BOARD FORM CONCRETE

Originally in 2007 the idea was that the Lower Level could be rented out to a tenant possibly.  The plan shows a small eating area and the main space is divided up by a bookcase.  The bathroom is small and has a tiny window.  There is a kitchenette!

1. LOWER LEVEL 10.25.08

By March 2010 the Lower Level became a guestroom, a bathroom with two windows, a large storage room and a laundry room with sink.  We added a door to the outside from the hallway.  The guest can lie in bed looking straight out to the garden.  Very decadent indeed.

2. LOWER LEVEL 03.10.10

When I realized earlier this year that I wanted to rearrange how much space was dedicated to certain functions, the Lower Level encountered quite the overhaul.  Several designers and architects gave their input with a new requirements list in place:

• laundry
• a tub must be added to bathroom separate from the shower
• space for working
• guest bed
• storage

Bob had an “ah ha” moment that led to the laundry room becoming a laundry closet. Jaklyn, a designer at Northbrook Design, came up with the general layout;  two architect friends refined the layout, and Heather refined it even more.  Sometimes it takes a lot of team work to get from point A to point B.  We find collaboration often leads to the best results.

The washer and dryer are in a closet by the door to the outside, great for taking things out to the clothesline. There is a large built-in desk which may be for both Bob and me, or it might just be mine.   The alcove with bed will make our guests feel comfortable and welcome (no view now but I think it is so nice to have a bedside table and lamp and proper space when staying with family or friends).  Behind the shower glass in the bathroom are both the tub and the shower, which is efficient, and there are now three windows in the bathroom.  The closet is smaller, but we do have a lot of crawl space under the house where all the “rubble” can be stored.

Here is what the layout for the Lower Level looks like now.

3. LOWER LEVEL 03.20.12

That is it for floor plans for now!

Stay tuned for photos of the 2012 show coming soon!

AT THE BACK DOOR, photo by Valerie Berta

New project, start of a new palette!

Friday I went to the Heath Ceramics in Sausalito for their factory tour. I have done my share of ceramics so it was interesting to see how this “full on” Studio is set up to produce functional objects and tile.  They have introduced a tile pattern that would be beautiful in my new Kitchen and part of the visit included looking at the color options.  The guy helping me said “I hear it is really hard for design professionals to pick things out for their own homes”.  Hard to disagree with this.

Edith Heath founded the studio in 1948.  She developed a single firing method at low temperatures which minimizes energy use.  Some of her pieces are in museums such as MOMA.  She is no longer with us, but left a great legacy.  Many of her designs are still made, glazed in the glaze “recipes” she created.  The bowls, plates and tiles and many other items are each made from one of two clay bodies.  Both contain material exclusively from the Sacramento area that is shipped in powder form to Sausalito and mixed with water.  All the functional pieces and tile is made right there. The factory store sells all kinds of lovely things and has a whole section dedicated to tile.  There is nothing like a beautiful object with a great history that was made locally using materials from just up the road.

ENTRANCE TO FACTORY AND STORE

CUTTING EDGE CEILING IN IT'S TIME

MAKING PLATES

GLAZING LADY IN BLUE JUMPSUIT

PLASTER MOLDS MADE ON THE PREMISES

TILES DRYING

HOUSE NUMBERS

GLAZED AND READY FOR FIRING

THE LITTLE POKEY THINGS ARE CONES

KILNS - KOOL!

LOW TEMPERATURE FIRING IN PROGRESS

FINISHED PIECES SCORED WITH AN EXACTO PRE-FIRING

PERFECTLY PATTERNED PLATES

BOWTIES ANYONE?

LOOKING AT COLOR OPTIONS FOR OUR KITCHEN BACKSPLASH

THIS IS CALLED HEX TWIST SHOWN HERE IN WHITE AND CREAM

A NORTHBROOK DESIGN PROJECT FEATURING HEATH TILE

For more information, go to www.heathceramics.com

Key points:

BEDROOM 2

• Function – guestroom
• Closet – located where it would be used specifically by that room

BATHROOM 2

• Shape – rectangle
• Shower – Pre-fabricated

1. BEDROOM 2 & BATHROOM 2 - 10.25.07

In 2010, Bedroom 2 was going to be our office.  Bob and I would share a desk along the wall shared with the front of the house.  I moved the closet to the location shown, so it can be used for visitor’s coats if need be and for general storage. A twin bed is shown in here for an overflow guest.  There is a niche in the wall.  The bathroom shape changed and a sky light was added.  The laundry moved downstairs.

