Andi & Dean’s Modern Meets Victorian

Name: Andi Forker and Dean Enell
Location: Alamo Square; San Francisco, California
Size: 1,250 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; owned

We followed their Renovation Diary as Andi and Dean fully gutted and remodeled their kitchen, but now the improvements have extended throughout their entire home. For this couple, the past three years have been spent fixing up their Victorian flat, room by room. With most of their major goals accomplished, they have an amazing space to show for it.

Dreamy high ceilings, intricate molding, and detailed casework provide the bones on which Andi and Dean have incorporated a mixture of modern, clean lines and classic, industrial touches. Their remodel efforts have included modifications to the floor plan in order to create more functional spaces, better suited for their 21st century lifestyle. Examples include expanding the bedroom closet, transforming a hall closet into an office niche and half bath, and a full kitchen and bathroom remodel. Dean’s background in architecture, and Andi’s organizational and creative abilities have allowed them to manage the remodel and remain hands-on throughout the entire process. Beyond the architectural upgrades, Andi has utilized her own craftsmanship to reupholster and paint a large amount of their furniture. A great deal of the art is by Andi and Dean, adding a unique touch to each room.

Careful budgeting, extensive research and hours spent getting down and dirty in the construction process have brought Andi and Dean to the point where they can finally enjoy the fruits of their labor. Although in the eyes of these designers, the work is never complete. If you ask them, there are still furniture upgrades and floor refinishing on the horizon. It’s been a labor of love for these two, who, despite all the hard work, continue coming back for more.

Check out their blog Project: Nest for budget, material, and construction resources, and more on each project.

My Style: Eclectic — we like mixing modern and traditional pieces.

Inspiration: Travel, nature, home design blogs, the Victorian architecture of our home, and the city of San Francisco.

Favorite Element: You may have seen our kitchen Renovation Diary, which was completed a few months ago. The kitchen’s Blue Star stove is definitely the crown jewel of the apartment. Our second favorite element is the sunny, 12-foot-tall front window bay in the living room.

Biggest Challenge: The back of the apartment can be dark and lacking in natural light. Also, now that we have renovated the entire apartment, we feel like we should upgrade some of our furniture to be on par with the surroundings. The home improvements never stop!

What Friends Say: The ceilings are so tall. Also, there’s a lot of art and plenty of objects to look at.

Biggest Embarrassment: Some of the original Douglas Fir floors are in bad shape and need refinishing. The IKEA tables in the living room and master bedroom are placeholders until we find the exact right pieces for those spaces. But those are small things — “embarrassment” is too strong of a word.

Proudest DIY: We have done some pretty serious DIYing. The kitchen and master bathroom renovation. The construction of the office nook and half-bath in what was formerly a closet. We also tore out a very small Victorian closet and built a larger master closet to accommodate our clothing. Aside from the construction projects, Andi bought most of our furniture on Craigslist and reupholstered it herself. We are super proud of all of it.

Biggest Indulgence: The authentic, vintage Saarinen tulip table in the living room, which we bought off of Craigslist. We also have some nice pieces from Heath Ceramics in San Francisco and Pewabic Pottery in Detroit (Dean’s home turf) which are displayed throughout the house.

Best Advice: Collect over time and buy quality pieces. Also, if you have any DIY tendencies, do not be afraid to try construction projects for your home — it is worth it in many ways.

Dream Sources: 1^st Dibs, Design Within Reach, Room & Board.

• Benjamin Moore: Pale Moon (Living Room)
• Farrow & Ball: Down Pipe and Lamp Room Gray (Hallways and kitchen)
• Phillip’s Perfect Color: Agua Verte and Mink (Dining Room)
• Farrow & Ball: Borrowed Light (Guestroom & Half bathroom)
• Phillip’s Perfect Color: Agua Verte (Main bathroom)
• Benjamin Moore: Bleeker Beige (Master Bedroom)
• C2 Paint: Halo: (Trim throughout the house)

• Black and gold Dorothy Draper-style chest: craigslist
• Lamp with birds: family antique

• Zig-zag sofa, bench and yellow armchair: craigslist, then reupholstered with new fabric
• Tulip side table: craigslistDIY log side table: found log that we stripped, sanded and coated with clear matte finish
• White nesting coffee table: IKEA
• Leather chairs: Room & Board
• Brown ottoman: Room & Board
• Rugs: Pottery Barn
• Storage baskets under TV: IKEA

• Table: craigslist
• Mismatched chairs: craigslist & IKEA, some have been reupholstered

KITCHEN

• Check out Andi and Dean’s Renovation Diary

• Pineapple-post bed frame: craigslist, then painted Apple Red by Behr
• Rug: Overstock
• Side tables & armoire: family antiques
• Hanging bedside lights: IKEA

• Headboard: DIY construction/upholstery project
• Bed frame: West Elm
• Rug: Pottery Barn
• Dresser: family antique
• Chair: Room & Board
• Side tables: IKEA

• Sinks: Restoration Hardware
• Cabinet: craigslist
• Medicine Cabinets: Restoration Hardware

• Visit Project: Nest

Thanks, Andi and Dean!

(Images: Lindsay Tella, Bathroom photos by Kathryn Wiens)

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