has been transformed into an office for Weiss’s design-consultation business (francesweiss.com).

3 “When my best friend moved back to Berlin, she gave me

this amazing turquoise chair,” says Weiss, who likens the classic mid-century silhouette to Saarinen’s iconic Tulip masterpiece. “The color is great and provides a stylish focal point in such a neutral space. I lost a friend but gained a great chair!”

4 Weiss transferred many of the plants she kept in her Bernal

Heights backyard to a light well outside the bathroom window in her new space. The miniature garden rests on an orphaned wooden shelf she spotted next to a Dumpster. “The plants give me a sense of peace and rejuvenation,” says Weiss.

5 In 2003, this moody painting, starring a sultry Art Nouveau-

style woman, was gifted to Weiss by the artist—and her good friend—Kime Buzzelli (kimebuzzelli.com). The phrase scrawled along the edge of the work, “Try it you might like it,” resonated strongly with Weiss, who was then in the process of moving back to San Francisco.

6 The antique mirrors sprinkled throughout the apartment are

relics from a 1920s-themed cookie store that Weiss’ mother owned in their hometown of Atlanta. “Being surrounded by such beautiful antique objects as a child gave me an early appreciation of style,” says Weiss.

2

3

5

6

4

N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 07x7.CO M66

A DESIGN MATCH MADE IN HEAVENKELLY WATERS AND PETER JUDD POTRERO HILL, 850 SQUARE FEET

“Is it silly to be so sentimental over a chair or a sofa or an autographed doll?” asks intern architect Kelly Waters of the storied contemporary furniture, art, and other treasured keepsakes in the 850-square-foot flat she shares with her husband, Peter Judd, in Potrero Hill. Their classic Eames lounge, for instance, was inherited from Judd’s mother, who would while away many an afternoon upon it while pregnant with her son. The midcentury sofa was acquired from a porn distribution center in Los Angeles. And a collection of action figures from ’70s and ’80s TV shows was acquired via Judd’s addiction to eBay.

While the couple leans heavily toward modern design, they vehemently reject any form of style pigeonholing. “We abide by the don’t-put-it-in-your-place-if-you-don’t-love-it rule,” says Waters, 30, who also pens the design blog, Halcyon Days (kellylynnwaters.blogspot.com). True to that incantation, a parade of pedigreed orphans, including four vintage Eames seats, a Milo Baughman dowel bench, and a Saarinen dining chair—literally kicked to the curb by their former owners—have been adopted into the Waters-Judd flat. “Old, new, vintage, or antique,” says Waters, “if we love it, we’ll take it home and make it work.”

small spaces

1

2

7x7.CO M2 0 1 0 N OV E M B E R 67

1 Kelly Waters’ employee discount at Limn

furniture store enabled her to scoop up these Piero Lissoni Paper Chairs (now embellished with feltwork by SF artist Ashley Helvey). “When Peter and I started dating, he couldn’t believe I owned these chairs,” says Waters. “He had come close to buying them, too.”

2 In another coincidence (“Our paths must have

crossed so many times before we met,” muses Waters), she and husband Peter Judd each owned a classic low Eames side table before moving in together. The familiar profile of these revered utilitarian pieces makes them instantly stylish, and now they have a pair.

3 A Leah Giberson painting (leahgiberson

.com) of a midcentury dwelling in Daly City’s Westlake neighborhood was a mutual anniversary present between the two newlyweds. “When we take the freeway through Daly City to Ocean Beach,” says Judd, “Kelly and I always mention how much we love the houses there.”

4 Judd surprised his wife last Christmas

with a vintage wooden toy monkey by Kay Bojesen that she’d been coveting since her days as a student in Denmark. “She would inevitably become horrified by its steep price tag,” says Judd. “I found it on eBay.” The primate now decorates the bar.

5 This eclectic 1960s mushroom pottery

stool, a gift from Judd’s mother, is by sculptor Stan Bitters. It’s meaningful to the couple because, says Waters, “Peter, in his younger years, apparently liked to strip naked, jump on top of it, and proclaim himself king—I’ve seen the photographic evidence.”

6 “As much as I like to have nice things, I don’t

like to pay thousands of dollars for them,” says Waters of the red Roses rug by Nani Marquina she had previously admired from afar. “We came across this one rolled up at a warehouse sale for just a few hundred dollars. At that price, we felt like we were stealing it.”

4

5

6

3

N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 07x7.CO M68

ON

SO

FA:

(FR

OM

LE

FT)

JO

HN

RO

BS

HA

W “

FOG

” IK

AT-

STY

LE P

ILLO

W A

VA

ILA

BLE

AT

LOTU

S B

LEU

; LO

TUS

BLE

U C

UST

OM

PIL

LOW

IN

“B

LAC

K S

TELL

A”

BY

MA

DE

LIN

E W

EIN

RIB

.