Key points:

BEDROOM 2

• Function – shared office
• Closet – close to entrance to room, use for coats or storage

BATHROOM 2

• Shape – has curved wall
• Shower – small, walk-in
• Vanity – on curve
• Skylight – yes
• Fin wall – yes
• Linen closet – yes

2. BEDROOM 2 & BATHROOM 2 - 03.10.10

Around March 2011, I had the idea to move the TV out of the Great Room.  Bedroom 2 became the obvious choice for it’s new home.  The room is small and cosy, perfect for watching a movie, or better yet “Downton Abbey” on Netflix!  As the room faces North, it will not be a bright room.  It has a curved ceiling which will be finished in doug fir T&G planks which dresses up this room and it will have a nice tall ceiling. When I really got into how the vanity in Bathroom 2 would work on the curve, I found it a challenge.  I am not a fan of how a lot of back splashes look, and that started it.  It didn’t seem like there was a good solution.  So I looked at the room from a new perspective and we moved the vanity to the straight wall.  I like it so much better and think the design for the vanity is really nice (more about that later).  I also really want the shower to “go away” as much as possible.  The idea being that this bathroom will truly feel more like a Powder Room.  So the shower glass will be etched and that will help isolate the shower.

Key Points:

BEDROOM 2

• Function – TV room

BATHROOM 2

• Shower – decent size, walk-in
• Vanity – on straight wall
• Fin wall – no
• Linen closet – no

3. BEDROOM 2 & BATHROOM 2 - 03.20.12

We are really pleased with the new function of Bedroom 2 as our TV room, and like how Bathroom 2′s layout has evolved.

Key points:

ENTRY

• Shape – Rectangular
• Space for coats – Enclosed Coat Closet
• Front Door Location – to the left when standing outside

MASTER SUITE

• Master Closet – Generous
• Bed Location – under wide long window
• Bedroom Doors to Deck – three panel slider
• Master Bathroom – pocket door, one sink, wide vanity with lots of storage, walk in rectangular shower.

In 2010, we talked to Heather about the Entry sequence and how could it change to feel more fluid.  Her solution is a curved wall that welcomes you upon entering the house and another curved wall that leads you to the Great Room.  The Master Suite changed to reflect my arriving on the scene.  I was not sure I wanted to sleep under a window so we moved the bed.  Closet space is more important in this layout, and I had the idea to have a second sink in the foyer by the bathroom.

Key Points:

ENTRY

• Shape – Curved walls
• Space for coats – Bench with hooks on wall above for coats
• Front Door Location – closer to the center when standing outside

MASTER SUITE

• Master Closet – Two zones for two people, symmetrical placement in room
• Bed Location – on bathroom wall
• Bedroom Doors to Deck – three folding doors that stack in middle of wall
• Master Bathroom – two sinks, a fin wall to separate vanity from toilet, storage area next to walk in shower.

Between last March and this March, the entry has not changed.  The Master Bedroom changed a lot temporarily – I looked at what it would be like to have the Master Suite on the lower level.  I drew up some options and then decided I did not want to sleep in a room with concrete walls! Also over this year, I worked with a Fung Shue practicioner on a client’s project.  She was very much against sleeping with one’s head on a water wall, as well as under a window.  That pretty much did in the bed on the bathroom wall idea.  Heather and I came up with this new closet location.  In “pure” terms, it isn’t ideal to walk into a room and be faced with the side of a bed, but I prefer to live with that instead bad Fung Shue energy.

Key Points:

ENTRY

• The same as last year’s plan

MASTER SUITE

• Master Closet – Less closet space now – oh well, but love the window above built-in dresser
• Bed Location – in alcove on wall shared with Great Room
• Bedroom Doors to Deck – three folding doors that stack outside
• Master Bathroom – swinging door, nothing between vanity from toilet (will feel more open as not a big room)

3. ENTRY & MASTER SUITE 03.20.12

There have been some changes since March, and those revisions are being made to the drawings right now.   There comes a time when the changes have to stop!  And we are almost there…..