When we bought the The Big Sur House, the entry gate was flanked by two enormous pine trees, an extremely low metal arch, and a fence that had seen better days. But I loved it’s Big Sur feel. Fast forward a year, and the trees had contracted a disease that is killing pines all over the West. They had to be removed, leaving us with two great big stumps and what seemed like a barren and exposed entrance. When our…
More than ever, our homes have become places of comfort and refuge. With temperatures heating up, we are now turning to our outdoor spaces as an extension of our homes. Today I’m sharing our outdoor living space along with links to some truly inspiring blogger’s gardens. Here at The Big Sur House, we spend most of our time on the front deck (you can find the story on creating the deck here). With the stay at home order still in…
I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. The first month of the pandemic, I was numb and unmotivated. But something kicked in during the month of April (yes, I am a month behind!). After the parks and trails in Big Sur (along with most of California) were closed, I turned my attention to home. Heaven knows that with 3 acres of untamed property, there was plenty to do. I’m still knee deep in poison oak and mud (I…
While we are thrilled that The Big Sur House has two full bathrooms (helpful when family and friends visit), one of them I have fondly dubbed “the cave”. There are no windows and the back wall is actually cement built into the slope of the back yard. Yep, it’s dark, cool, and just a little bit scary. When we first bought the house, we knew redoing the bathroom wasn’t in the budget and not a priority. It consisted of a…
In March of 2020, our lives changed virtually overnight. The shock of it has sunk in and the new “normal” for the moment involves long lines at grocery stores, working from home, wearing masks, and apparently a toilet paper shortage. I’ve been extremely fortunate on the TP front, as I always stock between 20-30 rolls…it’s something I never want to run out of…especially in Big Sur where the closest market is 45 minutes away and there are constant road closures.…
While we won’t be spending Christmas in Big Sur this year, I still wanted it to have some holiday spirit and cheer without setting up a Christmas tree. I made some simple decor changes and it was just enough to make me want to hum Christmas carols and swig eggnog! I tend to keep things simple and natural. Here in Big Sur, I have potted paperwhites, driftwood trees, and pinecones that I bleached last year. Candles, tiny lights, the stove…
At our Big Sur home, we have a big deck…a really big deck. On one end is our lounging area with a large sofa, chairs, and a coffee table. The other end is a whole lot of empty deck real estate. I knew eventually we would have some sort of table. But a year later…still nothing. I always thought it would be fun to design and build a table, which I mentioned it to our contractor, Brendan Wahl of B…
Fall in California is quite a bit different than in other parts of the country. Our days tend to be warm and sunny, with cool crisp evenings. It’s my favorite kind of weather, but definitely not what one thinks of for fall. In our homes, I like to bring in the neutrals…winter whites and lots of cozy textures. Organic natural items such as white pumpkins, plants, and even driftwood lend a bit of autumn flavor to the decor. In The…
Let me start out by making clear that I am not an exhibitionist. As a small child, I have fond memories of coming back from the beach sandy and a bit sunburned but eagerly looking forward to the outdoor shower (or “plein air”, as I like to call it). It was the only one in the rented bungalow! Never mind that there were often a dozen of us in need of washing off the sand and suntan lotion…it was worth…
Big Sur has something I like to call the “funk factor”. The creativity is off the charts, and often it is out of necessity. With the closest hardware store an hour away and frequent road closures due to mudslides, people learn to make do with what is available and it often leads to creative solutions. Our contractor Brendan Wahl is just such a person. He has lived in the area all his life and to him there aren’t problems, only…