SECRET GARDENMAMIE RHEINGOLDDUBOCE TRIANGLE750 SQUARE FEETMamie Rheingold, a 25-year-old program manager at Google, wasn’t the first to claim dibs on a new Duboce Triangle garden apartment designed by Boor Bridges Architecture, but she was definitely the most enthusiastic. “I have a background in architecture, so I really marveled at the design,” says Rheingold, who moved in six months ago. “My landlords really wanted a tenant who would appreciate it.”

The 750-square-foot space, formerly a storage area for a five-unit building located near the United States Mint, was transformed into a modern one-bedroom apartment with an industrial-loft sensibility. Open communal spaces flow into each other and airy 9-foot ceilings display wooden support beams. Exposed air ducts, large windows, and folding glass doors let abundant sunshine in—conduct unbefitting a standard basement-level unit.

Rheingold’s youthful exuberance—revealed through her fondness for Japanese pop art, toy robots, gnomes, and novelty ceramic teapots—enlivens the space, while modern classics such as the Marcel Breuer Wassily Chair, clear acrylic coffee table from CB2, and tripod floor lamp add sophistication. “My décor is eclectic but not random,” says Rheingold. “Everything exists har-moniously here.”

small spaces

1

7x7.CO M2 0 1 0 N OV E M B E R 69

1 The spotlight in Mamie Rheingold’s living room

was a recent acquisition from SummerHouse in Mill Valley. She notes that the lamp’s wooden composition highlights the ceiling beams and warms up the cool textures in the space —namely the concrete floors and Carrera marble countertops in the adjacent kitchen.

2 Rheingold sourced the blue-green, fan-shaped

architectural relic above her bed from the San Anselmo Country Store. “I wanted something that would float above the bed,” she says, “and give the illusion of a headboard.”

3 The prized piece in Rheingold’s collection of

white ceramic teapots is a rare work by Peter Fluck and Roger Law that features a particularly snouty Margaret Thatcher. It was modeled off a caricature of the Iron Lady on the famous ’80s British satirical puppet show, Spitting Image.

4 The Mill Valley native suspects that the

previous owner of the white leather-and-chrome Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer had no idea of its pedigree. She acquired it on Craigslist for $150. “Well, at least I think it’s a Breuer,” says Rheingold, suddenly uncertain.

2

5

6

3

5 Rheingold has been collecting toys since

childhood, but she began amassing toy robots in 2006, around the same time she started working at Google. “The tech industry was definitely a big influence in starting this collection,” she says. “After all, I am surrounded by engineers who love robots.”

6 Rheingold swooped up the antique Shaker-style

dining chairs—refugees from a recent remodel of the Caprice restaurant in Tiburon—for a mere $15 each. Their worn black paint makes a rustic contrast against the stark-white display wall, featuring a collection of unusual ceramic teapots.

4

TOUCH OF HONEY

! " # $ % & " ' ( ) * + * ' * ( , * - " . / 0 & " - 1 #(# 0 2 ) / " ' & ( 3 * 4 $ 5 0 ' & $ * ( 6 * ! ( $ #(

# 7 " " ) " ' ( ) / * & ( + 0 # ) 8

PHOTOGRAPHY: TERI LYN FISHERSTYLING: EMILY HENSON

COPY: LEILANI MARIE LABONGINTERIOR DESIGN: TAMARA KAYE-HONEY

143

WITH ROOTS IN BOTH EASTERN CANADA’S DEEP FREEZE AND THE CONCRETE JUNGLE OF MANHATTAN, it’s no surprise that designer Tamara Kaye-Honey and her husband, television-commercial producer Ryan Honey, felt compelled to do as 150 years of industrious pioneers have done before them—blaze a trail West in search of, well, sunshine and opportunity. “We lived in a New York walk-up for seven years—with no balcony!” says Tamara, 37, a former buyer at Bergdorf Goodman. “California seemed like paradise to us.”

The couple’s auspicious 2003 pilgrimage to the left coast has since produced two kids (daughter, Phia, 8, and son, Streak, 6), a successful commercial-production !rm for Ryan, a "ourishing design showroom for Tamara, and, in keeping true to the whole land-of-milk-and-, er, honey experience, a dream home in the form of a 1923 English Tudor in the Los Angeles suburb of Altadena.

