An Extra Foot

We have limited space in this little cottage, but I love having things on display.

In January I spotted a beautiful plate rack on Pinterest and knew it would be perfect solution to our limited space.

  I searched online and found a few more plate racks for inspiration before I spoke to Steve

Rooms For Rent

At the Picket Fence

- he absolutely hates to hear the words, "I have an idea...".

A neighbor said the racks would be a fun project for him so Steve designed the racks

and I found new places for the ladder and shelf

while Joe built the racks.

Last month Joe hung the racks and even before they were painted I had to to throw together a quick display.

After I painted, I took much more time in my styling, adding little bits and pieces here and there.

I felt that something was missing above the shelves so I moved our street sign - we scored the sign when the city changed all the signs at the beach to blue.

A little blue mixed in with the white is perfect for summer.

I love that I can create vignettes on the wall and grab plates quickly when I need them all without taking up any valuable space in our tiny dining room.

I could live with the crisp blue & white all year long,

but I look forward to using fall colors

and can't wait to see them decked out in red, white & greenery at Christmas.

The title of the post is "An Extra Foot" - the amount of space we gained for walking through the room.

I loved staging the ladder against the wall, but it stuck out about 15"

and the shelf was 12".

The plate racks are a mere 3" in depth

so our walking space is 12" more than we had before and believe me, that space makes all the difference in the world.

The dining room isn't the only room where we have gained a few inches of space, but that's for another post.

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Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for SYC

Classy and Fabulous

In May I met a friend who is both "classy and fabulous" to photograph her Malibu beach house.

Cindy and I first met as freshman in high school - she moved away and we lost touch, but coincidentally we both chose to attend San Diego State University, were assigned to the same dorm and became roommates.

Cindy and her husband Tony live in a contemporary house overlooking the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

My photography skills and equipment cannot do justice to this unique home which was featured in Architectural Digest.

The two art collectors have filled their home with spectacular artwork and I did not feel my photos captured the essence of the art, but you will spy pieces in many of the photos.

A glass stairway on the street level begins your journey up and down the multi-level (7 if I counted correctly) house which is a work of art in itself.

A wide expanse of ocean greets you at nearly every angle.

On a clear day, you can see Catalina Island off in the distance from almost any spot in the house - it was neither a clear or sunny day in May when I took the photos.

If you were sitting here, on the lowest level of the house,

this would be your view.

This deck is right above the previous level, but in between the two levels

is a lovely little spa retreat Cindy and Tony have created

 to relax at the end of a long day.

 If you are sitting at the table facing the cabinets (the refrigerator is hidden behind those doors) you don't see a view,

but sitting on the cabinet side of the table you look at water all the way to the horizon.

Here's a view from the dining room into the living room and the railing of the stairway.

This is a shot looking back toward the kitchen

and this shot shows you the street level entry and the beginning of the glass stairway.

How about this view while soaking in the tub

or this one when you wake up in the morning?

 The views from the rooftop deck and garden are spectacular in almost any direction.

Below the rooftop deck is Cindy's dressing room - she loved clothes even in college and I distinctly remember shopping with her for the perfect little black dress for her first fraternity dance.

Cindy is holding a Judith Leiber bag

Cindy put her love of clothing to good use by volunteering for many years with the Costume Council of the LA County Museum of Art.

Tony has his office on this level

and like every space in the house, it too is filled with beautiful art.

There is so much more I could show you, like the powder room on the entry level, but I wasn't happy with the photos

so I'll leave you with a photo of Jet Set Romeo - the third member of the family.

You can find Cindy at @pickyandpushy on Instagram

or read her blog Picky and Pushy - the most recent post is Legendary Beverly Hills Garden Tour.

I enjoy Tony's daily posts at @tonycanzoneri on Instagram - this is his friend Herman who appears in his posts now and then.

I hope you have enjoyed this look into the fabulous home of my classy friend.