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House Tour: Vicki & Richard's Eichler House of Robots San Francisco

no@email.com (Lily Gahagan) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:00:00 PDT

Name: Vicki, Richard and Dino (Portuguese water dog) Profession: Owners of Museum of Robots, a modern housewares company and KÜNGDESIGN, a creative studio specializing in design for Web and Second Life. Location: San Rafael, CA Size: 1600 sq. ft. Years lived in: 14, owned >> Enter Slideshow What would Joseph Eichler do? That's the question Vicki and Richard Küng continued to ask themselves when remodeling their Eichler home. As a result, most of the original features remain the same and the home continues to carry the retro-modern characteristics that inspire and inform the couple's life and work...

>> Enter Slideshow As the owners and designers behind Museum of Robots, the couple creates products inspired by their mutual love of robots (Richard has been collecting them for 25 years and Vicki got her first one at age six) and the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic. The smooth continuation of these interests from work to home is apparent in every aspect of the space, from the odd robot placed here and there to the obvious respect given to Eichler's original design of the home. The house had been a rental for some time before the Küngs bought it, so few if any renovations had been made. They saved most of the original mahogany paneling, sanding and refinishing every inch to its original luster. Major changes to the galley kitchen might have disturbed the home's still-functional radiant heat system, so in order to brighten the room the central wall was simply lowered to create a bar/counter area. It still keeps with the Eichler aesthetic but opens up the space to the surrounding living area. When looking through the Küng's home, one can immediately tell what interests and inspires them; it's a completely honest look at their style, which we love. As Vicki puts it, "In our products we are inspired by robots which are modern and nostalgic, at once futuristic and retro, technical and playful, functional and entertaining: our Eichler home has the same qualities so it's the perfect environment for us to live and work in." AT Survey: Our Style: Our taste spans a range of design and architectural genres, but we live with modernist furniture in a Mid-Century Modern house. The toy robot collection surrounds us, and we fill in with urban vinyl and other toys we like. We also collect post-war chairs ranging from an Evans-made Eames LCW chair to a prop chair from the recent TV show 'Battlestar Galactica'. Inspiration: The most important thing is that the house is easy to live in - it could easily become a museum of toys and chairs but we mix the collectible pieces with furniture that we can actually use, and that's dog-friendly. Any updating or remodeling is done with a touchstone back to the original vision of the builder so we always ask: "what would Joseph Eichler do?" We use contemporary materials, but try to translate their use to fit with the Eichler aesthetic of open, indoor-meets-outdoor living spaces. Favorite Element: Lowering the original 7' tall wall that separated kitchen from living room and making it into a counter and bar transformed the public area of the house by opening it up and making the kitchen a real 'command central'. The galley kitchen was no longer a tunnel but an open workspace and the living room became much more usable. The garden off the living room is also now visually much more part of the interior environment. Biggest Challenge: We did the remodel work ourselves, so the challenges involved everything from getting design drawings and permits completed, to picking materials, to actually doing the work. We didn’t move out, but moved our stuff from room to room as the floor was installed and rooms completed - we were packing and moving things constantly for 7 months.Now a challenge is keeping things open and uncluttered while finding homes for the robots and chairs. The other challenge is to stop collecting things. What Friends Say: Our friends say we bought a house to match our furniture, and it's true. Biggest Embarrassment: There are a few things from the remodel that are still not quite done, and it’s been three years. There are little bits of trim that still need fixing and the painting around the exterior windows still needs to be done. Someday. Proudest DIY: Reusing materials from neighborhood Eichlers in our remodel. We wanted to preserve as much of the original mahogany paneling as possible but a few walls couldn’t be saved. Neighbors who were remodeling at the same time recycled their old mahogany panels and some door hardware our way so we were able to keep a large part of the interior original. Biggest Indulgence: The cooktop and oven were the biggest splurge. The kitchen is electric and since the floor is concrete slab - and our original radiant heating system still works - we couldn't bring gas in through the floor, and over the roof was tricky. Keeping the kitchen electric meant we could justify good appliances so got a Dacor Millenia Touch cooktop and 36" wide Dacor Epicure oven. Best Advice: That we got for the remodel: be prepared to go 5 months with no kitchen. We planned for that and did just fine with a microwave, electric kettle and lots of salads. That we'd give for a remodel: Measure twice, cut once. Dream Source: We spent most of our dream time in Italian magazines like Abitare and Domus. Then we'd go shopping at IKEA. It was all about balance - and budget. >> Enter Slideshow Resources: Floor: 12"x24" charcoal slate tiles. We split a container of slate tiles with a friend who imported it from China. Kitchen: Countertop: Mélange Porcelain floor tile in Praline. We also used this on the bar top opposite the kitchen. To avoid cutting the 60 cm x 60 cm tiles we used aluminum trim and edge components from Schlüter Systems. Bar Counter-Backsplash: Bisazza Logos glass slab tiles in white. Cabinets: IKEA, Akurum system Faucet: Hansgrohe Solaris HighArc 2 Barstools: Onda barstools in white/orange Dining chairs: Bellini Chairs Guest Bath: Bisazza Glass Mosaic tiles in Blue, Porcher Sapho Pedestal Lavatory, Hansgrohe Axor Starck faucet. Halls: we removed the rigid sliding closet doors and hung silk dupioni curtains on hospital curtain tracks. It adds a soft element that complements the slate floor and gives us easy access to closet space. >> Enter Slideshow (Thanks, Vicki!)