Although envisioning the dwelling as the proverbial

145

“dream home” required more than a little imagina-tion—no mean feat for Tamara’s mother, who, despite a history of embracing renovations (a trait she passed onto her daughter), cried in despair at !rst sight of the severely dilapidated structure. “It had been neglected for decades,” explains Tamara, noting that the previous owner, an eccentric German inventor, “enhanced the home with unusual valves and odd masonry work,” and allowed a 60-pound pig run amuck on the grounds. “My mother begged us not to buy it. But I’ve always been attracted to !xers—the worse, the better.”

After an accelerated six-month renovation (“Every morn-ing, I plied the workers with lots of coffee,” laughs Tamara) that involved, among other major surgeries, overtaking a fourth bedroom to create a larger kitchen and con-

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ATTRACTED TO FIXERS—THE WORSE, THE BETTER.”

147

149

verting the garage into a play room, the 2700-square-foot Honey house (not to be confused with House of Honey, Tamara’s showroom in Pasadena) is now an inspired, offbeat, Southern California pad. The !rst clue: the architecture’s straight-from-the-English-countryside charm appears ironic considering the home is nestled among a veritable orchard of sun-drenched citrus trees (as opposed to, you know, dewy rolling green hills and other pastoral topography).

The traditional setting is also an interesting juxtaposi-tion to the Honeys’ collection of designer midcentury furniture—the dining table by Milo Baughman was a $500 Craigslist score; the hanging Parrot chair by Ib Arberg, a curious, cage-like piece indeed, is suspended perma-nently in the play room; and the breakfast table in the kitchen is a vintage Herman Miller conference table. “I love all its scratches and stains,” says Tamara. “They’re like wrinkles on a face—evidence of a life well-lived.”

Tamara’s sense of humor also shines in the Tudor. Whim-sical big-eye portraitures by the likes of Margaret Keane,

150

“I LOVE ALL ITS SCRATCHES AND STAINS.THEY’RE LIKE WRINKLES ON A FACE—

EVIDENCE OF A LIFE WELL-LIVED.”

Fornasetti, and Bjorn Wiinblad are sprinkled throughout the home, but are especially prevalent in Phia’s room. “I want our children to appreciate fantasy and creativity,” says the designer. Glossy 1970’s Italian cougars make an appearance in the living room, she explains, “just for laughs.” And those !okati shags and reclaimed-fur rugs? They’re not just for textural interest (although their soft-ness is an inviting counterpoint to the home’s teak-like Australian gumwood "nishes). “They’re an homage to our far-north roots!” says Tamara, who is also using the family home as a testing ground for The New Vintage, her fashion-forward, custom collection of chairs upholstered in faux fur or sequin gowns.

While such divergent elements are certainly advanta-geous when it comes to transforming a previously broke-down Tudor into a shining example of tasteful eclecticism, Tamara maintains that her fundamentals of design are practically foolproof. First, she says, start collecting. “I have a collection of ships for my son and vintage !ower paintings for the guest bathroom. Whether grouped together or dispersed throughout the home, the objects

153

154

157156

“THE MORE PATTERN AND TEXTURE, THE RICHER THE SPACE.”

163162

are dramatic, yet familiar.” Second, think in layers. In the entrance, for example, an unusual, rip-curl-shaped lac-quer console harmoniously coexists with a plush, geo-metric rug. “The more pattern and texture, the richer the space,” says Tamara. And lastly, expect the unexpected. “If the room feels !nished, remove a few accessories to accommodate something surprising,” advises the designer, whose enviable knack for whimsy is, of course, a signature touch of—you guessed it—Honey.

165164

Material World: Glass artistshatters convention L5

Home&GardenSan Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, June 13, 2010 | Section L

Golden GateGardener: Strange beautyin the yard L3

By Leilani Marie LabongSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

“Soul is the most important part of a home,” says SanFrancisco interior designer Jay Jeffers, 41, in the diningroom of his 1908 Edwardian cottage in the Castro, wist-fully gazing up at its eclectic gallery-style arrangement ofart — mostly portraits of unknown people that portray,en masse, a captive audience. In this moment, Jeffers’words are tinged with nostalgia. The spectators appear

Lea

Su

zuki

/T

he

Ch

ron

icle

Jay Jeffers in the dining room of the Castro district home he shares with partner Michael Purdy. “Michael and I would like to try high-rise living,’’ he says.

AT HOME WITH JAY JEFFERS

The house as style labEdwardian cottage is an incubatorfor S.F. decorator’s evolving tastes

Joe Fletcher Photography

Persimmon, a shade thatJeffers considers a neutral, isechoed throughout the house.

In Big Daddy’s CompleteRejuvenating CommunityGarden, art, flowers and vege-tables flourish atop an unlikelysliver of asphalt wedged be-tween MacArthur Boulevardand Interstate 580 in Emery-ville.

