#homerenovation Archives - Northern California Style

Hope you all had a good week. They sure go fast don’t they? I am loving the cool weather this morning and the leaves on our pistache trees on our street just started to turn brilliant pink and red hues. It makes me think I may be able to wear a sweater this weekend! I finally am getting around to sharing some photos of other parts of the house and one of my favorites is this space, the laundry/mudroom.

I feel lucky to love have this space and it was something I really loved about this home when we first bought the house 10 years ago.

Before-Back then, you came in from the garage and the washer dryer were to the right and a door to the kitchen was after it. To the left, there was a counter and a bank of shelving and cabinets.

Beyond that was a small bath I turned into a pool bath by adding a door. It’s been ten years ago almost exactly when I pulled up the green linoleum and added travertine to this space, seen below in a view from the old kitchen..

Before- we used this almost like butler’s pantry, but it also held the laundry and served as our mudroom when coming in from the garage.

Now this space is so much more functional – it’s laundry, an entry, storage and holds the cat box too!

Before- you can see where I added hooks to a broom space to the original area to make it function as a mudroom/entry from the garage, but it was tight.

Now-you can see below in the new space, we have a place to put on your shoes and drop your things.

We also added a skylight which makes me so happy when I’m in here doing laundry!

That pool bath was part of a weird addition to the house along with the original kitchen that had an old sloped ceiling going off the back. I’ll share that on another post when it’s all done.

You can see the slope here in this old kitchen photo. This carried along to the pool bath which is to the left here…

We fixed that in the remodel, raised the ceiling and roof height, which looks so much better and so it was natural to rethink this space too. The kitchen was moved to the center of the house, no longer in this space. This area is now a transitional space we are calling the media room..more on that too soon.

Now when you enter from the garage you can turn right to the rest of the house, or straight into this laundry/mud area and onto the pool bath and out to the pool.

The toilet area is separated by a pocket door with opaque glass. The window in here has obscured glass and the new French door has a pull-up blind attached to the bottom of the door. All of the windows and doors in the house are by Marvin.

My washer/dryer are Electrolux and I LOVE them. I bought them a year before the reno and had them stored during the move. I couldn’t wait to get back and use them again!

I decided to take out the travertine, which had taken a beating over the last 10 years, and go with fun tile. This tile was fairly inexpensive and I really like the bold statement in this small space. This cost around $400 and if it wears out or looks shabby on 10 years, I can change it and not feel too badly.

When we redid this space, I wanted a bench for sitting down and drawers for shoes and hooks for backpacks, etc. I also wanted a laundry drop, a folding and hanging space, deeper drawers and just one set of upper cabinets. This is where I keep lightbulbs, vacuum bags, paper products, batteries and so much. My holiday decor fits in here too.

The cabinet makers helped me make a few fun design choices like wood for the bench and floating shelves (also have one above the machines), and a shiplap sort of back for the bench area.

The cabinet color is Benjamin Moore Calm and walls are Benjamin Moore Oxford White. The plan is to add a wallpaper on the wall to the left of the bench which is long. I have to find something that will work with the tile.

The wood here is European Oak with a light wash. The counter top is a man-made quartz called Vadara and the color I have is Belezza. One slab of this Vadara material was enough for the boy’s bath, this laundry area and also the pool bath counter (coming soon.) So far I’ve been loving it’s durability.

I’m so happy they added a shelf above the hanging rod. I have some of my vintage California books up there. The fern print was a Homegoods find and the pillow on my bench is the Winter Beach Pillow from Serena & Lily, and so is the cute teak step stool.

I still need to add 3 hooks in the bench area for bags and jackets. The hardware is all from Top Knobs brand which made the Essex Knobs and Square Pulls. I purchased most of my hardware at Belmont Hardware in Cupertino or you can get it online.

I still have to add a cozy rug for the cooler months and a few other things, but I am getting close to down with this space. Thanks for letting me share with you all.

Have a beautiful weekend !

Kim

I can’t believe it’s May already.. This year is flying by. We have two months until we move into our home and it seems like a ton to still get done. The past weeks have been so busy. In the midst of everything my beloved wisteria had the best bloom in years.. Thank you California rain!

