Home by sunset

Idea House Menlo Park: space planning 101

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

We're about a month away from furniture deliveries at our Menlo Park Idea House. Viesso, a furniture maker in Los Angeles, will be making the sectional for the Family Room. You've got to be careful when selecting sectionals, as they can suck all the life out of a room if they're too large for the space.

The other day Kelly and I spent a lot of time in the Family Room trying to determine the size of the sectional. We did a dance around the room with a measuring tape, she at one end and me at the other. Still couldn't get a clear picture of the size of the sofa. One of the painters left a roll of masking tape. Boy did that help!

Here is the style of the sectional, color and fabric still to be determined.

Great art. $20. Really.

By Allison Arieff, Sunset editor at large

I love www.20x200.com. Jen Bekman, a gallerist and curator with great taste and an amazing network of young, artistic talent, selects two ridiculously affordable pieces per week to post online. Archival pigment prints of their original works are created by top quality artisan printers and shipped to you via Priority Mail for $20. Yes, that’s right. $20! (Larger format versions in smaller editions are available for $200 and $2000, respectively.)

I bought this one last week. I’m going to hang it in my office at home (and I wish my home office looked just like this! So dreamy).

Doug and Mike Starn—amazing photographers who work together on highly evocative imagery (and are twin brothers)—did this special image to benefit the photography journal, Blind Spot.

I missed out on this one by Laura Levine which made me sad as our household currently has a major owl obsession:

Works sell out fast so put yourself on the 20x20 email list to get notified about new editions weekly. www.20x200.com

Who says swings are just for kids? Hanging chairs for the kiddos—and you

by Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

What is it about swaying in the breeze that's so blissfully nostalgic of pre-teen years? And why now does the idea of spending an afternoon lolling seem like such a novel (and maybe foreign?) concept?

Well, we're bringing it back.

For a splurge/steal story in our May issue we highlighted these two hanging chairs. The adult-sized chair (at right) proved to be l-u-x-u-r-i-o-u-s—as it should for 700 bucks. The kid-sized version (at left, and just $60) proved to kind-of-almost fit the smaller adult staff, but was a hit with some staff's kids (unfortunately no pics of these cuties).

Special thanks to the Sunset staff who had to rough-it on the job: MacKenzie Geidt, Molly Berman & Jeff Prentice

Idea House Monterey: where the water lives

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

Okay, so this is not your typical Idea House glamour shot, but there is a lot of behind-the-scenes wow here that you typically don't see during an Idea House tour. What we have here is the installation of our rainwater harvesting system at the Monterey Idea House. The cisterns, from Triton Stormwater Solutions, collect rain and storm water that will be re-used as a gray water source for irrigation and toilet flushing. Made of soy resin, the cisterns hold more than 125,000 gallons of water! That's enough water to irrigate the 1/2-acre landscape for an entire year. The cisterns are now buried six feet under (no pun intended) what eventually will be the driveway at the house. 

Idea House Monterey: the haute couture family tree

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

One of the projects percolating for our Monterey Idea House is a new spin on the family tree. The word genealogy brings on an uncontrollable fit of yawns for  me, so forget I even said the word. You've got to admit, though, family history is fascinating. So, we were batting the idea around with our interior designer, the fabulous Joseph Hittinger, and he said what if we took our inspiration for the "tree" from the magnificent mature oaks that surround the property. We've got plenty of wall space in the house, so why don't we paint a very stylized, haute couture kind of tree on one of the walls, in black. From the branches, we'll hang family photos in white frames. Love it!

We're still determining the exact look of the tree, but found this whimsical, framed inspiration on the British site, Famille Summerbelle.

Idea House Menlo Park: a fresh look at subway tile

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

This week tile went up in the bathrooms and on the floors at our Menlo Park Idea House.  For me, the tile installation is almost more exciting than seeing fresh paint on the walls. It's sort of like applying makeup: if paint is your foundation and eye shadow, then tile would be that great lipstick that ties the look all together. 

