(Welcome again to Leah, one of the finalists in our Blogger search. She's writing from Oakland. Comment away!)
Names: Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic
Location: Sausalito
Size: 1,800 square feet
Years lived in: 5
The Victorian cottage that Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic share with their young son Jasper was built over 100 years ago. But the couple, who own Sausalito�s Heath Ceramics, have infused the home overlooking Richardson Bay with a clean, organic sensibility that marries old with new in great style.
Do you have an idea for a house tour? Let us know! tips (at) sf (dot) apartmenttherapy (dot) com
Our style: We like good stuff -- and to us that means good design, good construction (or manufacturing), and good quality, whether something is old or new. We try to buy things that we believe are classic enough that we will have them forever. There�s really no style label to attach to that, except maybe �eclectic.� We believe that if you find really wonderful objects, they�ll work together no matter what their style. For instance, we think the Womb chair, vintage fireplace, Jasper Morrison cork stools, and contemporary-patterned window coverings in our family room all work perfectly together.
The inspiration for our home: Much of our home inspires itself. Most things that are attached to the original part of the house have been inspired by the past, like Victorian-era moldings and rosettes, wide plank flooring that matches the original stuff, and reproduction schoolhouse light fixtures. The kitchen is quite modern, though. We were stuck using IKEA cabinets for the bases, but I�ve always been inspired by henrybuilt kitchens.
Favorite element: The setting, the view, and the ability to live indoors and out. Also, the vintage chicken lamp -- it�s a really great contrast to the flatscreen TV that it sits under.
Biggest challenge in designing our home: Working with an old, sagging house with a poor foundation and ancient utilities. Most of the money gets used up before you have time to even start thinking about the design.
What friends say about our home: That I was lucky to buy my first home when I was 25 for $85K in Portland, Oregon. (This one in Sausalito is the last -- we hope -- in a series of fix-ups and trade-ups since then.)
Biggest embarrassment in our home: Our bathroom on the main floor (not pictured), which hasn�t been remodeled since 1960. We don�t let guests use it. Also the front yard, which is just a pile of dead weeds. (We�re saving up for that project next summer.)
Proudest DIY: The tile installations. I installed the fireplace tile and kitchen tile, and Robin and I installed the outdoor tile together -- all using products from our company, Heath Ceramics.
Biggest indulgence with respect to our home: The new refrigerator from Liebherr. (We found the rest of the appliances on craigslist.) Other than that, there�s the $15K for the unexpected new sewer pipe, which was a mandatory �indulgence� before the city would give us a permit to do anything else.
Best advice: Acquire fewer things, and only things that you really love. You�ll spend more time enjoying your environment and less time searching for new stuff that ends up in the landfill anyway.
Dream source for stuff: BDDW and Ted Muehling.
Resources:
Appliances:
* IKEA kitchen faucet
* Bosch oven (found on craigslist)
* Dacor cooktop (found on craigslist)
* Liebherr refrigerator
Furniture:
* Saarinen Womb chair and Bertoia Bird chair and ottoman from Hive Modern
* Cork stools from Jasper Morrison
* Vintage fireplace, Knoll credenza, and huge lamp from the Art Deco & Modernism Sale
* Parsons dining table from Room & Board
* Bertoia kitchen stools from Circa50
* Custom outdoor table frame by Ohio Design, tile by Heath Ceramics
Lighting:
* Family room pendant: George Nelson Propeller Bubble Lamp from Hive Modern
* Kitchen light from Schoolhouse Electric
* Chicken lamp from the Rose Bowl Flea Market
* Jasper Morrison Glo Ball bedroom lamp from Hive Modern
Paint:
* All paint is from Pratt & Lambert
* Family room paint: Pratt & Lambert Dawn Mist (32-25)
Flooring:
* Family room and bathroom floor tile from Heath Ceramics
Rugs and Carpets:
* Dining room and family room rugs from FLOR
* Living room felt rug from Peace Industry
Tiles and Stone:
* All tile from Heath Ceramics
Window Treatments:
* Window treatments from Smith + Noble
* Family room window coverings from Smith + Noble�s Loft Living Collection
Artwork:
* Paintings above the Swan chair and in the bathroom by artist Damon Soul
* Painting above the yellow Eames chair from Creative Growth in Oakland
* Other art from the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery and artist Dharma Strasser MacColl
Other:
* Architectural moldings and rosettes from San Francisco Victoriana
* Kitchen cabinets from IKEA
* Concrete kitchen counters by Concreteworks
* Vintage Fisher-Price toys from eBay
* Wood play kitchen from Oompa Toys
* Edward Wohl cutting boards from Heath Ceramics
* Norstal flatware from Heath Ceramics
* Pillow on bentwood chair by Lisa Congdon
* Pillow on leather chair by Heidi McDowell
* Red quilt from Egg, London
Thanks, Catherine and Robin!