As luck would have it, that was the week the painters came to paint the eaves black to match the new black roof and gutters, which I am loving. They very kindly pulled the wisteria off and hung it in a large wrap. Can you believe it? They put it back after no harm done. I was so happy as this vine is 40-50 years old and I am trying my best to preserve it with all this work being done!

I am mostly finished with choices for-tile, cabinets, lights, floors and I am so glad. My head is swirling all the time with this stuff. My days go like this- call the closet person, get back to the cement guy, meet the garage door people, check with the tile store, view the floor sample, get back to the cabinet guys, order those lamps, return the ones that didn’t work, think about bath mirrors…and so on!! I would be lying if I didn’t say I’ve had some anxiety.

There are SO many building choices and websites. You can pull a whole home together on something like Build.com and Restoration Hardware. I am one of those people who may do better with less choice. I love a LOT of things and styles. The anxiety comes from worrying about whether I’ve made the right choice and if it will all look good pulled together..Luckily now a lot of design is changing and there really is no ‘perfect’ look -just your own. I keep reminding myself that, and that I am going for my own unique home, but still I stress.

So look guys…this is the interior..Fireplaces and walls gone, drywall almost all up. This is the front view out. I love the large French doors to the little patio we are building. I plan to put my dining table in front of these doors.

This is the back of the house looking toward the new fold away La Cantina doors and our fireplace. Window seats will be on either side and to the left is the kitchen.

My biggest challenge with this house has been sticking to my look and style for this home. Not everything has to match, but I would like it to flow. I love when a home has a thread of continuity about it and the rooms feel connected in some way. This exterior of the house will be white with black details, wood floors and cabinetry, light stone accents, white walls and aqua blue in a few places. The house has no trim or moulding on the upper walls or windows and has contemporary feel inside.

This is the front right now. You can see the new path I tried to model after an offset path from my grandparent’s 1960’s house and the new patio to the left.

The front entrance has a portico that will have a little bench on one side for packages. The door will be glass and the sidelights also.

This is the back and you can see the new dark roof and gutters. This will be all stuccoed and painted white. Deciding on that color is next- hopefully something not stark.

Here is what is all over my house..tiles and cabinetry and flooring. I think you can see the look I’m going for here- whites, light oak, and stones.

This is the fireplace material below. I love this Italian tile and I think it will look modern, yet still natural. I cannot believe the gorgeous stone looking tiles that are coming from Italy. This is supposed to be like onyx and has about 400 different variations so using it looks just like the real stone for a lot less.

These two are the flooring for the mudroom/laundry/pool bath and the beautiful blue tile is the background for the wall in the pool bath part. I wanted something fun as the pool is just outside the door and it’s mostly used by swimmers. This tile has the slightest shimmer and is like the sun on the water. I love it!

I used this image for inspiration for that pool bath and I am sorry I have lost the source. I am having a vanity built like this with two floating shelves where I can wedge pool towels between. I like the modern stacking style of tiles and the wall mounted faucet too.

I am also excited for the wet bar which I decided to use something called Yesterday’s Glass from Jeffery Court on the backsplash. It’s like those 1970’s mirrored tiles that had that smoky look that my parents and Max’s both had. I hope this will be a little glam and reflect light. The upper shelves are floating and the lowers are light wood. I still have to figure the hardware, but there is a round hammered nickel sink and a dark pewter toned faucet.

This was one inspiration for the bar found on Instagram.

I wasn’t sure what kind of garage door to go with. I like the glass ones, but they seem more modern than my house is. I did not like the metal ones many garage door companies have. I like a very clean and streamlined look and a few neighbors have that. Turns out my neighbor Vivian designed her own and the other neighbors like it so much they also used her design.. Below is Vivian’s house and the look I want, but in black. Isn’t it modern and sharp? I think it’s perfect for my transitional style.

Then there is the driveway and I love this look below and am trying to recreate something similar, but offset like my walkway and with stones between..

I have always known I wanted a glass front door for the light. This is where I am conflicted -do I go very modern like the photo below or classic like the next photo? Max worries about the openness to the front, but you can always add a curtain that pulls over the windows and sidelights if you need more privacy.