Photos by Mark Adams

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How to Remove Small Scratches on Glass? Good Questions

no@email.com (Gregory Han) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:00:00 PDT

Q - This might be a silly question and a lost cause but I'm looking for advice on a tragedy that occurred this weekend. As my mother was telling me to be careful with the glass top of my brand new Noguchi coffee table when I have guests over she literally scratched it with a platter!

Now that scratch mocks me whenever I walk into the room. Tiny? Yes. But removable? I know it will happen again over time, but it breaks my heart after having just been delivered. Curious if there's a way to get out small scratches in new glass. Eeep! Thank you so much for your help. Posted by Kristin Editor - Kristin, don't fret...you can remove small scratches from glass by buffing it out using jeweler's rouge with a lamb's wool buffing pad. Jewelers rouge was originally developed for the jewelry trade for buffing soft, fine and precious metals to produce a brilliant, high lustrous finish, so when used with lamb's wool, the circular motion will gently remove the scratch. Don't put too much pressure and occasionally check to see the progress made. When you feel like the scratch has been sufficiently removed or lessened, use a mixture of 2 ounces of ammonia with 2 quarts of water as a rinse with a soft sponge. Here's a more in-depth how-to by Crystal Ray of the Associated Press about How to Remove Scratches from Glass for additional info.

Got a good question you'd like answered? Send your queries and a photo or two illustrating your question, and we'll see if the Apartment Therapy LA team or our readers can help answer your question.

Living Tapestry: Design Your Own Vertical Garden

no@email.com (Susie Nadler) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:45:00 PDT

While we love the concept of a vertical garden, which of course is perfect for small outdoor spaces, we haven't really come across a good, workable DIY method that doesn't require super-landscaper or construction skills. The Living Tapestry, from the aptly named East Bay company Vertical Gardens, is a potentially interesting solution, with technology that allows you to design the garden yourself, popping four-inch plants right into pockets in the wall. In the photo above you can see the curtain itself, but we can imagine how once the plants grew in, the black backdrop would disappear. Details after the jump...

The Living Tapestry's design is based on hydroponic technology. The wall consists of what the company calls a "geo-textile laminated curtain." Huh? Sounds complicated, but basically the curtain, which contains pockets for your plants, absorbs water and fertilizers from a series of internal irrigation pipes. Excess drains into a reservoir and gets pumped back into the curtain, recycling the water back through the system. The web site insists that the Tapestry is lightweight, efficient, and easy to put together (no tools required—all the pipes and so on just snap into place). And the best part is that you can plot your own design, inserting the plants you've chosen in whatever pattern you desire. A built-in timer can control the watering schedule according to the needs of your plants. For more details, visit the Living Tapestry web site. Pretty cool idea—has anyone seen one of these in person? How would you design your Tapestry? (Images: Vertical Gardens)

A Who's Who of Chicago Design CS Interiors

no@email.com (Janel Laban) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:30:00 PDT

The recent issue of CS Interiors includes a feature by Lisa Cregan and Amalie Drury that profiles seven of the people who help define the term "Chicago Design". First up is Mr. Berkus, who according to the article, grew up "in Minnesota with a decorator mom" and "interned his way through Lake Forest College working for...

...Leslie Hindman's Auction House". (Leslie is also on the list, btw). Richard Wright (of Wright Auction House) is included, as is gallerist Alan Koppel and designer Holly Hunt. Check out the rest of the list and the profiles of all of them in the Summer 2009 issue of CS Interiors on newsstands and online. Who would you add to the list? Image: Bob Coscarelli/CS Interiors

Muji Bath Radio Disguised As Shampoo Bottle

no@email.com (Gregory Han) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:15:00 PDT

More than meets the eye...the Transformer's jingle seems appropriate in describing this splash proof Muji AM/FM radio which is disguised as a plastic shampoo bottle. Tune to your favourite radio station with a twist of the cap and there's even a hidden suction cup antenna so you can pull in those favourite tunes you only nail while singing in the shower. Check out all the details over at Unplggd...