The eponymous Big Daddy,local artist Vickie Jo Sowell toldus, is the late Mr. Green, whoran a detail shop, car wash andgas station on the Peralta Streetlot. He was a minister — sodignified she remembers him

by his honorific, not his firstname — and a neighborhoodguardian angel when shemoved there in the 1980s.

After his passing, a grand-son continued the business,but a fire destroyed the build-ings and the lot lay empty until2002, when Sowell approachedthe city of Emeryville aboutreclaiming it as gardeningspace. Now the city leases thelot from Mr. Green’s landlordfor $250 every three years.Each of 20 participating fami-

lies pays $35 a year for water.Finessing the problem of

contaminated soil, Sowell’screw built raised planting bedson top of the asphalt. WestOakland resident Deb Lozier,who’d collaborated with Sowellon public art projects, signedup quickly for a bed. “We livein a live-work building with nogarden space, just a little spotfor a worm box,” Lozier said.“We were excited to partici-pate. It’s really great to have the

THE DIRT By Joe Eaton and Ron Sullivan

Art-filled garden a fitting legacy

Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

Vickie Jo Sowell, who created Big Daddy’s CompleteRejuvenating Community Garden, checks her crops.Dirt continues on L5

solemn and sympathetic.The concept of soul — or,

rather, the history that shapesit — has been resonatingstrongly with the designerlately, as new inspiration beck-ons and he prepares for a liter-al vertical move. Many timessince Jeffers purchased the1,500-square-foot home in2001, he and his partner, Mi-chael Purdy, have stood on itswraparound deck, where theirsurvey of the far-reachingeastern views has unknowing-ly (read: auspiciously) grazedthe tops of the sparkling newresidential towers in SoMa andRincon Hill. “Michael and Iwould like to try high-riseliving,” says Jeffers.

The decision was, under-standably, bittersweet for thecouple, considering the pivotaloccasions that have transpiredhere (cue sentimental music):star-studded Independence

Day bashes (who knew thatNate Berkus could draw such acrowd?); the arrival of Jeffers’cocker spaniel, Kingsley, asurprise gift from Purdy sever-al Thanksgivings ago; the cou-

ple’s celebratory soiree com-memorating their impromptuCity Hall nuptials in 2004.

“If the house were on fire, I’dgrab the Venetian mirroredframe with our wedding pho-to,” says Purdy.

Of course, there is also Jef-fers’ career to reflect upon.Over the past decade, the two-bedroom, 2!-bath dwelling —essentially his style laboratory— has gallantly served as acanvas for three design make-overs, each a hallmark of thedecorator’s evolving tastes.

The first manifestation was abold color expression of choco-late-brown walls and textilesornamented with pops of lac-quered chartreuse midcenturyfurnishings. “Ten years ago,midcentury was still innova-tive,” says Jeffers, whose keeneye for forthcoming trends,strongly evident in each of his

Jeffers continues on L4

spirited tableaux, has madehim the darling of nationaldesign publications anddecorator showcases.

The second phase — abrief DIY chapter in Jef-fers’ oeuvre — is best re-presented by a lattice wallpattern the designer fash-ioned from pink and tan-gerine grosgrain ribbon inthe master bedroom.Though his slight smirkappears to convey other-wise, he notes that a littleelbow grease in the nameof inspired decor doesmake a soulful home.“Cheap-chic design can bea lot of fun,” he says.

Ultimately, the home-spun craftiness that typ-ifies San Francisco’s ragingDIY scene wasn’t a matchfor Jeffers’ sophisticatedexuberance. Inspired bythe legacies of design pio-neers Albert Hadley, DavidHicks and Dorothy Draper,Jeffers has developed aunique ability to rescindtrends just as skillfully ashe spots them. “I’m so overanything that’s stuffed,” hesays of the taxidermy in-festation — a style too grim,perhaps, for a designerwhose optimistic style isrevealed through hisdauntless use of color andpattern.

Third time’s charmingJeffers’ dexterity with

these design axioms isevident in the home’s thirdand current iteration ofdecor, where the high-impact mix of vibrant huesand majestic motifs is re-fined by classic furnish-ings, thoughtfully edited.

“Antiques — or any ob-

jects with history, old ornew — are a great way toadd soul to a house,” hesays.

Contemporary plaidupholstery, for instance,adorns the stately custombed frame in the masterbedroom, made even moredignified by its close prox-imity to a much-belovedantique Laszlo chest. Theplayful, electric-greenpattern by Studio Print-works emblazoning theguest-bedroom walls sur-prisingly plays secondfiddle to a geometric metal-lic-gold headboard andcurvy gilded mirror.

