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© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
© Thomas J. Story
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Cottage hits the comeback trail
By Lisa Taggart of Sunset
Bringing a design sense home
Diving headlong into a challenging project was never an issue for Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic. The two designers found themselves having their first child, getting to know a new town and renovating a house — not to mention acquiring Heath Ceramics, the iconic Western pottery line — all at the same time.
Their open-minded attitude came in handy when they moved from San Francisco north to Sausalito. The house they bought — a pre-1900 cottage on the hillside above the harbor — badly needed an update. Attracted to the simple beauty of functional items in their work, they brought a similar aesthetic to their home.
First, to get the most out of the view, they tore down a wall that closed off the kitchen from the dining room, leaving a central tower with cabinets on one side and the fireplace on the other. They warmed rooms with fir floors and filled spaces with modern furniture whose clean lines made the most of small quarters.
- Sunset.com: Before and after: open, airy cottage
- On our blog, 'Listed': Architect wants to print a house
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Living room
Fir floors and thick wool rugs add warmth to the living room, which is accented with a modern lounge chair, mosaic coffee table and a Walter Kuhlman portrait of a bemused nun. The new staircase to the upstairs bedroom includes a reading nook on the landing.
"It's a challenge to do modern in an old house," Bailey says. The solution was to mix it up: a Saarinen chair next to garage-sale finds and Ikea cabinets surrounded by custom woodwork and period molding.
Slide show: How a dance hall became a house
- MSN Living: Does your home need a 'makeunder'?
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Entry
A bench by the front door keeps shoes in a neat row.
- Realtor.com: Shop homes for sale in Sausalito
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Fireplace
Surprising jolts of vivid color punctuate a mostly gray palette. The cabinet wall separating the kitchen and dining room is also a tiled backdrop for a vivid turquoise fireplace. Three tones of deep-charcoal tile are a rich background for the fireplace.
- Sunset.com: Before and after: open, airy cottage
- On our blog, 'Listed': Architect wants to print a house
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Kitchen
Flush-mounted lights on the soffit and under the cabinets show off hand-tooled yellow tiles on the kitchen wall. The soft-gray walls and mushroom-colored concrete counters subtly complement the tile.
- Realtor.com: Shop homes for sale in Sausalito
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Inspiration wall
Green walls provide a soothing backdrop for Petravic's custom-built display rail of personal mementos.
Slide show: How a dance hall became a house
- MSN Living: Does your home need a 'makeunder'?
- Pinterest users: Check out MSN Real Estate's boards
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Bathroom
The couple nearly doubled their space by adding a bathroom, playroom and family room in what once was an unfinished basement. There they brought in matte-brown tiles in a larger size for the floor — a practical choice for a family with a toddler and two large, black, Newfoundland dogs. Avocado-green paint brightens the walls; sea-green Heath tile gives the bathroom an otherworldly, undersea feel.
Heath tile, in two shades of glossy and matte sea green, has natural color variation that gives the downstairs bathroom depth.
- Realtor.com: Shop homes for sale in Sausalito
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Bedroom
The couple's cozy attic bedroom has a billion-dollar view of Sausalito harbor.
Slide show: How a dance hall became a house
- MSN Living: Does your home need a 'makeunder'?
- Pinterest users: Check out MSN Real Estate's boards
Cottage hits the comeback trail
Backyard
Just outside the kitchen's back door, the terrace has a built-in tiled counter that houses a grill, sink and ethanol fireplace. In the newly terraced yard, rust-orange tile benches are brilliant against the poured-concrete raised beds and bluestone pavers.
Landscape design: Antonia Bava Landscape Architects, San Francisco (www.abava.com or 415-882-7915).
- Sunset.com: Before and after: open, airy cottage
- On our blog, 'Listed': Architect wants to print a house
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