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.