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My Houzz: Yard Seals the Deal for an Eichler Home
Expansive indoor-outdoor living sold a couple on this midcentury California home, now brimming with vintage finds collected over time
I'm a Southern California-based writer, editor, photographer and web content producer specializing in home and garden topics, landscape design, architecture, design history and the environment. Since 2008, I've been the Pool and Patio Guide for About.com, and am a home tour contributor for Houzz. I've also written for The Los Angeles Times, Westways, Emmy, KCET and PBS. I have a B.A. in Art from Cal Poly, Pomona; a certificate in fine and decorative arts appraisal from UCI and am a certified landscape designer. My house is a mid-century modern needing repairs, updates and tweaks. Luckily, my ancestors were artists and DIYers: they were making/building things way before the term do-it-yourself was coined.
I'm a Southern California-based writer, editor, photographer and web content... More »
‘‘It wasn't the house itself that sold us," recalls Sean Steimle. "It was the yard." Initially his wife, Stacey, thought this midcentury modern home — built in 1962 by Joseph Eichler — was uninviting. Iconic Eichler houses don't have front porches or many street-facing windows, often appearing closed off. "However, once I walked through the atrium and saw through the glass wall into the backyard, I was hooked," Stacey says. "It's the essence of California living — that fabulous indoor-outdoor feeling. I don't think I could ever go back to a house with traditional walls and windows."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sean and Stacey Steimle; dogs Scoop and Dibs, cat Sylvester and tortoise Rigor
Location: Fairhaven tract of Orange, California
Size: 2,301 square feet, lot size about 14,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 2 baths
That's interesting: A frame that hangs on a wall in the Steimles' living room was purchased by Stacey's mother at a Bowers Museum sale about 35 years ago. "It is said to have once belonged to the Segerstrom family and is made from shells they found on visits to the beach," says Stacey.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Sean and Stacey Steimle; dogs Scoop and Dibs, cat Sylvester and tortoise Rigor
Location: Fairhaven tract of Orange, California
Size: 2,301 square feet, lot size about 14,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 2 baths
That's interesting: A frame that hangs on a wall in the Steimles' living room was purchased by Stacey's mother at a Bowers Museum sale about 35 years ago. "It is said to have once belonged to the Segerstrom family and is made from shells they found on visits to the beach," says Stacey.
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| The house reminded Sean of the ranches and modern homes on cul-de-sacs where he grew up in Northern California. Palo Alto, California, developer Eichler built most of his tracts in the San Francisco Bay Area, but in the early 1960s he ventured south into Orange County to build the Fairhaven, Fairmeadow and Fairhills tracts. |
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| Most Eichler Homes include an atrium, which blends the exterior and interior, provides access to other parts of the house and creates cross ventilation. Shade-loving plants grow well in Eichler atriums, as do succulents. |
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Other Eichler hallmarks include post and beam construction, floor-to-ceiling windows, few walls and a seamless indoor-outdoor transition. When the Steimles moved into the house, the first thing they did was remove the 1970s shag carpeting and install laminate flooring.
Meet Scoop and Dibs, the Steimles' Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.
Laminate flooring: St. James Collection, Westminster Rosewood, Lumber Liquidators
Meet Scoop and Dibs, the Steimles' Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.
Laminate flooring: St. James Collection, Westminster Rosewood, Lumber Liquidators
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| Stacey works part-time as an antiques dealer with a space at Country Roads Antiques, and she outfitted their living room with various collected items. Two white canvas slipcovered chairs and a sofa are accented with an assortment of aqua, red and yellow throw pillows. The star fixture and shells on the table are from flea markets. Pillows: needlepoints commissioned by Stacey, colors and prints from HomeGoods; coffee table: Country Roads Antiques, Orange, California |
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| A rug helps delineate a room in an open, free-flowing interior. Rug: Home Depot; wood flooring, Lumber Liquidators |
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| The Steimles enlisted the talents of family friends Erin and Dan Benedict of Benedict August to design a few rooms in the house. Originally a dining room, this space is now a sitting room with shelving that showcases an eclectic display of antiques, artwork, chairs and Stacey's shell crafts. Stacey's third great-grandmother painted the framed seascapes at her cottage on the cliffs in Laguna Beach. Architectural column: Country Roads Antiques |
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Eichlers were among the first tract homes of the era to feature kitchen counters that are open and accessible to adjoining rooms. The original cabinets are made of Philippine mahogany, while the countertops are a heat-resistant synthetic material. Pipes are painted and used as architectural elements. Stacey applies lemon oil to the cabinets to maintain their luster.
