Locally and family-owned appliance repair shop gets it done

Zajic (rhymes with magic) Appliance Sales and Service has earned another loyal customer after fixing our 49 year old TradeWind double oven at the wacky ranch. And they did so after several other companies said they couldn't, wouldn't, or that I should buy a new one. While I could buy a newer double oven I'm reluctant to send a fixable one to the landfill.

The technician, Richard, was prompt, pleasant and thoroughly competent. Went right to work on that old TradeWind without hesitation or complaint. I made a mental note that they also specialize in working on old Thermadors like the original ones installed in our Eichler Homes.

If you have an appliance in need of repair, I highly recommend them.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Part III

Even though we're not quite done, we celebrated our master bed/bath remodel at the wacky ranch last night. It feels great! Especially when I look at the "before" and "during" pix :)

Credits:
Interior architecture/custom cabinet design - Curtis Popp
Project construction - John DiDomenico Construction
Walnut paneling on cabinets and doors - Grass Cabinetry
Metal cabinet fabrication - Fusion Cor
Illumination - Sean Rollins, Lumens Light + Living
Interior/decor - us.

Is anyone else as giddy about lighting as I am?

Ah, lighting. I am drawn like a moth to a flame when it comes to anything related to lighting and always have been.

One of the things I fell in love with immediately at our Eichler home was the set of lamps by E.J.S. Lighting Corporation in the living room, which I've discussed at length here.

I'm also fairly certain at one point the original owners had George Nelson Bubble lamps at our home. George Nelson is one of my favorite furniture and lighting designers. His light fixtures were produced by Howard Miller. I've been lucky enough to find two catalogs of his lamps and wanted to share these with you and the MCM community on Flickr.

Check out these awesome mid-century Lightolier lights from another catalog I recently found. I wish I knew the name of the designer of these lamps. If anyone knows, please leave a comment below.


Do any of you collect lamps/light fixtures? Certainly I can't be the only one who's been bitten by the lighting bug!

It's a Small (MCM) World After All

I thought I'd share our Craigslist story about a great lamp we bought -- and a cool discovery we made when we met the sellers.

Last Spring we had been trying to find a suitable lamp for one of our bedrooms, which had no built in lighting. I found this "Mid Century Modern Wall Mounted Hanging Light" on Craigslist and decided to go take a look.

The sellers, Ken and Katie, had a ton of MCM Danish teak furniture and some cool accessories. We piled into the car, not quite sure from the pictures whether we'd like the lamp or not.

We talked with them for a while about the state of mid-century modern in Sacramento, where they had found their items, etc. One of the ways they find a lot of MCM items at a reasonable price is attending estate sales. I asked if they had attended any sales in our Eichler neighborhood and discovered they had been to our house the previous Fall -- and had bought the curtains from one of our bedrooms. I instantly recalled walking up to our Eichler for the first time and seeing Ken and Katie walking out with those curtains!

We had the lamp rewired, added an on/off switch to the cord, and it looks as if it always has lived in our home.

If you're looking for vintage goodies and don't have time to scour yard, garage, and estate sales, I recommend checking out Craigslist. Craigslist has posted some recommended safety precautions -- check 'em out. See also Leah's story and recommendations on her blog. Fortunately, we've had some great experiences and have met some nice people along the way.

Fall Maintenance

Adorable print by Jenn Ski, available at her Etsy.com shop!

Fall is here, busy squirrel feet are skittering across our flat-top roofs, and we should be getting ready for cooler, wetter weather! Time for gutter cleaning, furnace maintenance, and fireplace cleaning at your Eichler home.

Extensive gutter system and flat top on our Eichler home requires regular cleaning

Just last week I had the gutters cleaned on the Eichler and our MCM ranch. Sacramento is renowned for its trees which naturally gunk up our gutters. If you're in need of someone who does a great job at cleaning off your roof and gutters, look no further than Justin Kemper of Castle Gutter Cleaning. Justin and his crews have done an excellent job and clean-up every time -- very conscientious and meticulous work. You can reach him at (916) 988-1825.

What was left of a Likeler in Palo Alto that exploded in a fireball after a gas leak

Sadly, a flat-top home, possibly a Stern and Price, in Palo Alto was severely damaged after a gas leak caused an explosion this last week. There had been reports of a strong gas odor before the explosion; a mother and her baby had just left the home. The father was still inside when the explosion occurred but miraculously was not severely injured. The blast literally blew the roof off, the windows out, and reduced the house to a charred frame. Reportedly, neighbors said the homeowner had recently complained of smelling gas and had called inspectors to the home.

