Oh man it was a rough week. A friend of mine passed away, a young mom that I liked so much. She was healthy and happy and her death was sudden. Add that to the sad news around the world and the ongoing pandemic. :( The good news is my teens are back to school…
I spent many hours this week sourcing tile for my two bathrooms in progress on the flip project. I’ve got the contractors on the job and they need the tile now so I was fetching it for them all around the Bay Area. They will be done in two weeks, and I’m very excited to…
I returned from a week long road trip to Oregon, I’ll write up my experience soon, it definitely had its ups and downs! I came home to discover more delays on our flip house project, mostly due to materials that haven’t arrived and subcontractors moving dates for their availability. We’re pushing into September for completion…
I’m in Portland today sitting in the midcentury modern decorated lobby of The Huxton Hotel typing up this very post. My road trip has been interesting so far, I’ll write up a full post of my experience here soon. Today I’m headed up the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River, which is supposed to be…
Sunday hellos everyone! I spent extra time this week at our flip property with the electrician and receiving the kitchen cabinets. The property is in Sonoma which gives me an opportunity to sneak away to cool lunch spots or stop on my way home for a quick wine tasting. No complaints from me! I’m flying…
I’ve spent a lot of days enjoying my own backyard here in the Northern California Wine Country. It’s always been a top travel destination, sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live here. Continuing the Destination Design series today with a trip to my side of the world: Napa and Sonoma. There’s definitely a…
I spent a few hours hiking in Muir Woods on Friday, that was such a cool experience. There’s something about walking dirt paths and being surrounded by 1,000+ year old redwood trees that feels grounding and makes the little things we worry about seem…so little. I recommend the visit if you’re ever in the Bay…
I was looking at the extra closet in my old home office, the one that’s filled with boxes of pictures and photo albums. If I digitize the photos and store the photo albums elsewhere, I could transform the closet into a beverage center or study spot which makes more sense since the space is used by…
When I was a kid my grandmother used to serve us dinner on the patio by handing us plates of food through the kitchen window. It was her informal way of serving us and easier than walking through the kitchen to the outdoor area, but I never forgot how cool it was that she did…
Hello friends, hope you are enjoying these beautiful May days! I’ve been working on a few new art prints behind the scenes, I’ll be adding them to my print shop next week. My teens are finishing up their school year with projects and exams so I’m focused on them this week. I’m so proud of…
I used to believe that the harvest season in autumn was the nicest time to visit our Northern California Wine Country but with all the wildfires in the past few years, I now prefer to spend time among the vines in the springtime instead. In late April and May we enjoy the most beautiful weather…
I’m not a fan of the senseless niches that were part of the design of so many subdivision homes built in the 1980s and 1990s. I prefer to close them off like I did in this remodel. It’s my opinion that a niche really has to serve a purpose, it can’t be random. However, if…
In late February of 2020, I took a trip to the Florida Keys. It was two weeks before shelter-in-place orders went into effect in California in March, and I remember when I arrived home and landed in San Francisco airport feeling like oh wow, this is getting serious. The next week we were all mandated…
Finally I have my hands on a renovation project! This is a 1200 square foot 2 bedroom 2 bath duplex with a small patio, in need of a top to bottom makeover. I’ll share more “before” pictures in the weeks to come as I tackle these spaces. Here’s a peek at the rear patio where…