Homeward

There’s one part of our outdoor set-up that I haven’t yet figured out: the open space between our pizza oven and grill and a seating area. The original plan was to build a small island on wheels that could be used as a serving table, back-up prep space, or bar when we’re entertaining, but it hadn’t been made by the time we were moving in, and then I hit pause on it after using the pizza oven a few times.

As I mentioned last week, we’re back in Ojai. Which means all the loose-end projects we left at the start of the summer are back on the to-do list! Starting with organizing my spice drawer. And the garage. With a scenic detour to look at storage inspiration. Before I get to those, two things I thought you should know about: Reath Design, who designed our house, has collaborated with Clé Tile on a collection of tiles that are reminiscent of the marbled end papers from 18th-century books.

Before I dive in, a reminder that this post is free! So if you enjoy reading, please share with whomever else needs an apple cake recipe by way of Florence; ideas for reorganizing cookbooks by region; streamlined kitchen inspo from one of my favorite designers; and a new home maintenance app that just might make our lives easier(?!) After four months away, I’ve returned to Ojai.

Earlier this week in the chat, I asked about the lessons you’ve learned from past renovations, and reader Laura Bohdan weighed in to say, “Live in a Tesla, on a sailboat or in a tent while backpacking. Develop a portable high-paying skill then go see the world.” I love that Laura still reads a reno substack despite her views on home ownership. Tad and I have occasionally wondered if we would have been better off spending our Ojai house investment on travel instead.

There’s a lot I can relate to in Annie Meyers-Shyer’s wonderful new book, This Oak House (out September 15), which follows her renovation of the 80-year-old home in L.A. where her mother-in-law once lived. Namely, Annie’s attention to detail—from light switches (consider room entry points, furniture placement, and allotting dedicated lighting circuits)—and her commitment to preserving some of the home’s original quirks and character, like the mismatched floor boards and millwork.

Summer has a way of shaking everything loose. My desk is in disarray. Some of our beach towels hang on the clothes line and some lie in wads on the laundry room floor. There are countless ⅞-eaten potato chip/tortilla/flaxseed crisp bags in the pantry. Not sure about you, but by this time in the season, I’m ready to tighten the screws.

Earlier this summer, we went to our friend Sasha’s house for dinner. She served cocktails outdoors at a wooden table that, at first glance, resembled what you might find out back of an abandoned home. The table and chairs were covered with lichen. Sasha had been nurturing it for years, tending a living sculptural installation. She joked about having to defend her work-in-progress from the cross-hairs of her husband’s garden hose; he, naturally, thought the lichen should be hosed off.

My sister Rhonda recently decided to sell her house outside of Denver. It was filled with furniture and belongings that she and her family had collected over decades. Getting her house ready to put on the market was a lot for one person, so our brother, Dean, his wife, Leslie, and I flew in to help Rhonda pare down her stuff and get her house staged for sale. I adore my sister. She is eight years older than me and always served as my protector.

Tile inspiration from our Reath mood board explorations. We are living in an age of “tile-drenching,” where every surface in a space from the floors to the walls to the ceilings is getting tiled. And for good reason. There’s an abundance of beautiful tile in the world. Tile has texture and heft that suggest permanence. It is also heavy, requires special installation, and can be wildly expensive. Did I mention that you also need to consider the grout color?

Today, I’m bringing you a mezze spread of renovation and real estate snippets, before a main course essay by my friend and fellow substacker, Christene Barberich. (When not writing, Christene moonlights as an advisor; her latest project is a rebrand of John McDonald’s On The House substack, where she is editor-at-large.) On A Tiny Apartment, Christene documents her vintage design hunts, home upgrades and renovations, and her inimitable style.