I recommend you print out PG&E's recommendations for when you smell gas odors on your property and post them in a handy place along with relevant phone numbers. Do regular maintenance such as changing your filters and having your furnace inspected by a qualified professional. I recommend Brent McCully of California Heat & Air. I've been most impressed with his work. You may reach him at (916) 355-9900.

Finally, a clean fireplace is a safer fireplace. We prefer not to use ours (the smoke aggravates our allergies) but the original owners had used it A LOT and had extensive records of what had been done to the fireplace and chimney. I decided to stick with the same company, Chim Chimney. I appreciated their professionalism -- they even offered to give me a written record of the previous work that had been done over the years. I highly recommend them.

Hope the referrals to local services are helpful. Here's to a healthy and safe season!

Going Green

I recently ran across and am amazed by Showcase for a Green Eichler Remodel. This blog outlines a family's vision, plan, and actions taken to remodel their entire Eichler Home in Monte Sereno using the latest green building innovations and techniques.

Owners Bryan and Jo-Anne Mekechuk purchased their 1969 Claude Oakland designed Eichler home from the original owners' estate in 1997 and have been living in it since. On re-evaluating their living space needs as their family has grown, they decided to remodel the main floor and build a second lower level underground!

Per their website:

"Unfortunately, Eichler houses consume an immense amount of resources (i.e., energy and water). Importantly, we want to have an environmentally friendly house that will have a minimal adverse impact on our environment.

Our design objectives for the project are to:

(1) increase comfort levels (e.g., cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and quieter throughout);

(2) simplify cleaning and maintenance requirements; and

(3) lower ongoing operating costs.

.... Our building objectives include:

(1) using innovative building materials (e.g., hollow core concrete panels);

(2) using innovative building practices; (e.g., building as much of the structure off-site and only assembling the components on-site; and

(3) managing the costs of construction.

Hats off to the Mekechuks -- they are a real inspiration!

Here are some resources that I have personally used locally for greening-up our 1961 MCM ranch:

Castle Window Covers - magnetized window covers that go on the inside of your existing windows and provide extra insulation for a fraction of the cost for replacement.

Our ranch has single pane aluminum and jalousie (Florida slat style) windows. You can imagine how poor they were at keeping out the weather, bugs and noise as a result. One of the first things we did at the house was to cover most of our windows with magnetized plastic covers from Castle Window Covers.


Green Fiber Insulation - During our recent master suite remodel, we had an opportunity to insulate some walls decided to further insulate our attic with an environmentally friendly mulch. It also is fire retardant and dampens noise really well. Green Fiber claims their product:

* Delivers high-efficiency thermal insulation and effective R-value.
* Offers permanent and proven fire resistance for the life of the structure.
* Reduces nuisance noise when used in walls.
* Offers a more comfortable living space.
* Is made from 85% recycled paper fiber.
* Supports energy conservation programs focused on environmental responsibility.

Click on the picture above to see more pictures of how it was installed in our remodel.

The Eichler Network also has a list of preferred service companies that you may contact with further questions on how to make your home more comfortable and energy-efficient.

Feel free to add any other products or services you have personally used to "go green" at your home in the comments section below.

How to Party Like It's 1955

Today we have two 1955 vintage newspaper advertisements highlighting the Eichler Home way of life in Sacramento (and San Mateo, Walnut Creek, and San Rafael).

 Here's what this ad says:

"Hallmarks of the Eichler Home — the room everyone wants —

How many times you've longed for in extra room in your home — enough space for the whole family to spread out and enjoy living. You've seen It in your mind's eye again and again — a room at once beautiful and practical — ready to serve as family TV theater, children's rainy-day playroom, sewing center, family office, game room, library or guest room, as the occasion demands.

In this, as in every other family need, Eichler Homes has anticipated you — with a big, handsome all-purpose room like the one pictured below. A family-fun room which gets a feeling of light and spaciousness from high clerestory windows and big glass wall opening on the patio — and an air of quiet elegance from rich Philippine-mahogany-paneled walls and beamed ceiling.

Everything in the Eichler Home bespeaks beauty and quality. The plans were created with a lavish hand by architects Jones & Emmons, acknowledged leaders in contemporary design. And the skilled builders have spared no effort to translate those plans into beautiful homes. The result is a house which looks better, works better and holds its value better than any other house on today's market.