And the generous swathof dramatic persimmonpaint in the living room —where Jeffers and Purdydecompress at day’s end

with a little fireside TVviewing — is tempered byslate-gray moldings andsuch pedigreed vestiges asthe much-beloved Art Decohighboy cabinet by Lane.

“There are some pieces Idon’t have an attachmentto, but that’s not one ofthem,” says Jeffers. “I justlove how it looks. I don’tthink I could ever let it go.”

The persimmon shade(which, incidentally, Jeffersactually considers a “neu-tral”) is echoed throughoutthe house, as in the Water-works plaid-mosaic back-splash, part of the recentkitchen remodel. “It wasthe only room in the housethat needed major sur-gery,” says Jeffers. Therenovation, as functionalas it is handsome, also

includes a new work islandand smooth concretecountertops (the ubiqui-tous granite surfaces didn’tstand a chance here).

While the kitchen iscertainly one of the home’smost celebrated spaces —ground zero for the cou-ple’s morning coffee-and-newspapers ritual andlegendary dinner parties —it’s the adjacent sittingroom that hosts their morecontemplative moments,quietly observed by thestoic man portrayed in theroom’s showpiece (cityviews notwithstanding): asizable masterwork byNew York painter ForrestWilliams.

Prized artwork“I think I’d have to take

him with me if the housewere on fire,” says Jeffers ofhis most prized work of art.It’s a nearly impossibledistinction to make amonga treasured collection —“It’s a huge part of the soulhere,” he notes — thatincludes a photorealisticwatercolor by SheldonBerkowitz, a ChristopherBrown figurative birdstudy, and a chair portraitby local artist Ada Sadler,who painstakingly workswith a three-bristle brush.

However, upon furtherconsideration, Jeffers jokes,“In case of fire, I’d probablyjust open a bottle of wineand go down with theship.” A statement made injest, indeed, yet no truerwords have ever been spo-ken by designer about ahouse that he loves, andsoon will leave.

E-mail comments [email protected].

The Jay Jeffers portfolio

Living room: “This is our vision of the industrial-chic look that’s in vogue right now — pairing ma-terials like steel, glass and wood with luxe tex-tures and unexpected color.”

Master bedroom: “The architecture — and theclient — called for a sophisticated, traditionalspace that showcased antiques. The masterbedroom features a mismatched pair of 18thcentury Italian commodes and a whimsical pairof 1940s bergere chairs upholstered in Fortunyfabric. It all sits on a 18th century Oushak rug.”

Entry: “Casual elegance was the vision for thisyoung family in Pacific Heights. This grand foyer isan elegant, sunny sitting area in which to relaxand read, but it can also be transformed into alarge dining area for entertaining.”

Turning home into a style labJeffers from page L1

Persimmon is echoed in the plaid-mosaic backsplash,part of Jeffers’ recent kitchen remodel. The renovationincludes a new island and concrete countertops.

Contemporary plaid upholstery adorns the statelycustom bed frame in interior designer Jay Jeffers’master bedroom, above. At right: Jeffers’ livingroom is a mix of vibrant hues and patterns.

Photos by Joe Fletcher Photography

Joe Fletcher Photography

Cesar Rubio

Matthew Millman

Matthew Millman

L4 | Sunday, June 13, 2010 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

BLUESTONE MAIN R ALPH L AUREN H OME

B AKER

H ENREDON

H ANCOCK & M OORE

1 2 0 P E TA L U M A B O U L E VA R D N O RT H P E TA L U M A , C A 9 4 9 5 2 • 7 0 7 - 7 6 5 - 2 0 2 4

w w w. b l u e s t o n e m a i n . c o m

FLOOR SAMPLE SALE!

T UESDAY J UNE 1 ST

THRU

W EDNESDAY , J UNE 30 TH

H O M E F U R N I S H I N G S & AC C E S S O R I E S

You live in California.So why is your best furniture inside?

The Teak Patio has just about anythingyou want to furnish your outdoor space.

After all, isn’t enjoying the outdoorswhy we live in California?

Great furniture at Great Prices!Find a better deal on comparable quality

and we’ll beat it by 5%

Stylemaker Spotlight: Designing the post-baby home L5

Home&GardenSan Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, August 22, 2010 | Section L

Golden GateGardener: Organic curesfor sick roses L3

By Leilani Marie LabongSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

An inspirational, grassroots movement is afootin the Bay Area (yes, another one), and it’s goingto make the world a better place. No, really.Granted, this region has sprouted its fair shareof grassroots movements; however, this partic-ular crusade — dubbed radical homemaking byNew York writer and pioneering radical home-maker Shannon Hayes — seems particularly wellsuited to our socially responsible, food-obsessed, eco-zealousneck of the woods.

