Entry No.22

When Marc and I set out to buy our second house we didn't necessarily want a fixer. But back in the Summer/Fall of '08 it was really hard to get financing and we were competing with lots of people in our price point. With the help of a friend who lived on Mandeville Canyon, we finally descended on our house on Bayliss Rd and it was quite the fixer. The house was built in 1967 and the original owner lived in it until her passing. You can tell she did a beautiful job designing the house. She had custom curtains hung in every room in shades of light blue, chartreuse and cream. Actually, that was the color scheme through out the house. Not necessarily our style. When it came time to embark on our renovation, I new 100% that I wanted to work with a professional architect and an interior designer. We budgeted the cost of both of their services for the remodel though our remodel has gone well over the original budget, but that is another story. Our house would become our biggest investment and I know there are many of you out there that would argue that any home would be an investment but bare with me. I have seen lots and lots of bad remodel jobs where it was obvious the owner of the house worked with the contractor directly and didn't take into consideration the flow, floor plan and they did not take advantage of what the lot had to offer. So the owner puts the house on the market and is angry that they did not get the same price per square foot as the beautifully designed house down the street. I used to think hiring a decorator was reserved for the rich and famous. But I have found that there are many interior designers and all work on different kinds of budgets. Some smart decorators also figured out quickly that via the internet and other technology it would be possible to design a room sight unseen and thus pass the savings to the client. What you do is send the designer photos and dimensions of the room as well as magazine clippings of designed rooms you like. Within a few weeks you get a box and in it is a floor plan and concept for the room. Now you go out and buy the recommendations at your leisure. Brilliant! Betsy Burnham is one such designer setting the trend. Check out her fresh take on west coast aesthetic.