House Stalking: Sherman Avenue

I drove through this neighborhood the other day and was curious about this renovation. A quick google search led me to Brach Design (isn't the internet great?) This tiny dilapidated house sat on a 25 foot wide lot in an up-and-coming district (though you would never be able to tell that from the before pics of this house). The size of the lot required that the design be approved by the neighbors and the city Planning Division. Brach Design was able to devise a plan that restored the original structure and its relationship to the street, while adding space above and below ground to achieve 2,200 square feet of clean modern spaces flooded with natural light.

Before

During: The front structure of the house remains intact while footings are poured for the two story expansion.

After: I love that they kept the same lines of the old porch roof and updated it with the metal pergola. The slate porch ties in nicely with the new landscaping. 

After: View of the back of the house. A juliet balcony extends from the new master bedroom.  

Inside: Because the lot is narrow, so too is the house. This layout is very similar to a New Orleans shotgun style house with all the rooms lining up from front to back. Although the use of different flooring does set the living room area apart from the hallway, I would have kept the floors all the same material to allow the eye to flow more from the living room to the back of the house.  

The streamlined kitchen sits at the back of the home with a sliding glass door that leads to the back garden.

Small scale glass tile visually expands the space and a european style glass enclosure keeps this small bath looking fresh, clean, light, and airy. Lesson to learn: keeping the vanity low with the sink placed on top doesn't take up as much visual space as having a higher vanity with an inset sink. Something to think about if you are working within a small footprint such as this. 

House Stalking: Midway, UT

Every so often I'll be driving innocently along, minding my own business when a house jumps right off the side of the road and pleads with me to stop and take it's pretty picture. Okay that last sentence was a lie. I'm rarely innocent; my goal on most days is the pursuit of pretty houses. I even alter my route to the grocery store every single time in the hopes that by driving down a different street I'll catch a glimpse of some adorable house that I can then dream about moving all my furniture into. Crazy? Possibly. But I do refrain (most of the time) from actually getting out of my car to peek in the windows. I do have limits to the craziness you know. 

So, a few years ago we (myself and Mr. - the usual suspects) were driving through Midway, Utah (30 minutes from Park City), a city that was founded by Swiss immigrants and has a lot of pretty great architecture.  We were driving along, talking, laughing, listening to Counting Crows when all of a sudden Mr. brings the car to a screeching halt. Traffic was piling up behind us and I was about to assert my duty as co-pilot to inform him that the car was no longer moving when I followed his gaze across the street to the most adorable cottage I have ever laid eyes on. It was love at first sight, for us both (Mr., though he would never admit to such a calamity, is just as crazy as I am with the house stalking). 

The minute we saw this house we were mesmerized. I love that unique wood shingle roof that mimics a classic english cottage thatch roof - the craftsmanship is out of this world! The stone on the house with the stone fence surrounding the property lend such a unique organic quality, like it just sprouted out of the earth. This home belongs in a fairytale or at least a movie based on a Rosamund Pilcher novel. I was half expecting a little white haired lady to appear in the doorway at any moment wearing a white lace-trimmed apron and holding out a freshly baked pie, surrounded by blue-birds, and fawns, and baby bunnies.

Are you wondering why there is a hideous date stamp on these first two pictures? I was trying out a new camera and didn't realize the date stamp was on (doh!) but it does give evidence of how long we have been stalking this house! We drive past it every chance we get. In fact I have more pictures of the exterior of this home than I do of my own. I'm sure Elena (that's the name of my sweet fictional white haired lady) won't mind. 

These pictures were all taken at different times of the year  (I told you, we drive past here often)- thus the changing landscaping. I imagine that Elena loves to come out here in the early morning while there is a layer of dew covering the grass to pick a bouquet of fresh flowers for her kitchen where she is hard at work making scones and cream tea for an afternoon get together with the Garden Club. 

This one shows the carriage/guest house. It is also done in the same stone that is on the main house and has its own little entrance gate. I'm sure this is where Elena's grandchildren stay when they come for a visit every weekend. Yes every weekend, her grandchildren are the best. 

Unlike the weeds infesting my lawn (much to Mr.'s horror) these dandelions actually look quite charming when in front of this beauty. Elena has been visiting her best friend from childhood this week and hasn't had time to mow the lawn. No problem, I'm sure her kindly old neighbor Henri will send over his yard boy, Gabriel, for a quick clean up. 

Chop, chop Gabe! Elena will be home any minute.