Habitat Homes

Habitat for Humanity will be building three new homes in the Washington neighborhood of Long Beach, as well as refurbishing a nearby residence. This and other neighborhoods in the city have recently received new attention from the City Council now that downtown is well underway in its revitalization. This is a very positive development. For many years it has appeared that the focus of attention was only on downtown at the expense of the majority of residents in other less affluent areas of the city.

When I first moved to Long Beach I lived in a tiny studio apartment not far from the habitat location by Drake Park, so I know first hand that the area can be a little rough. But it is rich in architecture. Many craftsman bungalows, Spanish and colonial revival homes grace the area, but that's for another post.

The groundbreaking was on a very stormy Saturday morning and was attended by Mayor Foster, Councilman Robert Garcia as well as Congressperson Laura Richardson of the 37th Congressional District.

According to the speakers, there will be approximately 100 foreclosed homes in the area that will be purchased with grant money by the city, fixed up and sold to low income city residents. This is a great idea. Empty houses encourage blight and crime. Taking this existing housing resource, fixing them up and returning them to the people who live there will encourage these new homeowners to have more of a steak in their own neighborhoods. This can only benefit the neighborhood and city as a whole.

Currently the site is a muddy vacant lot, but in a few months there will be three new homes for some lucky Long Beach residents!

Better Lighting for Better Living

First of all, I hope you're not using a single light fixture mounted to the ceiling in the center of the room. Not only does it create a stark, unwelcoming, tense visual environment, it makes everyone look older and harsh...not something you should do to someone you love unless you live in an interrogation room.

There is nothing worse for a room or for a gathering than bad lighting. Nothing. Get yourself a couple of table lamps and maybe a floor lamp. You should have at least three areas of light spread out so you can create pools of light that create interest with light and shadow...this softens the look of the room and gives people a more flattering appearance. You may need more lamps, but start with three and experiment.

My best lighting secret is to use a dimmer on every lamp with an incandescent bulb. A dimmer can dramatically change the look and feel of a room just by adjusting the intensity of light. Turn it down very low and you have the effect of soft candlelight and you even save energy in the process. Crank it up and you can do surgery if need be. Ikea has an inexpensive dimmer (called "dimma"....those crazy Swedes) that I use on all of my lamps. Only $7.99.

Take my advice and get a dimmer for each of your lamps. Now. Seriously.

New Grocery Store for Downtown Long Beach

The old Vons grocery store serving downtown Long Beach has at last been torn down. Although a critical business for downtown residents, I'm glad to see it go. Although I'm usually a fan of saving old buildings, its functionally obsolete and has been an eyesore for years. The new Vons being constructed will be a great upgrade for the neighborhood and will maximize space in the crowded downtown area by having parking on the roof allowing for a larger store. This will be what any downtown needs and in many cases just don't have...a decent grocery store that serves the local population.

I'm especially happy to see that the design of the building will look upscale and modern, and will not have any Tuscan architectural references which are so common in Southern California. We live in the 21st Century far from Italy! I just wish the builders in South Orange County had been aware of that little fact, but that's another post.

Unhappy Hipsters

I love modern design and I love Dwell magazine. Sometimes, though, Dwell and it's featured homeowners can take themselves a little too seriously. Here is a site that pokes a little fun at all of that hipster seriousness.

Winner at the Villa Riviera

Most of the units open to visit were very nice and you could tell that a lot of thought was put into their overall design. This was not a competition. But if it was I would have to vote for this unit as the absolute winner!

This owner has created a space that reflects his personality as well as doubles as a showcase for his diverse collection of art. A county worker by day and an art collector by night, he is not afraid to use every square inch of wall space to show off his bold contemporary collection. 

  

Not everyone can pull off this kind of look. All of the art is generally related but is framed differently adding even more visual excitement. Stark white walls highlight the art which gets great light from the mostly northern exposure. Because of the white walls and generous light, the space feels open in spite of all of the art which could have had a claustrophobic effect. This is a fun space that is not overly thought out, feeling like it has grown organically as the collection has grown over time. This is definitely not a "serious" space. 

To keep any feeling of chaos to a minimum, he has wisely grouped similar sculptural items into collections creating a strong cohesive statement.

He has left a few nods to the building's history by leaving the existing wood unpainted and using some vintage light fixtures...see the crystal chandelier in the first photo. Even the window treatments have a vintage feel. This contrasts sharply with the playful subject matter and tone of the contemporary art, creating a tension which makes the space much more interesting.

So many people are afraid to be really "out there", choosing to go the easy route and decorate in a manner that's safe, and end up with a room that's rather pedestrian and dull. I think its great to walk into a room and have some idea of the personality of who created it.  Here is an example of a someone who definitely loves art and loves living with it. The result is an exciting space that's inspiring as well as a pleasure to experience. 

Yes, its crowded. Yes, its quirky.. And yes, its fantastic.

The lesson here: Be bold! Don't be afraid to express yourself!

