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SF House Tour: Gehry and Lanya's Life Meets Art

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Name: Gehry and Lanya
Location: Oakland
Size: 1150 sq. ft. 1 bedroom in an 1896 Victorian home
Years Lived in: 2


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House Tour Button07.jpg"The apartment is special and worth honoring," says Lanya. Both Gehry and Lanya love to travel and have an incredible knack for creating community. Their home is the nexus of those interests and is seeped in the impact of the people they have met around the world and around the corner. Specifically, the color palette and the impromptu dance space attest to the amount of time they have spent in South and Central America...

 
 
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Recently, they threw a party and asked all the guests to contribute a piece of art. Now, the house teems with their own creativity as well as the expressions of their neighbors.

The home has definitely been a work in progress. The constraint of living within the landlord's guidelines and landlord's tastes is tough for Gehry but he works around it as best he can. Gehry and Lanya also work around the fact that their house is haunted and there is nothing they can do about it but embrace the ghosts and move on.

Gehry and Lanya enjoy the expansiveness of their home and appreciate the light and the views with every meal, and every time they sit up in bed.

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AT Survey:

Style: arts/crafts vs. modernist

Inspiration: japanese (and local artists)

Favorite Element: sunlight bouncing off the angled walls; leaving window sills free of clutter; views are amazing

Biggest Challenge: working around the permanent elements imposed by the owner, and keeping it clean!

Biggest Embarrassment: liking spiderwebs

Proudest DIY: tile table over card catalog

Biggest Indulgence: custom cut organic futon cushions over wood core doors (for sitting and enjoying tea)

Dream Source: The earth.

Thanks, Gehry and Lanya!

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(Edited from a post originally posted by Jill on AT:NY on 06.06.07; posted again with edits by MGR on AT:NY on 08.20.07; and again by Jill on AT:NY on 12.03.07)

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Comments (31)

amazing and magical! love the floor stencils.

posted by krikri on May 6th 2008 at 10:52am
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The floor stencils and the guest room are my favorite parts.

posted by Melissa82 on May 6th 2008 at 10:58am
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I am so jealous! The view! The light! The art! The workspace! The hardwood floors! And so much more...

posted by calpypso on May 6th 2008 at 11:03am
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absolutely a.maz.ing. i would love to live there. every inch of it is incredible!!

posted by LisaK75 on May 6th 2008 at 11:17am
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Wabi sabi at it's best....

posted by hdtex on May 6th 2008 at 3:10pm
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Love the vintage spiderweb.

posted by lightspeed on May 6th 2008 at 5:57pm
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So beautiful...I will be seeing this house in my dreams.

posted by kuroneko on May 6th 2008 at 6:01pm
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Wow. San Francisco at it's greatest. Thank you!

(LOVE the pic with the spiderweb in the window. Spider = friend.)

posted by btoddster on May 6th 2008 at 6:40pm
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Nice space but not the greatest stuff.

posted by southernbelleinsf on May 6th 2008 at 6:44pm
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That over the bed treatment is rather vaginal.

posted by wannacomment on May 6th 2008 at 6:52pm
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So did anyone else gasp when they saw the kitchen and the bathroom? Awesome!

posted by bebetree on May 6th 2008 at 7:19pm
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wannacomment, if that's your idea of vaginal you may want to get referred to a good gynecologist.

posted by lightspeed on May 6th 2008 at 7:48pm
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What a fantastic tour. I'm so envious of their yard. The bones of the house are very interesting. I love seeing older homes.

posted by Alkemie on May 6th 2008 at 8:26pm
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This place has been around awhile. Interesting the first few times but loosing something.

posted by Ray White on May 6th 2008 at 10:41pm
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Pet peeve: not only have I seen this before [not that it isn't a pleasure to see], but it also jumped to the top of the page among the new posts yesterday.

posted by visualingual on May 7th 2008 at 2:51am
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beautiful space! i love it. they've done a beautiful job.

but that catwalk looks treacherous!

posted by closertotheocean on May 7th 2008 at 3:06am
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Beautiful space, bathroom is the nicest room for my taste. The rest looks junked.

posted by click212 on May 7th 2008 at 3:31am
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I think the house itself is beautiful - it would be hard no matter what the decorating to hide such beautiful bones.
The decorating is okay - seems college-y but happy.

posted by northernkate on May 7th 2008 at 4:01am
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I just think the fabric over the bed must be a dust factory. I agree w/pp who says the decor looks a little college-esque. I think they're probably very fun people to be able to call friends.

posted by buzzybee on May 7th 2008 at 4:48am
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I've never seen this before, so I'm glad it was recycled.

This is too cluttered and artsy-craftsy for me. And I don't get the billowing fabric above the bed. I don't think it adds anything good to the space and it hides the ceiling. I like the orange walls though.

posted by jooly on May 7th 2008 at 4:56am
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It seems very straight out of college but also warm and inviting. I'm familiar with the neighborhood and it is a beautiful home.

posted by oakland on May 7th 2008 at 7:06am
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visualingual,

We're gradually moving House Tours over to the city sites where they actually belong.

posted by leslie on May 7th 2008 at 7:28am
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I think this is my dream apartment... My decorating style would be a bit different, but it is amazing.

posted by falconette on May 7th 2008 at 7:40am
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Ghetto art school...bedroom looks like a college student lives there. Cool it aint !

posted by limirl on May 7th 2008 at 9:20am
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oh wow. amazing apartment, but the decor really pains me.

posted by iacoli on May 7th 2008 at 12:16pm
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The sheer impracticality of the guest room is whimsically appealing. The architecture of the place is just great. The style of decor isn't really what I'd choose but it was cheerful and full of personality.

posted by lurker2209 on May 7th 2008 at 1:20pm
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the colors are amazing, i love your place :)

posted by endia0716001 on May 7th 2008 at 4:16pm
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Some of you's must have a difficult time walking or sitting down, what with that broomstick planted way up your poopers.

posted by btoddster on May 8th 2008 at 5:59am
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Lightspeed, I think he is referring erroenously to the outer parts. Many seem to be doing that these days.

posted by kuroneko on May 12th 2008 at 7:01am
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This an interesting design solution for a unique room. You have completely transformed the inside of a Victorian house which is not the easiest task. The added architectural features really add to the theme of the room.

posted by asdinteriors on June 9th 2008 at 9:51am
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While I prefer streamlined and cohesive spaces with dabs of art and unexpected colors, I actually like that fact that this couple has injected what they love into their space. It's personal not clinical. Sometimes interior design needs to take a break from its seriousness and exactness. Kudos to the couple for not bowing down to interior design conventions!

posted by spinelli on June 27th 2008 at 9:32am
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