Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Guest House Living Room

In the warmer months of spring and summer, we like to sleep in the "guest house" which the previous owner intended for guests.
We like it for ourselves though!


It was originally a two car garage.
The front half is a sitting room with four french doors, providing views all around.


The sofa is actually a sofa bed which is great in a pinch when we have lots of overnight guests.


The trunk is packed with quilts and pillows for those times.


Hanging on the wall over the sofa are a dozen photos of the Italian countryside.






The living room connects to the bedroom through the bathroom, creating a large, private suite.


It is so quiet and peaceful with the view from our bed overlooking the oak trees.

Beyond the fence we often see deer, especially this time of night.

 In the morning, we walk the gravel path to the main house for coffee.   Sometimes, it's cold and rainy, sometimes it's foggy, but sleeping in the guest cottage is worth the cold morning walk!

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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Planting The Kitchen Potager

 It's that time of year again.
Planting time!

The sweet peas planted themselves and I hate to take them out yet to plant veggies, so I'll give them a few more weeks.

Mr. A wants them out now because he has summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula, basil, parsley, sage and more to plant.

 This is the herb section.
I asked him plant some Nasturtiums in this bed.  They're supposed to be good in salads.

Bear loves to oversee everything and soak up the sun.

Oscar is exhausted.
Planting a garden is hard work!

My favorite author Margaret Atwood once said; "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
Mission accomplished!

The bamboo trellises can be purchased at Gemplers, here.

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Monday, May 19, 2014

Open House

The San Francisco real estate market is unbelievably hot right now.
Even if you want to live in SF, you most likely won't be able to because of the competition and pricing.
That holds true for both home purchases and rentals.
The over-bidding, ridiculous pre-emptive offers and general feeding frenzy would make a very entertaining show on HGTV's House Hunters!
Read about one house that recently sold for 70% over asking here!

 I love going to open houses in The City.
 It's good to get a feel for its many residential neighborhoods should we ever decide to embrace city life someday.
Come along with me while I pretend to be in an episode of HGTV's House Hunters where we will tour three San Francisco open houses, beginning with the house above, or Open House #1.
(Two of the homes have already sold and one is pending.  I purposely left out the price but will be glad to share if you are curious.)

This single family home has a large living room that faces the street and is beautifully staged. 

The dining room is lovely and open to the living room, hallway and kitchen.

The kitchen is interesting...

The master bedroom has a little deck and a small walk-in closet.

But the master bathroom is quite spacious.  However, it's amusing that the bathtub is in the shower and the next door neighbors can see you while you bathe!

From the roof deck, there is a tiny view of the Palace of Fine Arts.
Let's go to another open house nearby, shall we?

Open House #2 is close to a popular street known for restaurants and boutiques, just like Open House #1, but it has more street presence and appeal.
It also has a two car garage.
Parking is a big deal in San Francisco!

The living room is large with a corner fireplace which could prove challenging for furniture arranging.

The oval shaped dining room has beautiful hardwood floors, but where is the chandelier? 
The plaster moldings are beautiful.

The kitchen is quite spacious and newly remodeled. 

There is also a roof deck with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the dome of the Palace.

The master bedroom is large and has a balcony overlooking the street.
It has a small walk-in closet.

The master bathroom is tiny and busy with all the different stone and tile.
Let's head over to another neighborhood for the next open house.

Open House #3 charms immediately with its shingle style that I love so much.
It is also within walking distance to shopping and restaurants, as well as The Presidio. 

The living room is small and faces the street with a balcony that would be fun to accessorize.

The kitchen is a nice size with an eat-in area which opens to the deck.

The dining room also opens to the deck.
The backyard is absolutely gorgeous!

The master bedroom is small, but comes with two lovely built-in closets and a dresser.
Still, it's not enough closet space.
Can you tell that closet space is a big deal in San Francisco!

This house is pretty cute and I could just move right in, especially with the way it is staged.
Staging is a big deal in San Francisco.
It can literally make or break the buyer's impression of the home.

If this was an episode of HGTV's House Hunters, now would be the part where you guess which house the buyer chose.
Is it House Number 1 with the large living room?
House Number 2 with the two car garage?
Or House Number 3 with the beautiful backyard?
Which one would you choose?



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Thursday, May 15, 2014

Chaising My Dreams

One does not merely sit in a chaise longue, one lounges.
Which could be why it is mistakenly called a chaise lounge.
Whatever you call it, it says pure, luxurious relaxation to me.

The chaise longue which is French for "long chair," was also called a fainting couch in Victorian times, possibly because their tight corsets caused them to faint?


I love this traditional chaise with its button tufting which looks very sophisticated in this room...


...and yet this denim button tufted chaise looks very playful in this girl's room by PBTeen.

I've always been intrigued by the idea of a pair of chaises in a room.
Here, they fill up a sunroom where the view must be amazing!

Uh, maybe this pair should be looking out the window?


Chaises fit into so many different rooms.
Here, they're at home in a sunroom or enclosed porch.
Talk about daydreaming!


A chaise longue in a bathroom invites one to take your time...


 ...and pampers you with leisure time.
It's almost like a vacation!

 The same is true in a dressing room.
This room is such a fantasy.  I would seriously sacrifice a bedroom to create a dressing room like this, complete with a chaise longue!

I have an overstuffed, slipcovered chaise in my bedroom that is not lounged in often enough!  It seemed the perfect choice to fill up a corner in the room, but the added bonus is that there is a corner in our home to retreat to, read, relax and rejuvenate.
Perchance to dream....


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