Fall in California is quite a bit different than in other parts of the country. Our days tend to be warm and sunny, with cool crisp evenings. It’s my favorite kind of weather, but definitely not what one thinks of for fall. In our homes, I like to bring in the neutrals…winter whites and lots of cozy textures. Organic natural items such as white pumpkins, plants, and even driftwood lend a bit of autumn flavor to the decor. In The…
When we bought our Big Sur home, it came with permits for two studios. We have been working on one of them. When it is completely finished, I will do a blog on the before and after as we await more permits. Last month, I ordered a sofa from RH. (As I’ve mentioned before, RH is one of the only companies that will deliver here!) According to the RH site, it wouldn’t fit through the doorway of the studio. My…
Big Sur has something I like to call the “funk factor”. The creativity is off the charts, and often it is out of necessity. With the closest hardware store an hour away and frequent road closures due to mudslides, people learn to make do with what is available and it often leads to creative solutions. Our contractor Brendan Wahl is just such a person. He has lived in the area all his life and to him there aren’t problems, only…
You know how when you improve one part of your home, it makes the other parts look tired and old? That’s exactly what happened with our deck. We were told we could likely get another few years out of it, and so we had put it on the back burner along with a kitchen remodel. Fast forward ten months, we had new windows, siding , and outdoor furniture. The deck stuck out like a sore thumb! It was old redwood…
After a very wet winter (over 50″ of rainfall) it has been a beautiful spring at The Big Sur House. The poppies and wildflowers are blooming and there is a veritable small green field in front of our deck! Next spring I’m going to toss a bunch of wildflower seed and hope for even more flowers. Of course, lest you think it is perfect, poison oak and ticks are in great abundance and seem to have an affinity for me.…
There are always a multitude of projects after buying a home, and The Big Sur House was no exception. If you read my original post, I shared the living and dining areas. The house also featured two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Just off the dining area was a nice sized guest room with a decent closet and a rustic wood planked ceiling. I loved the wood ceiling but wanted to brighten the rest of the room, so I painted the…
Let me preface this post by saying the Christmas decor in our Big Sur home is simple. Getting Christmas to Big Sur is a bit more complicated. This will be our first Christmas here! Two car loads later (three if you count the trip with the tree stuffed in my tiny Prius), and we’re ready for the holidays! I have never been an over the top kind of gal when it comes to Christmas decor, and even less so here…