Here's a shot of the shower tile in the home's guest bathroom. The subway tile is from Fireclay Tile. It's a 2x8 ceramic tile in a blend of three shades of white. We mixed up the whites to add some depth and warmth. The pattern was randomized by the tile setter. Since we already have an all-white kid's bathroom, we decided to intersperse the tile with blue squares of 2x2  "Lush" matte glass tile from Modwalls. The adjoining guest bedroom is painted a similar shade of blue that ties the look together. So fresh, so fun!

Idea House Menlo Park: wallpaper for your windows

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

Our Menlo Park Idea House is located in a planned development where the houses are located thisclose to one another. Window privacy is one of our main design challenges. Being that this is an Idea House, we're compelled to show privacy solutions that go beyond the standard curtain and rod. Our friends at Design Public, one of my favorite online arbiters of modern style, have come to the rescue. They just launched these plastic adhesive window coverings from British designer Emma Jeffs.

It's like wallpaper for your windows! Just add water and apply.

And, they even feature a Moroccan-style design. As I posted earlier, the look is everywhere!
Check out Design Public's blog for more of what's new and hip in home design.

Green money: Use that tax rebate wisely

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

Deterred by the upfront cost of solar panels? Always wanted an eco-friendly natural-latex bed mattress, but can't get over the pricetag? Ever said something like: "If I only had an extra $600—or $1200—laying around I'd make some bigger, greener, lifestyle changes" ? Ever wished a seemingly random check showed up in your mailbox?

For some of us, that day has come. And though I heard a woman on the radio this morning say she's on her way to Las Vegas to party away that extra cash pool-side, some of us are enlightened to invest in greener values.

Here, associate editor Jennie Nunn has compiled a few cool ideas for making those green dollars work a little harder. Tell us your own ideas by clicking on the comments link below. Now, go get your green on.

Idea House Menlo Park: cozy family room fireplace

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

The pace is picking up at our Menlo Park Idea House. Tile in the bathrooms is going up fast (stay tuned for a sneak peek later this week!). In the family room, the fireplace facade is almost finished. We used a stacked stone veneer from Eldorado Stone.  It looks fabulous and, seeing how quick and easy it went up, is a great DIY project. We left off the mantle and let the stone take center stage. We're having the mason come back and stack the vertical pieces horizontally for a more cohesive look. The sunny wall color is Benjamin Moore's Safari AF-335 from their eco-friendly Aura line.

Idea House Menlo Park: vintage coat hook project

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

I went to Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley last weekend searching for vintage hooks and knobs to create a DIY coat hook project for our Menlo Park Idea House. This place is a candy land of all things old and salvaged. I found plenty of hooks, after being distracted by many treasures that I wasn't looking for, but all of the sudden had to have.

For example, I have no need for a pastel-colored toilet, tub or sink, but these look so delicious! There's a great idea waiting to happen here.

I don't need a table full of Pyrex flasks either, but this is inspiration for displaying a collection.

We are looking for old tile for a DIY table idea at the house, so I did have reason to salivate over these friendly numbered tiles. They look so sunny and Parisian to me.

I was accompanied by two eight-year-old female shopping companions who thought this magazine stand was fabulous. Since my little shoppers are about the same age of the hypothetical girl that lives in our Idea House, I gave up the ten bucks for the magazine rack. We'll probably repaint it white. Suggestions welcome!

Okay, so back to the original intent of this shopping expedition: the coat hook idea. Here's a sampling of potential hooks. We'll nail them to a piece of salvaged wood. Send us your ideas!

Sunset on the TODAY show!

Our dynamic(!) Home & Garden executive editor, Irene Edwards, starred in a segment on the TODAY show this morning, demonstrating the ideas behind the "I found it on Craigslist!" makeover story in our May issue (on newsstands now).

View the segment here.