-leah
wow. i like.
view -kellen's profile
wow! totally gorgeous!
view katie's profile
Oh! I don't like...I think I love! This tour has proven a few things to me:
1. I need to marry a Ceramist (?)...or become one. What a luxury to have all that gorgeous tile!
2. Sometimes it is "all in the details" (blue fireplace, scone in pic #19, aforementioned bird lamp, etc).
3. Leah, or whoever took these photos, takes a darn good interior photograph! Dynamic angles and great composition (and focus).
This house fills me with design inspiration! Such a Tuesday afternoon treat.
view jessica's profile
Thanks for sharing; appreciate their honest account of this remodel, and of course, the visuals; thanks for noting all of the resources as well---very fun and useful writeup :)
view *jana*'s profile
I agree, this is one of the best write-ups/features I've seen on SFAT. I first saw the house in Sunset magazine a few months back, but these peeks (and the homeowners' insights) make me feel even more at home with their style, goals and "to do" list. Great to see the mix of flea market, R & B, local artists, ebay/craigslist, and Ikea, with the classic treasures from Heath.
view krister's profile
Beautiful. I really love the tile work and the scattered pieces of oak furniture that contrast so well with the ultra modern stuff. I appreciate the owner's comments. I have a lot more respect knowing that the project started with a $15k sewer pipe!
view mhgardener's profile
To me, this home shows a masterful use of color. Just brilliant. And I really appreciate the resources. Now I want to see Leah's house please:)
view kemp's profile
Catherin and Robin. Wow, it's a beautiful home. I saw greyish color in most rooms but they seem to me slightly different. Is this because of lighting or did you use Dawn Mist everywhere? What is the green color in the bed room?
view Pistachiogrn's profile
Every day on my way to work the bus goes down Bridgeway in Sausalito and I dream about having a cute little house with a Saarinen Womb chair.
view Danielle S.'s profile
LOVE this house. love the photos... I want that kitchen... thanks Leah for this great tour.
view sfwork's profile
fabulous article photographs.
very thorough candid.
view mod*mom's profile
Love the way Leah captured the overall feel of the house as well as some lovely details. The natural light in the first photo is wonderful.
view karen m's profile
Beautiful photographs. Very inspirational. They've done a great job of blending old and new. Leah has a great eye.
view heydahl's profile
Great post, great photos, great writing... and a gorgeous, obviously well-loved house. And thanks for including all the links for resources.
view luz's profile
Oh boy. I'm in love.
view alisong's profile
This was a really good house tour, and not just because everything about that house is fantastic. I really appreciated that the photos were both good and seemed like they were actually edited.
view jennifer in sf's profile
I love the artwork and the ceramics. Are those real Eva Ziesal pieces? Also love the pillows.
view peggy's profile
Leah, great job!
I loved how you let the owners speak for themselves about their home and thanks for the comprehensive source list. We AT readers always want to know the paint color or who made what; that is why we are here. Thank you for giving us what we want to know.
The photos were also excellent. Hmmm, I wonder what you could do with my apartment. ;)
view Lisa from VA/lsaspacey's profile
What in the world is that on the walls in the kitchen???
