Fifty-Three is the New Thirty

Thanks to my friend, Jenni, who clued me in on the wonderful blog, Young House Love. The Petersik's have achieved dramatic results in remodeling their 1950's Virginia ranch home and I couldn't resist sharing the makeover with you. I love to see old homes given new life!

Not only do they have a great sense of style, but their optimism is contagious! They tackle any project with enthusiasm and make it seem simple, and as we all know, simple is far from the right word to describe any home improvement project. We love them for inspiring us with their 'can do' attitude though! Read the Petersik's bio and check out this video of their appearance this week on 'Virginia This Morning'.

Young House Love: Virginia This Morning Appearance from John & Sherry Petersik on Vimeo.

Here's a peek at one of the amazing transformations that they've completed. This is the what the den looked like when they bought the house:

And here is the after:

With less than $100 and a little sweat equity, they gave this room a major overhaul! Check out the rest of the photos from this 1950's rehab at Young House Love. Maybe you'll be inspired to take on a project this weekend in your own home. Happy Friday everyone!

Delicious Kitchen

Is it possible to be so in love with a kitchen that your heart skips a beat? That's what happened to me when I saw this Marmol Radziner home on HGTV's Top 10 Kitchens. Ron Radziner, from the LA-based firm built this 4100 square foot home in Venice CA and the kitchen is absolutely flawless!

The sunken kitchen and dining area create a room within a room effect. It has the intimacy that is so essential in a space, while also creating a connection with the other living areas in the home, such as the adjoining office (shown below).

The dining nook is upholstered in a durable outdoor fabric, so although the first thought when seeing white upholstery in a dining space is 'Yikes!' these homeowners needn't stress.

There are no upper cabinets and the walnut ceiling visually compresses the space, focusing the eye outdoors and creating seamless indoor/outdoor living. Check out that view above the sink and how your eye is drawn out across the pool. It's so dramatic and instantly enlarges the interior space by visually including the exterior. Washing dishes would no longer be a dull task if I had this view!

Here's a view of the exterior of the home, looking across the pool back into the kitchen and below is one last glimpse of this stunning Marmol Radziner kitchen. Delicious!

Do you dream of a kitchen remodel for your home? What features from this kitchen would you include? What do you think the most important element is in a well-designed kitchen? Let me know your thoughts and check out HGTV's other top kitchens for more inspiration.

Case Study Program

I'm excited to announce that the Modern Committee of the L.A. Conservancy has completed all but one of the Case Study House nominations for the National Register of Historic Places! I am thrilled to be part of this effort and have submitted my nomination for Case Study House #2 by Sumner Spaulding and John Rex.

Case Study House #2 was originally featured in the August 1947 issue of Arts + Architecture magazine. The wonderful photographs of the Case Study Program were captured by renowned architectural photographer Julius Shulman (1910-2009), who just passed away last Wednesday. Unfortunately, due to copyright laws, I can not post any photos that were originally published in the magazine, but you can see them all here.

The photos below were taken just a few months ago of the property in its current condition. My photography is obviously nothing compared to Shulman, and I had to take these from a distance or risk getting arrested for trespassing! As much as I love architecture, I have to draw the line somewhere!

This photo is of the serpentine brick wall that begins at the property line and extends into the home at the front entrance. The exterior portion of the screen divides the entrance from the south living terrace and on the inside it separates the foyer from the main living space.

Here's a photo of the south terrace off the living room and master bedroom. Unfortunately, these are the best photos I was able to take. Hopefully, we'll be able to get access to the property at some point in the near future to take professional images. For now, definitely check out the original article in Arts + Architecture magazine.

The home of Charles and Ray Eames and the iconic Stahl House are among the other nominated properties. In addition to the article for CSH #2, you can view all the original information about the Case Study Program at the site for Arts + Architecture magazine. Enjoy!

Project Update

The interior and exterior is painted, but the place is still more or less empty. Grace Hilton to the rescue! This Eichler home in Orange is about to have a major transformation.

Here is the living room, after the new paint job, patiently waiting for the look to be completed with furniture, lighting and decor.

Before we fill that empty living room, however, we're going to start with the office, since that's where the client spends most of his time. Above is my inspiration board for the design. It will be very clean and simple, with the finishes in white powder-coated steel and walnut, with a dark turquoise on one wall, the same as seen on the living room fireplace. To top it off, there will be splashes of moss green and a sunny yellow.

And I love the outdoor furniture that the client selected. It was just delivered! At least there's a place to sit outside, with this stylish seating, dining table and lighting from Gandia Blasco. More updates to come throughout the project, so check back soon.

Buy TemaHome + Save Some $$$

You may recognize the stool below from my post on Dwell On Design. Well, the company, TemaHome, is now offering a discount to my readers! Enjoy 10% off any orders of $500 or more and although the company is based in Portugal, with their quick ship option, you will have it on your doorstep in no time.

The wool-covered 'Handle Stool' by Fernando Brizio (Fashion by Luis Buchinho) is part of the Lisbon Collection from TemaHome, which includes four other unique products. The collection is a fusion of fashion and design with the best of the best creative professionals in Portugal collaborating on the project. Each limited edition piece is signed and numbered by the designer.

'Tavares' chair by Marco Sousa Santoa

Fashion by José Antonio Tenente

'Furoshiki' rug by Miguel Vieira Baptista

Fashion by Nuno Gama

'Gem' tables by Filipe Alarcao

Fashion by Ana Salazar

'Scatola Armonica' sideboard by Miguel Vieira Baptista

Fashion by Filipe Faisca

You can learn more about all these products from the Lisbon Collection at the TemaHome website, including inspiration behind the designs and bios on the designers. For the discount, enter 2009SALE upon placing your order. Thanks to TemaHome for this offer and for featuring me on their blog!

Coming This Fall!

Coast Modern Film Trailer from Coast Modern on Vimeo.

Our Wedding

Cezanne and I were featured on LA Style Unveiled today!

Independence Day Inspiration

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July! In celebration of the holiday tomorrow, here are some red, white, and blue rooms with just a dash of patriotism.

Viva Wallpaper by Barbara Hulanicki for Graham & Brown

EnvelopeA+D

Katie Ridder

Zooey Deschanel's home by Ruthie Sommers

Living Etc March 2009

Jeffery Bilhuber

Domino Magazine - June/July 2008

Great Buildings in Gardena

On my way to CA Boom over the weekend, I got a flat tire on the 405 freeway (Scary! Not to mention super inconvenient.) but it turned out to be an interesting detour because I came across a bunch of mid-century buildings along Western and Redondo Beach Blvd in Gardena when we were on our way to the tire repair shop. I would have stopped the car every other block to take photos, if I didn't have a passenger who was complaining that I was a crazy person (but I know he loves me!). I did pull over in order to get photos of a couple of great office buildings on Redondo that stand side by side.

1555 Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena

Close up of concrete detail and metal screen - I love the pattern on the screen!

The 1555 building does have tenants, but I'm not sure if next door has just an office space for rent or if the whole building is for lease. Does anyone have any info on these buildings (i.e. original architect, original tenants) Any Mod Com folks reading this? I will continue to do my own research, but as I am totally unfamiliar with that area of LA, any assistance would be much appreciated.