
This home, in the San Francisco Bay area, is a mid-century modern aficionado’s dream. When Carolyn Piotroski and her husband Joseph found this 1964 custom Eichler, it was so neglected that Carolyn didn’t even want to get out of the car. But when Joseph persuaded her, and she found herself entering the home through a private front courtyard, she fell in love. The couple moved in four years ago, following an extensive two-year restoration and renovation. Throughout the project, their goal was to remain true to the house – using natural materials and keeping the furniture choices subdued so as to highlight the architecture and home’s fantastic views. Today, that private courtyard that initially captured Carolyn’s imagination has become their outdoor living room and a favorite place to entertain guests. Thanks, Carolyn and Joseph! -Amy Azzarito
All photographs by Carolyn Piotroski
Image above: When asked to describe myself, I’m often tempted to sing (to the tune of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”) my hair is kinda red and I like to read in bed. A velvet-upholstered headboard and cotton sheets make this pastime sinfully luxurious. The bed, walnut nightstand and rug are all from Room & Board (the rug was a sample sale bargain). The lamp is IKEA. Our water glasses are old jam jars – a cliché, I know. The postcard (purchased at Watson Kennedy in Seattle) reads, “Where’s your mountain, and are you climbing it?” I purchased my slippers at a street market in the Turkish countryside. The woman who made them had a beautiful smile.
The floors are polished concrete with in-slab copper tube radiant heating. After bead blasting (a process that roughs up the surface), the floors were coated with a hand-troweled cementitious overlay and then polished. The look is clean and seamless; best of all, the floors stay warm in the winter and delightfully cool in the summer. The wall color is Winter White by Benjamin Moore.

Image above: Our south-west facing living room is 26 feet long by 19 feet wide, the ceiling is just shy of ten feet tall and two walls (those on the right and left of the image) are composed of floor-to-ceiling glass – to say this space feels light and airy is a bit of an understatement. I love our restored redwood ceiling and the way it makes the entire space feel warm and inviting. I purchased the vintage walnut desk at a nearby estate sale for fifty bucks. All it needed was some tender loving care and a little elbow grease (a good cleaning followed by a rub down with Howard Feed-N-Wax wood conditioner). The wall color is Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore.

See more of Carolyn’s mid-century home after the jump!
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