In her recent book, “Radical Homemakers” (Left to WritePress; $23.95), Hayes, 36, makes a deeply personal and well-

Michael Macor / The Chronicle

Charlie Simpson, 7, visits the backyard henhouse in Belmont that provides fresh eggs for his family, which no longer eats prepackaged food.

Brant Ward / The Chronicle

Brant Ward / The Chronicle

Above,vegetablesgatheredfrom theHoward-Gayetonfamily’s5-acre farm inPetaluma.Right, LauraHoward-Gayeton anddaughterTuilerie walkon the farm.

Homemakers continues on L6

Takingback thesimple life

By Laramie TreviñoSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

If you are starving forhome-grown, vine-ripenedtomatoes, stand in line — avery long queue extendingalong the coast of the BayArea and then some.

It’s the height of summer,yet most gardeners are bereftof the succulent orbs that areusually abundant this time ofyear. As are seasonal-fruitevent organizers. And restau-rants specializing in seasonal

local fare.“Because of the crazy

weather, they are taking lon-ger to ripen,” says CarolynVilla-Scott of the South Bay.With fog thick until mid-morning most days aroundthe Bay Area, the heat need-ed by warm-weather plantssuch as tomatoes is at a pre-mium.

In her role as horticulturalconsultant at Yamagami’sNursery in Cupertino, shescrambled to line up localtomatoes for the annual tast-

ing held Aug. 14. While shewas able to buy fruit fromher sources in Southern Cali-fornia, she came up drywhen tapping locals.

She sent out a plea to theSanta Clara County mastergardeners, among others, tolittle avail. At the nursery shecounsels customers to alwaysplant at least one early vari-ety such as ‘Stupice,’ whichstarted ripening last month.All-time backup ‘Early Girl,’a hybrid usually ready

Tomato growers play catch-upGARDEN

Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

The cool Bay Area summer hasn’t produced enough heat formany vine-ripened tomatoes, causing restaurants to scramble.But mature green tomatoes can be picked and ripened. See L4. Tomatoes continues on L4

L6 | Sunday, August 22, 2010 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

supported case — to beexpected from someonewho holds a doctorate insustainable agricultureand community devel-opment from CornellUniversity — for shun-ning consumer culture infavor of a life of completeand utter domesticity.

Although she had eyeson a college professor-ship, Hayes jumped offthe career track a decadeago, along with her hus-band, Bob, a formercounty planner. Achingto “honor their deepestdreams and values” (inthe radical-homemakervernacular, these virtuesinclude family, commu-nity, social justice andthe environment), thecouple moved back toher family’s farm in up-state New York, where,she writes in her book,“subsistence farming,food preservation, barterand frugal living are amatter of course.”

A radical notionWhile the idea of ban-

ishing all dependence onwealthy corporations topractice an Emersonianlife of simplicity, authen-ticity and self-relianceresonates soundly withmany Bay Area residents— these are tenets of the1960s counterculture,after all — making such aprogressive lifestylechange seems, in a word,drastic. But they’re notcalled radical homemak-ers for nothing.

“Our society has in-doctrinated us with a lotof fear,” says Hayes, whowrites books for a (mod-est) living — fortified, ofcourse, by the moneysaved from the farm’sready supply of grass-fedbeef and lamb, pasturedpork and poultry, andabundant fruits andvegetables. “Fear of liv-ing without a formal jobtitle, the security of aregular paycheck, step-ping outside of our edu-cational infrastructure oreven the corporate foodsystem. Radical home-makers are pretty tiredof all that fear.”

Like Hayes, Petalumaresident Laura Howard-Gayeton, 41, also re-nounced the rat race —she was a TV producerin Hollywood from 1993to 2003 — to reclaim herrural East Coast up-bringing, in which herfamily grew its own foodand earned money

through a home-baseddecorative-herb business.

“A career was expectedof me. That’s why I got acollege education,” How-ard-Gayeton says. “Butmy job required spend-ing three hours a daycommuting in traffic andeating takeout fournights a week. I was on acrash course to burn-out.”

This realization putinto motion a fortuitousseries of events thatwould eventually bringher full circle, back to theradical homemaking ofher youth: Howard quither job, studied yoga inIndia and met her hus-band, photographerDouglas Gayeton, inTuscany, where he wasshooting a PBS docu-mentary on, of all fatefulthings, the slow foodmovement.