Renovated Stone Home in Northwest Spain clicarQ

no@email.com (Aaron Able) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:00:00 PDT

The interior of this stone house in northwestern Spain was modernized by architecture firm Villacé + Cominges — the concrete interior walls and ceilings work beautifully with the original stone structure and offer a cool and soothing backdrop for the modern interior...

I LOVE concrete walls — they can be a bit "cold" for some people but are balanced with the warm wood floors and natural light in this space. And the colorful furniture adds even more definition. Via: notcot.org. (Images: © Santos-Díez / ClicarQ)

Ina Garten on Color in the Kitchen House Beautiful

no@email.com (Lily Gahagan) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:45:00 PDT

As big fans of the Barefoot Contessa's style, were thrilled to read Maxwell's design notes on Ina Garten and House Beautiful's 2009 Kitchen of the Year (on display now at Rockefeller Center). Although we love us some Ina, we can't quite justify the plane ticket required to see the exhibit in person. Instead, we've been poring over the many videos taken at the event which feature Ina's advice on decorating and designing a kitchen. We found her words on colors in the kitchen particularly interesting...

She prefers spare use of color in the kitchen, instead letting the food, flowers, and company take center stage. While we've always admired her various pared-down kitchens featuring black, white and muted grays with fresh pops of green herbs here and there, we also love the look of a brightly colored kitchen (as seen here or here) too. Perhaps for filming a stark backdrop is preferred (hmm, someone might want to tell Sandra Lee), but for a regular home maybe it's not so important. In the end it's whatever works best for you and your space, but we wanted to gauge what you prefer for color palette in the kitchen - bright and colorful, subdued, or somewhere in between? See the full video of Ina talking about color here.
(Image: Simon Upton for House Beautiful)

Luxury Tent Living at Aman-i-Khás in India

no@email.com (Sarah Coffey) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:30:00 PDT

In Rajasthan, on the border of Ranthambore National Park, lies an encampment of 10 canvas tents that make up the Aman-i-Khás resort. The tents are permanent structures, with curtains partitioning the bedroom, bathroom, and living areas...

Ceiling fans and air conditioning cool the rooms—no roughing it here. We think the layouts are pretty smart, with a central daybed in the middle of the canopy, a bed to one side, a bathroom next door, and a dressing area to the other side, all sectioned off by cotton screens. A row of screened "windows" surrounds the top of the tent, letting in the daylight. These tents don't come cheap. Rates are listed at $875 a night for your own personal hideaway in this remote nature reserve. A little out of our budget, but great inspiration nonetheless. For more information on Aman-i-Khás, click here. (Photos: Aman-i-Khás)

A Summer Destination: Do You Pool?

no@email.com (Laure Joliet) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:15:26 PDT

Oh how we wanted to have a pool in the backyard while growing up. We wanted one so badly. The next door neighbors had a pool... a pool they absolutely never seemed to use. We would stare longingly until one day they invited us over to use it. Then we got to use the pool whenever we wanted. It set the mark high for a summer vacation memory even though other years we had traveled or camped. There was something about not having to leave home and getting to spend all day in a pool that made 1988 a sweet sweet time. Flash forward to today, it seems way to easy to take pools for granted.

It's one of the perks of living in a place that gets as god awfully hot as LA – swimming pools. Abby brought up the idea of borrowing pools from friends and acquaintances to help get through the hot summer. And the thing we always remark when flying into LA during the day (on a hot day) is that with the millions of pools dotting the landscape, no one is ever in them! All that fun splashy time going to waste. We're even guilty of it. In the complex we're living in there's a pool and until about a week ago, we'd never set foot in it despite it being clean and relatively uncrowded. So this past weekend we made a point of going swimming every day. It was incredibly relaxing and it made time feel like it was slowing down (after a very hectic last couple of months) and the best part was that it didn't cost a thing. Why did it take so long (other than the usual excuse of jobs and being busy) for me to get in there? So have you made a point of using the pool in your complex/backyard/neighbor's house? Does anyone have a favorite Hotel Pool or Pool Crashing Story? Or even a favorite pool scene from a movie (Like Valley Girl or Fast Times)? (Image: Parker Hotel Palm Springs by beachloverpamela)

RainShine LEED Platinum House by Robert M. Cain

no@email.com (Aaron Able) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:00:00 PDT

The RainShine house is the first modernist home to achieve the LEED Platinum level in the Southeastern United States. Located in Decatur, Georgia and designed by architect Robert M. Cain, the 2,800 square foot home is designed to maximize natural light throughout the home and the butterfly roof harvests rainfall...