Check out the bonus chandelier project we posted earlier this month here.

(IMAGES ABOVE: Before and after shots of our side table makeover.)

Earth Day tv show debut: It's Easy Being Green

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer
Photo by Dominique Pandolfi

One of my favorite eco-style heroines, Renée Loux, is debuting her latest project, It’s Easy Being Green, tonight at 9pm EST (check your local listings) on the Fine Living Network. Loux, a Maui-based chef, author, and now television host, will share inspiring sustainable stories through eco-conscious celebrity interviews, and discuss green trends and technologies both big and small—from food and clothing to furniture and vehicles. The show aims to inspire viewers to make simple choices to green their own lifestyles.
Tonight’s show is a “Celeb Special” with a stellar line-up that includes interviews with Paul Newman, Helen Hunt, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Daryl Hannah, RFK Jr., David Duchovny, Esai Morales and Alice Cooper. If you miss it tonight (so many great Earth Day events!), and like me, you don’t yet have Tivo, it will also air tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday.
Check out the teaser here.

INFO: It’s Easy Being Green, 9pm, Fine Living Network

MORE INFO:
Loux’s website - Euphoric Organics
Loux’s new book -  Easy Green Living
Loux’s eco-chic picks - Sunset’s March 2008 issue

Idea House trend-spotting: modern Moroccan

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

I went on a scouting-trip to LA a few weeks ago with Kelly, the interior designer for our Menlo Park Idea House, to source furniture for the house. We visited Rooms & Gardens in Santa Monica (celebrity alert: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are partial owners of the store). At first glance I thought the style would be a little too beach cottage cozy for the theme of the house, but the longer we lingered the more stuff I found that would be perfect for the house.

Kelly spotted this Moroccan side table right away. My first thought was no way, too ornate. Since then, I've seen many iterations of the traditional Moroccan side table in magazines, catalogs, stores, and blogs. The tables shown below are from ZGallerie and Room Service.          

       
So yes, I've grown to like the table. It's such a versatile, go-to piece of furniture. Of course, now I'm seeing Moroccan style everywhere. So, if you need some great curtains or a bolster or even a purse to match your  Moroccan side table, check out these trend-setting choices:

                                                                                                                                        

 

Idea House inspiration: new Cliff May book

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

Former Sunset home editor (and Idea House architectural guru) Daniel P. Gregory has just published a book on Cliff May, the founding father of modern ranch house design and architect of Sunset's headquarters here in Menlo Park, California. Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House gives an inside look at nearly 20 of May's designs, which in the 1950's and '60s popularized the casually elegant indoor-outdoor floor plan now so familiar to the pages of Sunset. The photography is luscious enough to make me want to fork over the $60 for this beautiful coffee table book. For more of Dan's musings on architecture, check out his blog here.

Sneak peek: Menlo Park Idea House taking shape

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

This was an exciting week at our Menlo Park Idea House. After months of looking at raw Sheetrock walls and naked rooms, the house is now starting to take shape with the arrival of the cabinetry and the painting of the interiors.

We're getting a clear idea of the kitchen. All walls and cabinetry are painted in Benjamin Moore's Steam  AF-15 from their eco-friendly Aura line. It's a nice, warm white. We're topping the island with butcher block bamboo and the perimeter counters with a white quartz from CaesarStone.

I was thrilled to see the paint in the living room. Believe me, this wall color has kept me up at night. Our painter called it black, it's real name is Flint AF-560, from Benjamin Moore Aura. It reads as a dark steel blue and is a dramatic contrast to the fireplace paint, Buttered Yam, AF-230, a favorite from our San Francisco Idea House. The mantle is bamboo from Teragren.

We carry the same Buttered Yam color into the Family Room media wall. All shelving and cabinetry are made  of bamboo from Teragren. We'll top the cabinetry with Bottlestone, a recycled glass countertop from Fireclay Tile. 

Stay tuned for the tile installation!