The couple purchaseda 5-acre Petaluma farmin 2004; there, they keepbeehives for honey, growa cornucopia of fruitsand vegetables (whichthey trade with localmerchants for bread,meat and poultry) andraise goats — a typicallycleaner and less energy-consumptive enterprisethan commercial cowdairies — for their thriv-ing organic goat’s milkice cream business, La-loo’s.

“We’ve worked veryhard to have a smallcarbon ‘hoofprint,’ ” saysHoward-Gayeton, whoalso donates her time toLadies Who Launch, afoundation to help fe-male entrepreneurs.“Doing things that aregoing to be meaningful tothe next generation issuch a refreshing changefrom the toxicity of mylife in Hollywood.”

Thinking globallyPursuing this kind of

redemptive work is typ-ical of radical homemak-ers. Belmont residentRobin Johnson Simpson,who chronicles her rad-ical-homemaking pur-suits on her blog, Frus-trated Farmgirl (frustratedfarmgirl.wordpress.com), is laying thegroundwork for a home-based soap-making busi-ness that sources palmkernel oil and shea but-ter from fair-trade farm-ers.

“I get excited when Ithink about creating aliving wage for people inthe developing world,”says Johnson Simpson, a

former fourth-gradeteacher who, in additionto concocting such am-brosial soap scents aslavender-chamomile andgreen tea-bitter orange-mint, homeschools hertwo young children,volunteers with AkiliDada (a nonprofit thatgrooms young Kenyanwomen for a career inpolitics), tends a bounti-ful garden, raises chick-ens and bees, and pre-pares three square or-ganic meals each day forher family. “When youmake the decision to optout of eating preparedfoods, cooking takestime,” she says.

The term “opt out” isrampant in Johnson

Simpson’s speech, fur-ther emphasizing therevolutionary nature ofradical homemaking.

Recently, her family“opted out” of the dailygrind for two months toattend a Christian retreatin Boston (“We had intel-lectual issues with trust-ing the Bible,” she says);husband Charlie, a mar-keting director in SiliconValley, is slowly “optingout” of corporate life(he’s suffering stress-related health problems);the couple is “opting out”of homeownership infavor of a smaller, sim-pler space (“We’re stillcozying up to the idea ofgiving up the equity,” shesays). It appears that the

simple life doesn’t comeeasy.

A little perspectiveThe fact remains that

such grand gestures,while admirable, aren’tprerequisites for manywho consider themselvesradical homemakers atheart. Jessica CarewKraft, a radical home-maker who, like many ofthe others, harvests herown produce, cans herbumper crops, mixes herown cleaning solutions,drives a hybrid (“Like agood San Francisco liber-al,” she says) and orga-nizes a babysitting co-opin her community, alsohappens to have a full-fledged career outsidethe home as a professorof sustainable design atUC Berkeley.

“We need to start look-ing at our careers as asine wave,” says Kraft,32. “We can make a dif-ference in both worlds atthe appropriate time inour lives.”

She then launches aneloquent, and refreshing-ly honest, manifesto

about the fallibility ofradical homemakers whostart viewing their do-mestic actions as a globalpanacea. “At the end ofthe day, after you’verecycled gray water intoyour garden, biked towork and washed a hun-dred diapers by hand,you’ve done a lot of goodfor yourself, but haveyou really changed theworld?” Kraft asks.“Radical homemakingcan become too self-righteous.”

The clarity of Hayes’original vision proves tobe a good touchstone forthose die-hard crusaderswho may, in their ear-nestness, lose sight of theprize, and even for thosewith just a passing curi-osity about the move-ment.

“I want to see peoplefree to live by their val-ues, first and foremost,not their fear,” says theauthor. “I expect this willseem less and less out-landish as time goes on.”

E-mail comments [email protected].

FROM THE COVER

Eggs from the family’s henhouse in Petalumaare traded for goods from local merchants.

Photos by Brant Ward / The Chronicle

Laura Howard-Gayeton and her daughter Tuilerie Gayeton corral a chicken on their ranch in Petaluma.Howard-Gayeton was a TV producer in Hollywood until she decided to quit the rat race in 2003.

Michael Macor / The Chronicle

Photos by Michael Macor / The Chronicle

Top, Robin Johnson Simpson wears goggles andrubber gloves to make soap in her kitchen. Left,several varieties of the soaps. Above, JohnsonSimpson with children Charlie, 7, and Elizabeth, 5,in the family’s backyard garden.

Leading adomesticrevolutionHomemakers from pageL1

Laura Howard-Gayeton with daughter Tuilerie,husband Douglas and two prized goats.

