Orinda Mid-Century Modern Jewel

I know Mid-Century Modern is The Bomb these days, but I've been a fan long before it was the current flavor of the design world. Through the tunnel, as we locals say, lies the small town on the other side of the Oakland Hills known as Orinda. I usually think of cute 60's and 70's ranch houses and newer "executive" homes when I think of Orinda. 

Driving way up to the top of the hill, to an area of Orinda I'd not been in, to discover this jewel of a client and her mid-century home was a true wonder. "Lucky me, Lucky me!", I said pulling into the round driveway

Back View

It reminded me of something you'd see high in the LA hills. Look at this view!

As if the views weren't enough, you can enjoy them from the pool:

This home was built in 1950 and has only had a small handful of owners. Many of the original features were intact including lighting and built in bookshelves.

 My client had certainly done her homework. She had amassed a folder of furniture/home pictures of similar homes and was ready for change. The strong, teal blue had been there since she and her husband had purchased the home many years prior. While this bright blue may work for more of what I think of as a Palm Springs type of mid-century home, this was overwhelming all of the home's natural brick and wood.

Before

 

The homeowner didn't want to lose the teal completely.  So while we batted around the idea of adding in a grey into the mix, she really liked Deep Creek from Benjamin Moore, she decided to back off from that. The yellow is Waterbury Creme HC-31.

After

 The entryway was another fun project.  We ditched the teal again and highlighted the door framework with Sangria and Quincy Tan from Benjamin Moore.

Before  

After               

                                                            

After painting was complete, she purchased new furniture and arranged it around this spectacular Roman brick fireplace.

Before

After

Next on the list for this jewel is a guesthouse and an update for the early 90's kitchen.  A huge thank you to these homeowners for letting me come along on the journey!