Name: Melinda Gorham, David Charles, Karson and Amelie the pooch
Location: Glen Park, San Francisco
Size: Not sure, but it's a good size for San Francisco
Years lived in: Melinda for 5 years, David for a year, rented
Melinda and David invited me into their home for a tryout House Call post. After receiving such a great response, it seemed silly not to take more photographs for a full house tour. Enjoy!
When Melinda moved into her two bedroom Glen Park apartment five years ago, the cream walls and gold fixtures were definite eyesores. Luckily, her amenable landlord gave her free reign to remodel, so the painting, fixture replacing and personalizing began immediately. Now with a new housemate, her fiance David, the home is a loving and colorful collaboration by all members of the household.
As an Art Director by trade and a furniture connoisseur by nature, Melinda's transformation of the home started long before David entered the story. But once David moved in, they worked hard to make the home into something they could both call their own.
The bright blue walls of the living room invite you in immediately. Decorated with a mix of art, books and plants, the room begs to be used to wind down from a long day. The dining room is an obvious gathering place with the large dining table and bench seating. Their growing toy collection and giant gold piggy bank ensure that dinner parties have countless topics of conversation.
In contrast to the bright and bold shared spaces, the bedrooms are calming and comforting. Melinda and David's bedroom is a modern cocoon, a room for relaxation and shelter. The walls are simpler, painted in a matte charcoal paint with just a few wall adornments. The white bedding and curtains add peacefulness and harmony to the room. The room of Melinda's daughter, Karson, is every sophisticated twelve year old's dream. Described by Karson as "Contemporary Victorian," the room boasts eggplant walls, a draped bed with a velvet headboard, a chandelier and hot pink bed side lamps.
Since Melinda likes to keep the house neat and tidy, her office is used to store her knickknacks and small collections. The stairway leading in to apartment is a gallery of artists the couple knows from around the world. The graphic D and M that grace the entryway's window were given to them as a Christmas present by designing friends.
AT Survey:
My/Our style: A mix of Melinda's refined aesthetic, playful taste and insane eye for detail paired with David's chaotic Greek Brazilian heritage. We like every room to have a completely different environment and mood, but still want them to ultimately compliment each other in personality and color.
Inspiration: It's our giant cubby hole. Your home is where you go to feel good at the end of a long day, to feel cozy on the weekends and to get inspired to do great things. It's one of the only environments that we are in everyday, that we can improve upon and that we can change so our moods are positively affected.
Favorite Element: We LOVE everything. It's an impossible question to answer.
Biggest Challenge: Transforming the cream walled, generic fixer upper into something that is our own.
What Friends Say: Spending time here is like going on vacation.
Biggest Embarrassment: We really need to paint our art gallery hallway.
Proudest DIY: Creating our art gallery, which is a constant work in progress.
Biggest Indulgence: Our Temperpedic adjustable bed.
Best advice: Only buy and surround yourself with the stuff you love, otherwise you will have a LOT of garage sales.
Dream source: Ebay, Etsy, art shows, SF shops and a few other great online design sources.
Resources:
Living Room: The entertainment console was contracted by a designer on Etsy. The couch is from Therapy and the pillows are from Urban Outfitters. The vintage gray chair is from Ebay and is sitting near an Eames rocker, naturally. Some of the artists of the work featured above the television are Barry McGee, Matt Furie, John Casey, Misprinted Type, Elisa Sassi of Brazil as well as Melinda and Karson.
Dining Room: The table is an IKEA table that Melinda refinished and the bench is from OHIO Design. The art piece on the mantle is by AJ Fosik and the toy collection has slowly been accumulating over the last 5 years with some pieces joining from a recent trip to Japan.
Karson's Bedroom: Her headboard, jewelry box and iPod amp/speakers are all from Urban Outfitters. Her canopy, dresser, vanity and chandelier are all from IKEA. The ceramic dogs are from her great-grandfather.
David & Melinda's Bedroom: The dresser is from Room & Board. The collection of 30 golden teeth by Bay Area artist Crystal Morey were a gift to Melinda from David on her 30th birthday. Some of the small accessories about the bedroom are from IKEA.
(Thanks, Melinda and David!)
Images: Jessica Watson
I like the dark walls adds a nice bit of drama to offset all the lack of a better term toys? It does look a bit like a Esty showcase but fun. You three are very cute too!
view LoriSF's profile
Fantastic! I love the vibe. There's a little bit of magic in every corner. Very inspiring.
view modernguy's profile
What is that collection of little things on the wall above the dresser? I like the look.
view clampers's profile
LOVE IT! Totally blown away by how well they blended all of the styles and colors together. Awesome!
Laura
http://www.justalittlebit.net
view grafxnerd's profile
Love, love your home. Love the art, the toys. I would be in there for hours checking everything out. Wish I had all that space to display all my stuff.
view Pattycakes's profile
Do you have the name & brand of that nice gray bedroom paint?
view naomibgood's profile
I LOVE the eggplant walls in the daughter's room. And those ceilings are just incredible! Also, the plants are beautiful.
But I hated the toilet seat. Sorry, I know you guys are renting. I was totally in the zone with the whole house tour: "love this, love that," and then "ew, public restroom toilet seat? For real?"
