ALL GOOD THINGS
A young couple raise the roof beams on their earthquake-era house, filling it with found treasure
A young couple raise the roof beams of their earthquake-era house, filling it with found treasure
For some, the purchase of a period house can evolve into the real estate version of a Civil War re-enactment: every chair, cushion and cornice selected for its pedigree and provenance. Though impressive, such endeavors can suck the air out of a room, as if one had taken up residence in a museum. By contrast, walking into the 1906 Bernal Heights home of Kelly Lack and Jon Solorzano, with its moody wall colors, mashup of art and ephemera culled across eras and continents, and selected lashings of period detailing, is like a stimulating tonic for the senses. Lack describes it as “Boho global with gothic leanings,” but whatever you call it, the vibe is modern, fresh and original.
Craving a house with soul, Lack, 33, and Solorzano, 34, were united in their quest for a Victorian-style vernacular when they returned to California from New York five years ago (she hails from Salinas, he from Ventura; they met at UC Santa Barbara). But when it came to the interior, “we love far too many things to restrict ourselves to one era,” says Lack, whose gigs as a travel writer and blog editor at One Kings Lane
have helped inform her free-range aesthetic.
In addition to a love of travel (the pair spent their honeymoon backpacking around Southeast Asia, and take frequent road trips closer to home), Lack and Solorzano find it impossible to resist the siren call of a Salvation Army Store. They are dedicated collectors with committedly catholic tastes and one unifying principle: “We’re very cheap,” says Solorzano, an attorney by trade (and artisan by inclination). Indeed, it is a point of pride that they never pay full retail — instead corralling treasures found at sales, thrift shops, flea markets, sidewalks and even dumpsters; painting and repairing as necessary, and then pulling everything together with a sleight-of-hand that can leave a visitor pondering, How did they do that?
In some ways, the home is a reflection of their neighborhood, which they have come to love. “Bernal Heights is perfect for us — secret staircases and weird, twisty streets that dead-end into secret gardens. It still feels artsy and funky and soulful,” says Lack, who loves foraging “witchy” weeds and flowers growing between the sidewalk cracks.
The three-bedroom house came with some improvements, such as the opened-up wall between kitchen and dining room. But the single bathroom resulted in early-morning stumbles down the steep staircase, and helped inspire the recent renovation. In addition to inserting an
“We don’t discriminate; good stuff can be found anywhere.” — Kelly Lack
upstairs bath in the dormer and raising the bedroom ceiling to display the A-frame, Lack and Solorzano layered selected period details back in, such as textured anaglypta wallpaper, glass doorknobs, crown moldings, corbels and wainscoting — “which lends the house such a sweet farmhouse vibe,” says Lack.
One Christmas, Lack presented Solorzano with a miter saw, which he learned to use on YouTube and put into service soon thereafter, building shelving and creating a window seat in the nursery (baby Rye was born in June). Solorzano also refinished his parents’ teak dining table, which is surrounded by Scandinavian Designs chairs (snagged on sale) festooned with Ikea fleeces. The industrial-looking bar was snapped up at Jordan’s: “It’s like Circus Circus meets furniture store — we don’t discriminate; good stuff can be found anywhere,” says Lack.
Although a total kitchen overhaul was beyond their means, a few budget moves made a world of difference. The “horrible, sandy-colored tile with dark grout” atop the kitchen island was whitewashed with a compound made by Rust-Oleum, and the floor was transformed from a grimy peach-and-yellow checkerboard with Behr’s Porch and Patio Floor Paint. “I was inspired by all those beautiful Scandinavian houses with white walls and
floorboards crowding up your Pinterest boards,” says Lack, whose home is now among those doing just that.
While the kitchen is airy, bright and cool white (Behr’s Frost), the adjacent living room derives drama from the almost-black hues of Benjamin Moore’s Witching Hour (including the moldings, for a more modern look). “Black can get a bad rap, like fit for a dungeon,” says Lack. “But to me, it’s elegant and timeless. The theme is contrast: Most of our light objects live in the dark room, while darker pieces reside in our white rooms.”
Artwork procured at garage sales, antique fairs, One Kings Lane, Art.com, Etsy and even — wait for it — Z Gallerie hangs salon style throughout the house. “For the longest time we couldn’t decide who we were as ‘art owners,’ ” says Lack. “It’s a commitment, like getting a tattoo. But we mainly favor bargain spots because we far prefer original paintings, which we could otherwise never afford. You just have to trust your taste.”
So, with everything in place — but a garage filled with finds — can their home ever be finished? “Jon and I laugh, because one of the mottoes of One Kings Lane is, ‘Design is Never done,’ ” says Lack. “But you know, sometimes, it has to be — at least for a while.”