Name: Tom & Tim
Location: Crocker Highlands, Oakland
Size: 1600 sq. ft.
Years Lived In: 1
We've been really lucky to have met some of the nicest people when we've bought and sold things on Craigslist. But, honestly, very few of them have had homes that grabbed our attention like Tom and Tim's did. As soon as we walked in the door, we were taken in by the mix of wall colors, warm woods, textures, and uncluttered spaces, all with with an East Coast sensibility. It wasn't until later that we asked them for a House Tour, and they very graciously accepted.
Do you have an idea for a house tour? Let us know! tips@sf.apartmenttherapy.com
Our style: Currently a blend of traditional, contemporary classic and Art Deco.
The inspiration for our home: We always try to choose a style that works with the age and architecture of our place. I grew up on the edge of Georgetown in Washington, DC. I vividly remember the interiors of the pre-war brick colonials in the neighborhood: always a bench and an oriental rug in the entry way, occasional tables with silk shade lamps, sedate colors, conservative patterns, rich woods like mahogany and cherry, and feather-stuffed chairs and couches. There was a formal but lived-in elegance in those houses. It must have been fate when we found our 1920s colonial revival in Oakland, California. My inspiration for the interior comes from the homes I remember growing up. I’ve tried to mix what I call “British colonial” (without the imperialist overtones) with modern classics, flea markets finds and inexpensive accessories.
Favorite element: It’s hard to choose, but the top contenders are the front portico, the 7- foot casement windows in the living and dining rooms, and the spacious landing on the stairway.
Biggest challenge in designing our home: Undoing poorly chosen design elements of previous owners.
What friends say about our home: It’s comfortable and pretty.
Biggest embarrassment in our home: The hospital-ward blue kitchen cabinets and Santa Fe- style tiles in the kitchen. They were installed in the early 1990s and definitely have had their moment.
Proudest DIY: Removing a wall in the master bedroom. It was built in the 1950s to make two rooms out of one. After researching floor plans of homes the age of ours, we realized the two rooms were meant to be one. With the help of some friends, we dismantled the wall’s framing, electrical, sliding doors and shelving. It was a big undertaking, but it was worth it.
Biggest indulgence with respect to our home: The mortgage.
Best advice given or received: Never rule out a source. Sometimes it takes a little legwork, but you can find exactly what you need in surprising places. We bought a pair of vintage alabaster lamps for the living room on eBay, but they came without shades. We found the perfect shades at Target. Now the lamps and shades look like they’ve been together all their lives. You can combine expensive with cheap if you choose wisely. And use big retailers carefully—not everything has to be purchased in a set or a matching pattern.
Also, choose things you love, one piece at time. I think the temptation is to plan an entire room in advance and make sure everything matches. It’s ok to create a room that goes with the chair, as opposed to finding a chair that goes with the room.
Dream Source for stuff: Custom made!
Resources:
Hardware:
Ohmega Salvage, Berkeley
Urban Ore, Berkeley
Signature Hardware
Rejuvenation
Ace Hardware
Furniture:
eBay
Alameda flea market
Crate & Barrel
West Elm
Restoration Hardware
Craigslist
Accessories:
Target
Ikea
Pottery Barn
Lighting:
eBay
Ruiz Antique Lighting, Alameda
Paint:
Benjamin Moore
Rugs and Carpets:
eBay
Window Treatments:
Pottery Barn
West Elm
Target
Urban Outfitters
Thanks, Tom & Tim!
(Editor's reminder: When leaving comments, play nice or you'll be asked to leave the sandbox.)
Love it.
What color is the watery blue green on the walls downstairs? It's lovely!
view rachel (between denver/nyc)'s profile
It's really nice to see some period style on AT. (Modern is great, but we can't all be all mod all the time.)
Tom and Tim: Lovely home -- thanks for sharing!
Oaktown, represent! ;-)
Leah
view Leah's profile
rachel - the living room wall color is benjamin moore's "sea haze" (flat finish). it's actually more gray than it appears here, but it does have a hint of blue. it's great in person!
view Tom's profile
Oh, but what is the dining room's color name? That is delicious!
view Lisa from VA/lsaspacey's profile
Thanks tom! I love it. It looks like the more grown up version of the wall color I've been looking at for the bedroom (RL Emporor)
view rachel (between denver/nyc)'s profile
It's great to see the architecture of the house is respected in the decorating (I always find it a bit jarring to find an ultra-modern interior inside a traditional or historical exterior). You had a deft hand mixing some modern pieces in with the more traditional so it's not too staid, though--very well balanced. It's just lovely.
view favabean's profile
Oh, I forgot to mention, I love love love the light fixture above the dining room table. It's a really refreshing alternative to the expected, ubiquitous chandelier.
view favabean's profile
Like Lisa, I'm eager to know about the paint color in the dining room. Would you mind sharing all your paint colors with us?
What a lovely home!
view Terry's profile
YAY!!! I have a greek revival home built in 1839 and sometimes I feel out of place on here. I am in LOVE with the wall color in your dining room.
view I Love Upstate's profile
I love all of it -
would you be kind enough to tell me what color the shutters and front door are?
view blackbird's profile
Tom and Tim--
Was wondering why you hung the (gorgeous) portrait pair facing away from each other... I think it used to be considered bad luck to do so, but usually only when both subjects were still alive... which I doubt these two are!
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
thanks for the kind words, everyone. our last home was midcentury, so the current traditional style is kind of an experiment - we were ready for something different. glad you like it.
the dining room wall color is benjamin moore "norwich brown" flat finish. it has green/gray undertones in person.
all the hanging light fixtures are from ebay. they were cheaper than buying new in most cases!
view Tom's profile
blackbird - the shutter color came with the house. it's a turquoise blue. wish i knew the name...
view Tom's profile
patrick - good question. the placement of the portraits caused a brief debate in our house. i ended up choosing back-to-back because it makes the compositions feel more expansive. when they were facing each other, they looked huddled together for safety. i've never heard the superstition you mention, but i love it. fortunately these two are long gone. the paintings were done in 1856 - another ebay find.
speaking of which... they were offered separately on ebay but were identified as husband and wife. her auction ended 20 minutes before his did. after i won her, i panicked. i didn't want to be the one to separate them for eternity. so i put in an insanely high bid for him - fortunately he didn't cost much more than she did in the end. their names are "jane" and "rochester" - they remind me of the characters in "jane eyre".
view Tom's profile
Tom and Tim lovely home. Thanks for sharing the dining room paint color it's gorgeous!
Lovely home thanks for sharing!
view kmg's profile