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	Photo: Terry VanderHeiden

TAKE A PEEK AT HOW A HANDFUL OF INSPIRED ALAMEDANS APPROACH
renovation and décor as an expression of their individuality or a celebration
of their passions. The homeowners featured here started out with similar objectives: to create rooms that were a true reflection of their personalities, needs, desires and interests. We were impressed with how homeowners view their renovations as an opportunity to have some fun and express a unique vision. We hope you enjoy the results as much as we did.

TROPICAL PARADISE

WHEN PEGGY WERNER ASKED HER NEIGHBOR, CONTRACTOR ALAN Maxcy, to advise her regarding cracks at the bottom of her 1922 tile shower, she never imagined the result would be a Caribbean getaway. Maxcy found that the floor under the shower was rotted and required replacing, so he dove right into the project. He took inspiration from Werner and her children’s love of scuba. He first painted the floor of the room to resemble a pier that stretches up onto the wall in a trompe l’oeil mural.
    Then Maxcy built a wooden shell around the bathtub to make it look like a boat and “moored” the craft to the dock. Next he fitted the cabinets with teak from an old boat and bits of driftwood found on Alameda beaches and installed shells from the beach for drawer pulls. The new glass shower installed by Maxcy hangs with tropical flowers through bamboo lattice. Delighted with the final product, Werner has found her own Eden, a peaceful retreat from the busy mainland world.

SKY SUITE

IN 1998 JEANNIE AND BRUCE GILLIAT BEGAN RENOVATIONS ON their 1897 Colonial Revival home designed by Fred P. Fischer. After an extensive planning and permitting process, the entire home was rebuilt and restored as closely as possible to its original spirit. In keeping with their desire to preserve the home’s grandeur but enjoy modern perks, the Gilliats worked with a local architect to widen an interior staircase leading to the attic.
    In their attic suite, they installed a large wet bar for entertaining, a kitchen and a media room that features a 61-inch wide-screen television. Windows on either side allow gorgeous views of San Francisco and the Bay. All of the windows in the room are fitted with blackout shades so that movies or Oscar parties can be enjoyed in the middle of the afternoon; surround-sound speakers nestled under the drywall provide theater-quality sound. Whether it’s the Bay views, a baseball game or Top Gun, the Gilliats enjoy it all from their third floor in style.

SWEET SUNSHINE

    TRUDI AND CHRISTOPHER SEIWALD’S HOME, BUILT IN 1896 IN THE Gold Coast, is often buzzing with the activities of their six children. Because their young daughters, Ellie, 6, and Sophia, 3, like to be close to their mother, who often works from her helm in the kitchen, the Seiwalds designed a solution to keep the girls close but give them a space of their own. With window coverings on only the street side, the first-floor sun porch at the Seiwald home provides a bright, cheerful playroom for their young daughters.
    Decorated with the girls in mind, the room is also filled with sweet details including the sofa reupholstered in soft pinks and covered with pretty pillows for the occasional TV break, and the white end table, kids’ table and TV table from Pottery Barn. The biggest change to the room during the renovation was the hardwood floor that was installed since it was easier to keep clean than a carpet. But the girls’ favorite room detail might just be the space for all of their Barbie Dolls.

 

BILLIARDS, ANYONE?

   

KEN CARVALHO OF ALAMEDA’S BUESTAD Construction and his wife, Connie, were in the midst of a 10-year renovation plan for their 1889 Victorian home in Morton Station. Carvalho was determined to dig his vintage Lionel “O”-scale trains out of storage for display when inspiration struck in the form of a basement billiards room.
    With wood-paneled lower walls and upper walls faux-finished with a burgundy and gold glaze, this warm room also has a wood-trimmed shelf supporting the tracks that circle the top of the room and pass by four different wallpaper murals. On its journey around the room, the train’s visits include Tuscany, the Wild West and Paris. With vintage Pachinko machines and a custom billiard table, the room always draws a crowd when the Carvalhos entertain. And the room provides fun for the whole family: 4-year-old son Charles enjoys circling the table like a racetrack.

COOK’S KITCHEN

   
LEEANNE AND MICHAEL BAKER BOUGHT THEIR SOUTH SHORE home for its potential and its floor plan, but the kitchen was sorely in need of an upgrade. Many of the appliances, including the stove, were the originals installed in 1961. To remedy this, the Bakers worked with architect Angela Klein and remodeled the cramped, low-functioning space into an airy, U-shaped kitchen open to the dining room and family room with a prep area that offers plenty of counter space and views of the lagoon.
    Special features for the cook include a warming drawer in the last row of cherry cabinets before the dining room, making it easier to shuttle a hot meal out to the table. Baker’s favorite feature is the customized drawer with slots for all of her cooking tools that keep them in reach of the stove but don’t clutter the quartz countertop.