Liked everythinge else, even the teeth!
view typwc's profile
that color purple is awesome! nice place.
view reiskid's profile
Beautiful! This reminds me of my own apartment =)
Same career, same paint choices. Interesting...
view JulieLeanne's profile
Any chance of getting the name/brand of that fantastic aubergine in the bedroom? I've been searching for something along those lines for a while to use in my own bedroom, and you've nailed it!
view ashk's profile
want this! great place
view greybreaks's profile
would also love the charcoal paint color.
view monstertruck's profile
Nice! Not all choices I would have made, but they knew what they wanted and really made it work. I like the overall airy feel to the place and and the beautiful use of color in everywhere. I'm impressed by the sophistication of the daughter's bedroom, I guess this tour offers more proof that when people love things (objects, colors, whatever) & put them together with respect, they create something wonderful.
view mei-ling's profile
I love the bedrooms -- gorgeous, especially the colours. I'm amazed at how well everything comes together. I'm not so big on the other rooms myself (not really my thing), but they're definitely well-done.
view SarahBerneche's profile
Jess- your photography is wonderful! Melinda and David, thanks for sharing your gorgeous home, I especially like how you've arranged your great artwork--not an easy task.
view LeahDC's profile
Your home has a great feel to it. Love all your paint choices!
view Sarah627's profile
such a great use of color, and all the piece it seems were very well chosen! well done!
michelle
http://cheeseloversinternational.blogspot.com/
view michelleinbrooklyn's profile
So happy to see this gray bedroom - I'm painting mine gray too. Not as dark as this, but I've been planning on shades of white/gray as accent colors, and am getting all kinds of inspiration, especially the beautiful white orchid. I plan to find one this week!
And yes, PLEASE tell us what the tiny objects hung above the dresser are!!
view DragonKatinDC's profile
Those objects above the dresser are the 30 golden teeth by Crystal Morey that Melinda received as a birthday gift for her 30th birthday. She once had a necklace of a tooth by the same artist and wore it until it was worn out. For her birthday, David had the artist come over and install the teeth as part of her gift.
view Jess Watson's profile
I LOVE that deep purple-blue tinted gray against the white vanity. DragonKateinDC, I just painted 2 walls of my bedroom dark charcoal with white trim and was terrified as the paint went on but really happy with the result -- I think the trick is either to have tons of light or to paint dark around the windows and leave the walls that reflect light, light.
view montoni's profile
Very nice home. Absolutely adore the blue color in the living room and the gray in the bedroom, excellent choices. Also, Amelie the poochie is super duper cute.
view suzy8track's profile
This home shows no timidity when it comes to color, but also no insanity when it comes to color. Excellent painted surfaces. Interesting group portrait.
view Usbek de Perse's profile
I really like the color choices. That deep, cool-toned plum in the bedroom is divine.
view slowdown's profile
Love those paint colors too... please tell us what they are!!
view MidoriMonsta's profile
I can't get over how awesome that Room & Board dresser is.
view slantedview's profile
What are the names of all those beautiful broad leaved house plants all over this gorgeous home? Please tell me!
view Curt @ AUCOTI's profile
Totally authentic! What a pleasure. Thanks for sharing.
view h144's profile
Hey Guys,
Looks great!!! Hurry up and tell us what the grey paint color is already ;) I'm about to paint my bedroom and I've been looking for a nice grey like that. Good timing. =)
Kris
view kris2's profile
I love that wall color in the bedroom. What is it, dark purple? Dark gray? It's gorgeous! And what a cute couple too!
view lili09's profile
The paint in Karson's room is Black Tulip by Glidden. I'm working on getting the dark gray in Melinda & David's room. I believe it's Seal Grey, but let me confirm.
view Jess Watson's profile
I love the grouping of art on the bright blue wall. Can you tell us who the artists are who created these pieces?
view amringro's profile
Curt:
They are rubber plants. Very common, you can find them at any big box home improvement store, even ikea has them sometimes. There are lots of different colors, some are varigated yellow and green. Great houseplants, love sun but will survive some dark corners. Let the soil completely dry out before watering. Cuttings root easily in water.
view typwc's profile
The artists on the wall are Elisa Sassi, Barry Mcgee, Brenden Monroe, Matt Furie and the two top pieces are from Karson and Melinda
view autista's profile
John Casey is also on the wall :) The dark gray paint color is an asphalt gray. The rubber plants are almost all from Home Depot originally. Started off as lil baby plants -- We've had them for almost 4years now.
view lilcoconut's profile
Karson's is a black tulip and the bathroom is a deep mud color - Fireplace is the same. We just made sure that no matter how many colors we used, that they all could live together as a color palette. I'll grab actual colors brands for everyone this weekend- Thank you for all the lovely comments everyone!
view lilcoconut's profile
the bedroom is gray asphalt from BEHR - and the blue is evermore blue.
view autista's profile
What about the lighter gray paintcolor in the kitchen? Thanks!
view see's profile
What a beautiful home! I especially love the colors in the living room--so cheerful but still elegant and sophisticated. Kelly green just makes me giddy.
view Polpol's profile