Green pottery: vintage McCoy, Bauer and USA
Green pottery: vintage McCoy, Bauer and USA
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| In the dining room, a deer head from an antiques store is flanked by two vintage vertical deer prints. Stacey found the collection of sea urchin shells at a yard sale. The birdcage and iron base came from a friend, while the green pottery on the antique washstand is Catalina and USA. An rug from antiques store, a farmhouse table and chairs from a flea market complete the look. |
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| Dan of Benedict August installed bamboo surfacing on an existing low wall. The glass globe light fixtures are original to the home. |
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This den/media room offers a view of the atrium, while as an enclosed space creates an indoor-outdoor feeling.
The wall letters are a flea market find, and the gold bust was inherited from Stacey's grandmother.
Wall paint: Deep Maroon 0072 satin, Sherwin-Williams; sectional: Ethan Allen
The wall letters are a flea market find, and the gold bust was inherited from Stacey's grandmother.
Wall paint: Deep Maroon 0072 satin, Sherwin-Williams; sectional: Ethan Allen
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| After seeing what the Benedicts did with Dan's train collection, the Steimles asked them to transform Sean's messy man cave into a sophisticated space to display his vintage collection. Sean has collected G.I. Joe action figures since childhood, and has about 150 of them. "I got one room," quips Sean. "Stacey got everything else!" Wall frames and closet doors: grass cloth; paint: Hot Sun, Dunn Edwards; chair: Zuo Modern |
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| In the guest room, a vintage peacock chenille bedspread in pristine condition is the vibrant centerpiece. Stacey has a collection of peacock bedspreads found at flea markets and antiques stores in California, Ohio and Kentucky. The fun wallpaper was inspired by the 1996 film The Birdcage. Erin Benedict's mother, a decorator, found it for Stacey about 10 years ago. Stacey loves its bold pattern. |
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| The couple's remodeled master bedroom has a sliding glass door that exits to a large side yard. A distressed cabinet holds a DVR, while above it a flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall. |
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| The couple remodeled the bathroom, expanding it into an existing room. The Aquatic two-person whirlpool bathtub has a custom-built stained alder wood surround with Jerusalem gold limestone. Stacey created the coral and shell bottle accesories. Paint color: Medieval Gold 300D-6 satin enamel, Behr; light fixtures, wall candleholder: Crate & Barrel (no longer available); sink fixtures: Grohe; tub: Serenity, Aquatic |
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Figuring out where to put the toilet was challenging, but Sean and Stacey decided to place it in the narrow alcove, with glass to divide the space. An 1880s-era painting hangs above.
The shower design opens up the space, streaming light into the commode area.
The shower design opens up the space, streaming light into the commode area.
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| The large yard and pool were both selling points for Sean and Stacey. Sean, a middle school physical education teacher, was a lifeguard at Huntington Beach when the couple met at a pool party in the early 1990s. Stacey, who is an occupational therapy assistant, enjoys the ample space to work on agility training with the dogs. |
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Vintage metal lounge chairs on wheels lie on a concrete-slab patio with an Asian-inspired gazebo built by Sean overhead. A neighbor gave the couple the vintage bird fountain, while Stacey bought the wrought iron chaises at a garage sale around the corner.
Green wisteria and Japanese maple add color to the outdoor seating area.
Patio cement blocks: Home Depot; lounge cushions: Target (no longer available)
Green wisteria and Japanese maple add color to the outdoor seating area.
Patio cement blocks: Home Depot; lounge cushions: Target (no longer available)
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| Dibs patrols the yard near a hanging midcentury modern outdoor wire chair. The Steimles found the chair in excellent condition in a neighbor's trash. Sean refers to it as his Captain Kirk chair, spinning around in to survey his "ship." Patio settee: East Lake sling conversation set, Target (no longer available) |
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| Two vintage extra-wide lounge chairs — another one of Stacey's flea market finds — nestle under the cantilevered eaves in the backyard. Eichler architects designed cantilevered overhangs to provide protection from the sun and add a striking visual element to the backyard patio. The cast-aluminum tortoise is from Country Roads Antiques. Houzz call: Do you live in an Eichler? Share it with us! |
Ideabook updated on Aug. 28, 2012.
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http://atotic.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/eicher-remodel-3/
The decor: clueless, but after all just temporary.
The remodeled bathroom: What a waste. The next owner will have to rip everything out and do it over again.
Btw. the furnishings don't have to be MCM to fit such a house. Modern furniture from the 20s to current would look great in such a house.
Those materials are more appropriate for a pre-war NYC apartment....NOT AN EICHLER. Awful.......