Classic with a bit of whimsy
contractor and the painters came in. New copper spouts and gutters were installed. Within six weeks, when the couple moved in, it was “fairly livable,” says Waldon. “Within six months, it was pretty.”
Adds Berkelman: “The nice thing about the house was: It was really messed up, but it was mostly superficial. Structurally, it was fine.”
The 1926 dwelling, which Oakland’s Historic Alliance considers a Tudor-style, has had only a handful of owners. “Nothing had been done except a bad remodel of the kitchen,” Waldon observes.
So he and Berkelman recently completed their own kitchen makeover. In keeping with their perception of the home’s era, they chose soapstone counters, mini subway tiles for the back- splash, a farmhouse sink, beadboard surfaces and terra-cotta floor tiles.
Waldon took the lead on the kitchen scheme, as well as the rest of the home’s 2,600 square feet. A designer for the watch brand Fossil, he and Berkelman, a scientist, co-founded the decor, gifts and accessories shop Nathan & Co.; there are two locations in Oakland.
“I love homes and I love stuff and I love to shop and I love people,” says Waldon of the impetus for the business, which highlights his affinity for “fun, quirky, usable items.”
He points to a sandwich-shaped sponge that he stocks to illustrate a point: “You need a sponge. So it might as well be a fun sponge. It makes me smile every time I have to wipe up the counter.”
The most formal composition in the house is the living room, which the homeowners admit they don’t use much. “It’s Ricardo’s room,” Waldon jokes, referring to one of the two Chihuahuas in residence. (The other is Porter; their third dog, Charlie, is a dachshund.)
The space is anchored by a pair of Chesterfield sofas upholstered in Belgian linen. The fireplace is original; the mantel was stained a darker tone to make it more of a focal point.
“I like using the house as a laboratory for the stores. If I like it and can use it, most likely, it will sell well in the stores.”
Nathan Waldon, owner of Nathan & Co.
The room’s bar cart, mirror above the mantel and star-shaped carnival sign are carried at Nathan & Co.
“I like using the house as a laboratory for the stores,” says Waldon. “If I like it and can use it, most likely, it will sell well in the stores.”
Waldon and Berkelman commissioned a local blacksmith to reproduce curtain rods and rings for the living and dining rooms from a set they stumbled upon while cleaning out a crawlspace.
The dining room’s pendant lamp, which features a clover motif, is also a reproduction. According to the couple, the original design was part of a Julia Morgan building; replicas are sold through Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley.
The home’s four bedrooms are all upstairs. Among them is a guestroom with a bed that dates back to the early 1920s.
“I like that it’s delicate, because iron beds can be big and heavy, and this one is so sweet,” says Waldon. He and Berkelman procured it from an antiques store in the Niles District of Fremont. The room’s French doors, which lead to a small balcony, were another Ohmega Salvage find.
Given their propensity for pieces with a bit of history, it’s no surprise that Waldon’s favorite elements in the house include the arched front door and the stairwell embellished with a leadedglass window.
“I smile every single time I see the maid’s button,” he notes. “I push it expecting someone to come running to see what I need. Instead, I get three little dogs all barking!”