A 100-Year-Old Oakland Craftsman Still Has Lots of Gorgeous Original Details
Adrienne Breaux
·6 min read
Sandy Yen says the living room is the favorite room in this two-bedroom house she's owned for nine years with her wife. "There is a large window that looks out at the red Japanese maple in our yard. You can also sit on the sofa while having a conversation with someone in the kitchen and dining room," she writes. "It's one of the perks of a small space ... you can always keep an eye on your loved ones. It's also where we cuddle and decompress every evening." Credit: Sandy YenCredit: Sandy Yen
Sandy, who shares the home with her wife, Kristin, and their pup, Lucky, explains that the "home's color palette is pretty neutral, but I consider black a neutral. High contrast with textures and subtle pattern." Credit: Sandy YenCredit: Sandy Yen
Sandy says they painted every room of the house. "It was the first big decision we made after moving in," she writes. "I sampled five different colors before settling on 'Cyberspace' from Sherwin-Williams." Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
The paint color is something people always ask the couple about. "People are always surprised and obsessed with the dark walls. Especially in California where light, bright white walls are the norm, it's fun to do something unexpected," Sandy admits. Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
"My home as a zodiac sign is Cancer … loving, sweet, deeply feeling, and reliable," Sandy writes. "I totally had to Google zodiac characteristic, but when I saw the traits of a Cancer, I knew that was what she was." Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
"The oldest thing in the house is the house itself," Sandy admits. "The home was built in 1920 and still has a lot of the gorgeous original details. I love the original, narrow plank wood floors, the exaggerated moldings ... it's so beautiful and timeless. New homes just don't have the same character." Credit: Sandy YenCredit: Sandy Yen
"My design advice is to edit," Sandy advises. "I love to collect things and I love a deal ... but at the end of the day, I want my home to be thoughtful and intentional and that means taking a step back and evaluating what really needs to stay." Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
"It's like with anything in life: The items that don't bring joy or serve us anymore should go," Sandy continues. Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
"In recent years, we've started collecting interesting pieces from our travels so we can incorporate meaningful and one-of-a-kind items in our home. I love being able to tell a story about a piece of art, textile, or sculpture in our home." Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
In the kitchen, the bistro table is from World Market and the chair is vintage, thrifted. The bench is a salvaged media stand turned into a bench. Credit: Sandy YenCredit: Sandy Yen
"The paint color was the first big decision we made," Sandy explains about the wall colors. "The rooms get so much sunlight that I knew I wanted to go with a really saturated color that felt traditional, dramatic, and neutral all at the same time." Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
Sandy believes in breaking certain design rules. "My rules that should not be rules … 'don't mix metals,' I totally disagree," she begins. Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
"I love mixing metals in a room. Bronze and brass. Brass and nickel. Black with anything. Of course I hate the rule “don’t paint a small room dark” … I say paint all the rooms dark!" Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
Sandy explains that they did remodel the bathroom and kitchen of the house, "opting for traditional subway tiles paired with more playful patterns in the form of tile or wallpaper. Otherwise, what we've done in terms of design is purely cosmetic ... new paint, updated fixtures, furniture scaled appropriately for the room, and layered with art and textiles." Credit: Vivian JohnsonCredit: Vivian Johnson
“I left a career as a sales executive in tech to start my interior design firm, Yen Collective, when I realized I was no longer passionate about what I was doing and I wanted to get back to something creative,” begins Sandy Yen, who shares her home with her wife, Kristin, and their pup, Lucky.
“When we first started looking to buy a home in the Bay Area, we had our hearts set on San Francisco. We quickly realized we could not find a home with the outdoor yard we craved for a garden and our dogs so we opened our search to Oakland,” Sandy continues. “We knew we wanted to live in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, so when this little two-bedroom Craftsman bungalow hit the market, we put in our offer along with a dozen other buyers, and after some stressful negotiating, the house was ours.”
"The first thing I did was roll up my sleeves and paint all the walls in the house 'Cyberspace' by Sherwin-Williams," Sandy explains of their home's refresh. Credit: Sandy YenCredit: Sandy Yen
"I wanted contrast, and this color gave us the dark, saturated canvas to showcase our furniture and art. Dark walls done right always gives me a cozy and calm feel, like a security blanket. This immediately transformed the space from bland to bold." Credit: Sandy YenCredit: Sandy Yen
“When we bought the house, everything was beige, and there was a lot of bad DIY work done by prior owners. However, the bones were good. I was drawn to the heavy molding and trim, the original wood floors, and the large windows. I could see us transforming this house into a really special space that blended the traditional detail of this 100-year-old Craftsman with our more modern tastes,” Sandy admits.
“As my style and taste has evolved, so has our home.,” Sandy explains. “The design goal of our home is intentional and functional. We don’t have a lot of square footage so we try to be thoughtful about every piece that we own. I want things to be beautiful, but also meaningful and/or functional. My wife is also very pragmatic, so she keeps my design whims in check.”
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