From the architect Robert M. Cain: "The butterfly roof is designed to capture rainfall for a rain harvest system located in the basement (Rain) and is oriented to maximize southern exposure for a roof mounted photovoltaic system (Shine)." The RainShine House even has its own blog! Via: Contemporist. (Images: Robert M. Cain)

Airstream as an Office Space

no@email.com (Monika Gromek) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:45:00 PDT

Just last week we posted about a few items that we admired from Able + Baker Etsy shop. This week we found out that they are about to embark on journey to renovate and transform an old Airstream into an office. We can't wait to see the final results.

It is a 1968 Airstream Ambassador. It is being transported from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Berkeley, California, where the renovation will take place. Eventually it will end up in Fresno as an office/studio space. We will definitely keep you updated on the progress and major milestones. In the meantime you can check out Able + Baker blog for more details. Images: Able + Baker

Best Way to Remove Paint from Windows? Good Questions

no@email.com (Janel Laban) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:30:00 PDT

Q: I just bought a bungalow in Chicago. My first home! For whatever reason, in the living room, there are two beautiful stained glass windows that have been painted over with white paint (just like all of the original doors, doorways, baseboards, railings, etc.). These original windows are beautiful from what we can tell from the outside- a bright green vase with red tulips. We have no idea how to gently remove the paint from the windows...

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: chicago(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)

It also doesn't help that the glass on the window is textured, so it will be very hard to just "wipe it clean." It doesn't look like we can take the windows out to work on them either. How do I successfully remove the paint without scratching the glass? Thanks so much! Do you have any advice for Lindsey? Please let us know in the comments below...

Color Combo: Cream, Silver and White

no@email.com (Beth Zeigler) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:15:00 PDT

Crisp and clean, Holly's office has a peaceful vibe by using simple color combos of cream, silver and white. Lending a hand to the streamlined look of the office space is a chrome bookcase that reminds us of Liz's metro shelving...

The space feels upbeat and bright because of the light color palette and silver accents coming from the classic clock, chrome bookshelf and steel wire mesh chair. The bookshelf doesn't look cluttered because Holly uses translucent magazine files that keep colored book spines hidden--which helps stick with the clean color palette. Instead of a floor lamp, Holly makes use of an industrial clip on light which beams light towards the ceiling, adding to the bright office corner. Related Posts

(Images: xtremetothemax)

Bridget's Clean & Current in North Brooklyn House Call

no@email.com (Guest) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 PDT

(We're trying out some of the best applicants from our New York Blogger Search — this House Call comes from applicant Judy Brown.)

Name: Bridget Henry Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn NYC The challenges of Bridget's space are few. It's a bit on the narrow side, so furniture placement is limited, the landlord won't allow tenants to paint, and she's on a busy street with quite a bit of truck traffic.... but who cares! The ceiling's are high, there's plenty of storage, bright sunny windows, and she's got a lovely backyard that she shares with the neighbors...

The look is clean, and stylized. Sticking with an almost monotone color scheme of creams, beiges, and browns, she added touches of ebony and orange to add some weight and earthiness . She gave it all some dimension by piling on the texture — there's leather, wood, linen, glass, wool, horn, crisp cotton, silk, and metal. The decor hits all eras too — primitives, victorian, mid century modern, 70's lucite, and present day contemporary. Keeping everything meticulously edited allows it to all melt together cohesively. Take a look! (Images: Judy Brown) We've had amazing response to our Apartment Therapy House Tour Submission Form. While we will work with homeowners of our favorite homes to feature full tours, we will also share the best as House Calls — short, quick tours of readers' homes. Submit your home here.

Inspiration: Beach Garden in a Pot

no@email.com (Danielle Henderson) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:45:00 PDT

Container gardening is well-established as a way to get a measure of the beauty and, sometimes, fresh produce of a backyard garden, without the actual backyard. But Sunset shows us that the container garden has yet more potential - this time as a beachy background for our staycation.

The arrangement begins as a regulation container garden, with slow-growing plants planted in potting soil. But then horticultural-grade washed sand is poured in a one-inch thick layer over the top, which you can then adorn with driftwood and beach glass. The thing symbolizes the northern Pacific coast to us the most is the sand and scrubby vegetation, so this is definitely something we will try. Sunset has the complete how-to.