Category: Repurposed Homes

Livening up our loft bedroom  I decided I needed to fill the big gaping space above our bed. It's been calling me for a while.  I definitely didn't want to put up my own art. Something historic, something re-purposed, something inexpensive. I was wandering through the Pasadena Architectural Salvage store for inspiration.  It's a great place by the way.  I found this old ceiling from a Victorian home.  The painted white front was pretty boring... But then you look at the back of this tile panel.   Its got a natural tarnished, oxidized rusty look. Lovely!   I then used some of my acrylic paints, ultra marine blue and green  and purple to deepen the color in the panel. The next step was fun. I used some gold paint (Liquitex…

When it comes to homes, there is nothing more fascinating than inspiring before and after transformation stories. Being that I have so many wonderful clients around the country with interesting stories I have decided to share some of these with you. This is a classic one.  Here is what this Burbank California property looked like when Mark and Lori Rolph, purchased it a few years ago.  Being the owners of  MCR Construction, Inc., a company with a reputation for its creative design flair and building finesse, they were fortunately well qualified for the task ahead. The property when first purchased -- in it's house-wreck state.   As you can see here, they built up from the general footprint of the home, making the most of their corner lot, nestled under the Verdugo…

Did you know there are 700,000 sea cargo containers sitting empty and unused in America and more than 3 million worldwide? Today we see a world that is in dire need of adequate housing for millions of people.  Why not repurpose rather than discarding and buying new. Below is a new four-unit apartment building in Washington DC – a first in the area. Checking out the finished product in these photos from the Washington Business Journal, you’d think the finished units were on the higher-end, cost-wise. Architect Travis Price, however, is quick to disspell that idea. “It was just building with steel, glass and wood,” Price said, in an interview. “That’s what people are paying high numbers for, and we’re making it affordable for everybody (with these containers).”   Another…