Eichler Homes range in price from $15,960 to $21,500. Eichler Homes — designed for better living."

What is really interesting to me about this ad is how the table (still have mine!) was originally attached in the kitchen area. My friend and fellow Sacramento Eichler Home owner Dane Henas told me about the original (and awkward) placement of the table -- wow!

Here's what the ad says:

"Hallmarks of the Eichler Home — the most important room in the house . . .

The kitchen of the Eichler Home is a miracle of well-planned convenience— carefully designed for the easy, casual, servantless lives most modern families prefer to live. And its utility is more than matched by its beauty . . . housework becomes less trouble, more fun in this cheerful, light, airy room with views of both the private enclosed garden and the entry garden.

The big, built-in Formica table is the focal point for informal family meals and snacks-and doubles as buffet or service bar to the adjoining dining area. Roomy built-in kitchen cabinets, above and below, give more storage space than you ever dreamed possible. They give the kitchen a smart contemporary look, too, finished in charcoal Zolatone with contrasting grey sliding panels. Handsome Eichler-designed lighting fixtures diffuse light evenly throughout the room.

The work surfaces—range, oven, sink, chopping block, Formica counters—are laid out to save steps and motion. And all surfaces—including the Philippine mahogany walls and the cabinets—can be cleaned quickly and easily with detergent and water.

Standard in an Eichler Homes kitchen are the built-in stainless steel Thermador range and oven, overhead exhaust fan, and garbage disposer. Many have built-in dishwasher as well.

As with the kitchen, so with the rest of the Eichler Home—the same combination of beauty, utility and quality is apparent in every detail. For the Eichler Home is designed to make life easier, more pleasant, more beautiful for the modern California family. Eichler Homes range in price from $17,250 to $21,500. Eichler Homes — designed for better living."

-- Well.... hahaha that housework becomes less trouble! Clearly that ad guy didn't help out around the house!

Wanna Get Out of Town?

Special thanks to my pal, Eric, who told me about this upcoming event on September 19, 2009 11AM - 4PM. An Eichler homes self-guided tour "Open Hearts, Open Homes" in the foothills of Lucas Valley, San Rafael. Docents and vintage cars will be on-site; entertainment and book-signing will also be available.

Register in advance via the site. Tickets are $50 each; proceeds will benefit Hospice by the Bay. Tickets are limited; any remaining tickets will be sold during the event day at the Lucas Valley Community Center at 1201 Idylberry Rd., San Rafael, CA, 94903.

Sacramento Home Girl: Ray Eames

Almost everyone who is interested in mid-century design knows about the Eames' husband and wife collaborations. Their body of work, ranging from architecture, furniture, film, textiles, art, industrial design and other intellectual pursuits is well-documented.

What many do not know is that Ray Eames (December 15, 1912 – August 21, 1988) was born at Sutter Memorial Hospital (where my two children were born) and raised here in Sacramento.

According to Pat Kirkham in the book "Charles and Ray Eames: designers of the twentieth century"

Bernice Alexandra Kaiser was born on December 15, 1912 in Sacramento, the daughter of Alexander and Edna Burr Kaiser. She was known as "Ray Ray" and later simply Ray. Her mother was a housewife; her father had been a jeweler and the manager of a variety theatre before finding more secure employment as an insurance salesman for the Californian State Life Company in the 1920's. Ray came from a loving but overprotective home. Her elder sister died a few months after Ray was born and her parents thereafter lived in fear that they would lose her too....

How far the California lifestyle's emphasis on the new affected the attitudes of the young Ray Kaiser is impossible to ascertain, but she later developed a passionate interest in new forms of art, design, film, and dance. She showed a very early aptitude for art -- she remembered drawing from the age of 3. At Sacramento High School she belonged to the Art Association and enjoyed French and English. Her talents as a decorator revealed themselves even then, and she chaired the decoration committee for the school's annual football dance....

After graduating in 1931, Ray spent a term at Sacramento Junior College before she and her widowed mother moved to New York to be near her brother, who was a cadet at West Point.

According to an excellent article written by Rob Turner for Sactown Magazine's Premier Issue in December 2006, Ray's parents met in Stockton and moved to Sacramento in 1911. Her father managed a vaudeville theater called the Empress Theatre -- better known now as the Crest Theatre. Through her father's theater connections she met many entertainers and later studied dance in town.