Touring the Villa Riviera

Rarely does the local iconic building, the Villa Riviera in Long Beach, California, open it's doors to visitors. In fact, its only happened once before after it's recent multi-million dollar renovation. I've always wanted to go inside and take a look, and I was excited to finally be able to get the chance.

The outside of the building is spectacular. After the sensitive renovation, the building looks fresh and sophisticated. It's clear that the money was well spent on the outside.

After viewing the impressive exterior, I have to say that most of the common areas are somewhat of a disappointment. The large main lobby lacks any warmth and sophistication, and the furniture is sparse and under-scaled. The hallways are equally underwhelming, feeling dark and dingy with artwork consisting of old prints of well known paintings that are generally cheaply framed. I get the feeling that the bulk of the renovation money was spent on the exterior. Hopefully money can be allocated in the future to freshen up the interior common areas to bring them up to the level of the perfectly executed exterior.

The good news that there were many residents willing to have strangers (and critical designers) trudge through their homes. Most of the units are very nice and all of them have great views! The top units have fantastic panoramas of the Los Angeles basin as well as the Pacific Ocean from the South Coast of Orange County to Palos Verdes and beyond. This photo shows Downtown LA and the surrounding mountains barely visible in the distance.

This photo shows the view down Ocean Boulevard. The round building on the left is the International Tower, another iconic Long Beach edifice. What a treat!

The Villa is also known for its many carved gargoyles surrounding the roof line.

Many of the owners were clearly intent upon keeping with the general design of the building with their own interiors. Generally most of them were successful. Some even appeared to be little changed from the day the Villa opened. This is a source of pride for these owners, although I think I would find it difficult to live a modern city life in a home where one feels like stepping back to 1920 when crossing the threshold. In my opinion, the most successful units were those that did a lot of updating to reflect living in the 21st Century, while letting the building's newly burnished exterior speak to the building's historic past.

One of the renovations that stood out was a tiny unit with a closet-size kitchen. The owners made a dramatic statement in a very difficult space with black granite, white Ikea cabinets and (mostly) stainless appliances. A simple, fantastic solution with a very modern twist. This renovation is clearly a reflection of the young urban couple that makes daily use of it.

I'll be sharing my favorite unit in a later post. Here's a hint...it has nothing to do with the kitchen above!

Good News for Remodeling

According to Market Watch, the end of 2009 showed an uptick in remodeling. Requests for home additions and remodeling projects were up 110% in Miami compared with the previous year. Requests for kitchen remodeling were up 166% in Phoenix, 120% in Chicago and 112% in San Jose. This is a hopeful sign that things may be slowly turning around. Considering how the industry barely has a pulse, even a slight gain in sales would translate into a huge percentage increase, so it's important to take this still hopeful information with a grain of salt. That said, its sure good to hear good news for a change!

Creating a Mood

C & B Red/Green by lancec on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Crate and Barrel Sofa, $1,000
Floor Lamp, $300
Coffee Table. 46"Wx30"Dx18"H, $250Publish Post
Side Table. 23.75"dia.x23.75"H, $200
Kathryn Table Lamp, $180

Sometimes pulling together ideas can take a lot of time and be rather frustrating. Polyvore.com makes the process simple. You can download a clever bit of software that allows you to clip photos from various websites, which you can later use to compose a virtual mood board. You can scale any photo as well as layer the images to create interest and depth. This is a great tool!

Fart Fans, Hot Moping and Inspection

After the bump in the renovation road during the holidays, we were able to find an eager electrician that was able to complete the unfinished electrical work. He was able to install an exhaust fan in each restroom, (AKA "fart fan" according to the inspector, an apt description), and finish up any remaining "pig tailing" that needed to be done on the outlets. He also added new outlets where needed finishing up this stage of the rough electrical. Hallelujah!

We also had the master bathroom shower "hot mopped", a smelly process that requires several layers of felt paper and boiling tar. I stayed out of the way and out of the bad air, but the end result was a water-tight black basin filled with water to prove the point to the inspector. This contractor did a great job. Sounds a little crazy to say this, but the end result was truly beautiful to look at (or maybe I had taken in too much of the asphalt fumes).

The inspection was last week. We lucked out with a personable inspector who went out of his way to let me know of any possible problems we might encounter with future inspections, like where motion sensors would be a good idea and options for operating ceiling fans by using dimmers or remote control devises. He had a good sense of humor as well. 


The only glitch was that apparently one of the trusses had to be cut out in order to get the furnace up into the attic. My contractor told me that the attic access had to be enlarged, but he said nothing about cutting out part of a truss. A truss is a structural element that supports the roof, so it would have been nice to know that a segment of one had been removed.!  Luckily, this isn't a huge deal. We'll just need to box up the larger opening according to the inspector's direction which will tighten up the missing part of the truss and all will be fine. 


With only that one surprise, we were signed off on the rough framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical. Next stop, drywall!