As far as this being a tryout for a position as writer, it appears that the owners of the apartment did the actual writing. Who took the pics?
view MrGreen's profile
wow! I absolutely love this apartment! such simple beauty everywhere!
view jess p's profile
Great house tour, great photos (would have loved them even more with some accompanying text). Good job!
"Oaktown!" ;)
view pisceanchick's profile
Great profile on a local home! I love their mix of style, as well as seeing how folks really live. It's so true about buying only what you love, now if I can remember that when I am out and about!
Deidre
view deidre's profile
the fireplace was gorgeous! the grey tiles with the aqua metal just works!
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
Perfect. It's beautifully decorated yet warm and lived in. It isn't overly precious or pretentious the way many AT houses are. This is what we are working towards in our home. Great inspiration, thanks!
view snot's profile
This is just lovely and wonderful from every angle. An inspiring showcase of a beautiful home and as snot above pointed out, it feels lived in. Also, the links were very helpful.
Great post.
view Simply-G's profile
Best house tour I've seen on this site in a very long time. Really nice work!
view ccs's profile
Warm, inviting, homey, unique, livable....Captivating photos....I think captions would add a lot to complete the story, though.
view polkadot's profile
This is so unfair!!!!!!!!!!!!!
view bombie's profile
i was merely envious until i saw the water view. now, well--shudder, drool, froth......
view ValerieNYC's profile
Oh man, now I want to buy back the Fisher Price Little People passenger jet from my childhood, because seeing it here, I just realized what a very chic design object it was.
view Bruised's profile
This is an inspiring--and envy-inspiring post. It satisfies all my house voyeurism--I feel like Leah brought me over to meet these interesting people, and I got a house tour to boot. Great photos too. I'll be back to read more from Leah!
view SharonSF's profile
beautiful tile! i can relate to being a portland-homeowner...we got an incredible value, but we have realized that we got ourselves a fixer-uper....oh well! thanks for sharing.
Blinds
view jmorrowdesigns's profile
I really love this home! The kitchen wall tilework is SO beautiful, funky, unique. (Thanks for taking a picture with the wine bottle in it so you can see the real size of the tiles!) Thanks for sharing :)
view CAjess323's profile
What a great place.
The tilework and choice is truly original.
I am really curious about that beautiful fireplace.
I'm planning a rural cottage and am researching different heat sources.
Is that fireplace efficient?
It looks so beautiful.
view paulmuscat's profile
Beautiful. It can be tricky to mix so many iconic individual pieces. You run the risk of looking like a second-hand mid century store, but you've avoided that and made a look that is completely successful. I'm going to assume it feels as comfortable as it looks. (although to be completely frank the swan chair placement seems a bit awkward)
view JamesinSF's profile
Just noticed MrGreen's snarky comment, or would have commented before: You think all those interviews that appear in magazines just appear there magically, verbatim, from recorded conversations, and writers have nothing to do with it -- no editing, no choosing to include certain parts of conversation and not others?
It boggles my mind sometimes just how little understanding people have of what writers actually do.
view DWF's profile
I'm very late to the party with this comment...the colors and textures in this house are captivating. I love the green tiles in the bathroom and I'd love to know who manufactures that square self-rimming sink! I've looked high and low and have seen nothing like it anywhere. Any ideas?
view sarahr's profile
What is the color and fabric on the Bertoia Bird Chair?
view Steven Michael's profile
Kitchen tiles. *Drool*
Love that bird lamp, too!
I.
view Ivan Chan's profile
FYI Leah, it's "aerie".
view greer's profile
Catherine,
I am a location scout in the Bay Area. I work for several national magazines. I am currently looking for decorating stories and DIY stories.
I love what you have done with your home and I am interested in scouting it for possible publication.
Please give me a call or email me if you are interested. albaworks@gmail.com (225-1903)
Thank you,
Sarah Alba
view Sarah Alba's profile