renenorman's Profile

hi again. forgot a few:
smariel: the cost on the kitchen was $1900 for the ikea cabinets & countertops. (not including install, we hired out on that...but i know folks who have installed their own ikea kitchens). since everything was taken down to studs, (ripping out all walls to update plumbing and electrical, replace w/new drywall, paint....this was another crew...which included bathroom & laundry room as well). foster and i did all the tiling in the bathroom, and he replaced the rotted window in the shower w/glass cubes, in the same horizontal/vertical pattern as the wall tile...very cool, and water tight, whilst still bringing some natural light.
that was on our dime,,,,approx. $500 to tile, replace sink, cabinet & mirror. (all ikea) and the glass brick window (approx. $225 including silicone etc).
total interior reno was approx $5k... = 3 rooms down to studs, new electrical, plumbing, drywall, paint, kitchen cabinets, countertops, bathroom tiling, etc...including new fridge, stove, microwave. the bosch dishwasher was a gift from our landlord!
and dai, (our landlord), also demo'd front of house, 2 new windows, replaced exterior siding, new paint...VERY COOL guy! we love him!
re; sculpture of woman..sorry we can't help you on that. foster tried to find him again as well. but no luck.

chidog: the white drawers under my desk are from ikea. (just checked online, and not showing, but i know they are still there...if memory serves, i want to say $99 (?)...saw a home where they had 3 or 4 all joined side by side, w/a long desk top. they make great flat files too.)

ok. not to sound redundant, but i agree w/the others. that "dalmation eating" painting is indeed disturbing....i still dont see the tree, but even if i did....
i do like the vibe of the place. could tell it was l.a. before i even learned it was. very relaxed. comfortable.

wow. wow. and,,,,,did i say, WOW!!!! Dan. wow. you certainly have an eye. and great taste. no wonder being a gallerist and all. i am an artist, (and fellow at home tour), and when i saw this place, my heart leapt out of my chest and began boomeranging ALL over your house. i could immediately feel the light and space. and your attention to detail....ahhh. reallllly wonderful. thanks for sharing!!
sincerely, rene' n.

hi. me again. (sorry) how bout a patterned area rug?. one that has the color of the oak in it. (something like my tv rug...which i got from ikea, and everyone seems to love).
that could tie in the color of the oak trim and also give a punch of color and fun, while bringing in a whole new plane....the floor. then you can get some fun pillows that have a little pattern to play off the rug, for the sofa.....:)
that way, the "browns" i.e. the oak trim, the couch, and the existing beige carpet all become related/tied in via the patterned area rug.

this is a similar problem to what i had in my guest bathroom (see recent, "rene's bright and sunny artistic home"). the multi tile solution came from the fact that i hated the pre-existing blue boring tiles in the shower, which i could not afford to rip out and start over. so rather than taking AWAY what i did not like, i ADDED to, and therefore distracted the eye from the yuk....so, following that idea i might add more "lines" to the space, patterns in textiles eg. you could find a very cool patterned fabric for the drapes. or throw pillows. or even bedspread. something geometric that echos the geometric of the oak lines. maybe something retro. how much light are you trying to block with the drapes? if you want light still passing thru the fabric, i might keep them white, and use pattern elsewhere. also, i like the white with all that oak. it gives the eye a place to rest. and since the space is small i would keep alot of white, but add pattern/textiles to distract and simaltaneously play with the oak for accent. a "repetition of theme". i agree w/the others on need for some color. i personally like lavender, or pinks, or celadon green with brown. black and white patterns could work too for fun punches with the color. wondering if that little bookshelf could maybe be replaced with something that fades into the white wall....either a white one, or something with doors. it seems a bit extraneous or out of scale. i have lived in studios and guest houses too, so i can relate. in those tight spaces, every bit of furniture should be absolutely necessary as not to be a needless space eater. and i am totally not saying books are not necessary....but in a small space every "thing" that takes up any space, should add to the theme or fade into it. good luck and have fun.

the landscaping design was courtesy of my friend/art collector patrick oussey of FAB architecture in austin. they are fabulous!

to azusa2,,,,,,all the pillows in my house are either vintage fabrics from l.a....or a store here in austin....( cant remember the name, but can find out for you)......i bought the fabrics and had my tailor/dry cleaner make the pillows :)

the carpet in the tv room is ikea *from 2006
*i love the idea for doing the floors in "tiled" wood
*the ceiling fans were new when i moved in, and believe they are from lowes
*the coffee table was also an ikea find and it came in this small version and also a larger rectangle version
* yes, the photographer did an amazing job, with capturing the light and also had a great eye to pick out all the textures and art combos that i loved :)
* the kramfors ikea couch was called "resede gray"
** thanks to all for all the wonderful comments!! glad you all enjoyed it!...rene. www.renenorman.com