“A career was expected of me. That’swhy I got a college education. But myjob required spending three hours aday commuting in traffic and eatingtakeout four nights a week. I was on acrash course to burnout.” Laura Howard-Gayeton, former TV producer

C

C

Style SpyKendall Wilkinson

San Francisco

C

KENDALL WILKINSONnterior designer Kendall Wilkinson’s famous color-saturated style is like

her calling card—her striking teal-blue room took the 2007 SF Decorator

Showcase by storm. However, one of the S.F.-based designer’s projects,

in particular, sticks out like a sore thumb: her family’s weekend getaway

in Stinson Beach, a misty town north of the city, unapologetically done-

up in white. “I didn’t want to detract from the beauty of its natural envi-

ronment,” says the former film industry executive, who acquired a taste

for set design while developing movies-of-the-week for FOX and CBS

before launching Kendall Wilkinson Design in 1992. ¶ But the minimal-

ist bungalow is the exception, not the rule. Wilkinson’s signature use of bold

color nods to Alan Campbell’s graphic textiles and San Francisco’s vibrant Victorians. Her

recent project, Philanthropist, a designer clothing boutique that donates 100% percent of

its profits to charity, is awash in lavender and silver. ¶ This month, the designer celebrates

the grand opening of Kendall Wilkinson Home—formerly known as Threshold by Kendall

Wilkinson—on S.F.’s Sacramento Street. A sophisticated representation of Wilkinson’s tal-

ent for harmonizing modern and antique furnishings, her collection of custom-designed

furniture is headlined by a glass-topped table with an 18th century-inspired Lucite base.

And, in keeping with her

fearless color theory, a set

of tufted teal-blue leather

dining chairs and a clas-

sic Bergère chair updated

in black-and-white up-

holstery with a sunny

yellow frame are already

top sellers. “It’s all about

breathing new into the

old,” she says. ¶ Here,

IGREEN DOOR

Wilkinson shares her favorite San Francisco resources—many within walking

distance of her Presidio Heights home—that provide finishing touches to

bridge the gap between classic and contemporary. ¶ At 6 a.m. on the first

Sunday of each month, die-hard treasure hunters cross the Bay Bridge to a

former naval air station for the legendary Alameda Flea Market (antiques

bythebay.net). “It’s where I find things that need revamping,” says Wilkin-

son. “I got a 20th century armoire there recently with beautiful lines but a

terrible wood finish—nothing a little red lacquer couldn’t fix!” ¶ Five

years ago, Wilkinson and her late aunt, Ann Hall, developed Ann Hall

Color Design (G&R Paints, 1238 Sutter St., S.F., 415-292-7982), a line of

house paints inspired by old Mother Goose books the designer uses exclusively in clients’ homes. “They’re very saturated

paints with a lot of depth, even the white!” ¶ For custom-crafted invitations, Wilkinson relies on her neighborhood paper

source, Soiree Stationery (2998 Washington St., S.F., 415-447-9771). In addition to its in-house printing and hand-addressing

services, the tiny shop also carries such Bay Area lines as Dauphine Press and Low Bird. “The owners are so creative and

always help me dream up stationery that’s classic but imaginative,” says Wilkinson. ¶ As a mother of two small boys,

Wilkinson loves a kid-friendly environment well stocked with books and toys. The Ark (3325 Sacramento St., S.F., 415-440-

8697) carries Thomas the Train items alongside crafty, old-world wooden fairytale figures by Ostheimer. ¶ Susie Turner,

owner of Green Door Design (231A Flamingo Rd., Mill Valley, 415-381-1886) helps Wilkinson add an exotic touch to her

projects with custom-designed, low-maintenance orchid arrangements. “It’s difficult to replenish flowers when you’re

busy,” says Wilkinson. “But I can handle putting a few ice cubes in the soil to keep orchids watered!” ¶ Wilkinson gifts

family and friends with one-of-a-kind journals from Milliseme Designs (millisemedesigns.com), handmade by Summer

Briggs, a local artist. Briggs emblazons iconic black-and-white hardcover notebooks with vintage papers. ¶ Ribbonerie (3695

Sacramento St., S.F., 415-626-6184) is

Wilkinson’s go-to for notions of every

type, from a diamond-patterned blue

sateen ribbon that she uses for gift

wrapping, to vintage lace and old but-

tons. Owner Paulette Knight claims

to have the largest ribbon collection

in the city. “I can always find the per-

fect finish here,” Wilkinson says.

3419 Sacramento St., S.F., 415-409-

1966; kendallwilkinsondesign.com.

SOIREE

RIBBONERIE

“I DIDN’T WANT TO DETRACT FROM THE BEAUTY OF ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT,” says Wilkinson of her all-white Stinson Beach house.

Documents

Leilani Marie Labong's Architecture + Design Writing Portfolio