It was all
a dream.
My husband and I took the mantra of “location, location, location” to heart, and early in our marriage we set our sights on buying a home in Willow Glen. As luck would have it, we quickly realized that was more of an illusion than a dream thanks to the (insert adjective of choice) housing prices in the Bay Area. But after years of saving our pennies (not the ones you’ll find on the laundry room floor!), we set out to find the worst house in the best neighborhood and make it our own.
When we walked through what would ultimately become our forever home, the previous owner told me he had designed the pool to be shaped like a seahorse and at that moment I knew it had to be ours. He couldn’t possibly have known that seahorses were my favorite animal, but with that one realiziation all that I could see was potential. Unfortunately Blaine could not see past the shag carpeting or wood paneled walls or MUSHROOMS PAINTED ON THE KITCHEN BACKSPLASH (seriously, I couldn’t make that up), so it took a little more convincing on his part. That was fine, I had a vision.
Over the last 14 years we have transformed this space into an incredible sanctuary. We meticulously and thoughtfully updated it with high end design and finishes (more pennies saved and spent!) while preserving the charm of the home and the neighborhood. The biggest projects to date were adding on a bathroom and completely renovating the kitchen and living spaces.
We have been raising our two young children here and feel incredibly blessed that it has become such a special, beautiful space.