She attended elementary at Highland Park School, which is now Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community and went to Sacramento High School which was (and still is) in nearby Oak Park.

Ray (Kaiser) Eames' High School photo, 1931 Sacramento High School Yearbook
- courtesy of Nancy Pratt-Melton, Golden Nugget Library Sacramento County Genealogy Databases

Sacramento High School circa 1931

A record search of the Sacramento City Telephone Directories shows that during most of Ray's formative years, the Kaisers lived in Curtis Park. One of the homes literally is six houses away on the same side of the same street as my old 1920 cottage (where I lived for seven years!) Of course, when I learned of this today I went running out of the house with my camera.

This beautiful two-story home (six houses down from my previous home) is a quintessential Curtis Park Tudor with multi-paned float glass windows. I spoke with the owner, Adrienne, who was aware of Ray having lived there. Adrienne herself lived in an Eichler with her parents in Palo Alto (small world!) Many thanks to Adrienne for allowing me to photograph her home.

This is the Kaisers' other Curtis Park home: a lovely cottage/bungalow, also very representative of Curtis Park architecture. I also spoke with owner and native Sacramentan, Tami, who was not aware of Ray having lived there. Many thanks to Tami for giving gracious permission for me to take pictures. (Tami recalls when the Sacramento Eichler neighborhood was built. Apparently at the time Saramentans took note of the Eichler Homes' modernity.)

Even after Ray moved away, she reportedly returned to Sacramento to visit friends. Her legacy in the modern design world is unmistakable.

Ray's desk at the Eames' studios

I understand there is a Ray Eames display at the California Museum here in Sacramento, which has an online timeline, photos, and video.

Stay tuned; I hope to continue to add to this post as I find additional information, records and photos.

And all you mid-century and modern-loving Sacramentans: proudly wave your cowbells and rejoice in the fact that Sacramento has been and always will be the home of good design and talented designers. Y'all come back now, y'hear?







P.S. for those of you interested to see pictures of my previous home down the street from Ray's in Curtis Park --


-- plus a Sacramento Bee article regarding my Curtis Park home's interior from 10.31.98.

For sale: Two Fantastic Carter Sparks Custom Homes!

Occasionally I find out about mid-century modern homes in the Sacramento region that are either for rent or for sale. I am not an agent nor am I affiliated with one. I am passing this information along as a public service to those who are interested and love MCM design and architecture as much as I do.
Today's fresh catch: Two gorgeous Carter Sparks custom homes.

Slowly but surely I am finding out that many of the mid-century homes that have caught my eye around town have been designed by Carter Sparks. Sparks was a Sacramento area mid-century modern architect who is well-known for his work on Streng projects in Sacramento, Woodland, Davis, and Elk Grove. As a young architect, Sparks spent some time working for one of Eichler's favorite design firms Anshen + Allen (see also this link for more details). In addition to the Streng-built homes, Sparks also designed many custom homes (read about one example here) throughout Sacramento. Two of these custom homes are currently for sale.

The first is on a cul-de-sac in River Park, a wonderful MCM neighborhood off of the American River Parkway and near California State University, Sacramento.

"A River Park landmark, designed by Carter Sparks in 1963, on the market for the 1st time. This special home has a large lot in a cul-de-sac with access out a back gate to the American River. Large entry courtyard has a slate staircase to the 2nd floor residence where you enter a great room with wood floors, corner fireplace and a wall of windows looking out over an ipe deck, pool and river beyond. Cathedral ceilings flood the home with light. Downstairs guest quarters, 2 car garage, RV access."

For more information about this home, please see the MLS Listing.

The second remarkable home (also on a cul de sac) is located in Carmichael, also near the American River Parkway, River Bend Park, and Ancil Hoffman Park.

"Carter Sparks designed custom Streng home is a casually elegant masterpiece. Rosewood flooring, redwood paneling & exquisite lighting enhance the clean lines of mid-century architecture. Features include contemporary kitchen with newer stainless steel appliances, luxurious bathrooms, and den/guest room. Laundry/office & generous closet space. Walls of glass look out to serene private yard. Cul-de-sac setting in a leafy, preferred neighborhood close to the American River. A wonderful setting for entertaining."

For more information about this home, please see the MLS Listing.

*Sigh* I would buy these in a heartbeat if I could!

For additional information on other Sacramento region MCM's that are or have been for sale, check out Modern Valley.