At Home with 22 INTERIORS

:: Presenting El Cerrito ::

People always ask about my house....so, here's a sneak peak....

I fell in love with this 1928 Spanish Colonial the second I walked into it many years ago. The bones and architectural integrity are undeniable. Of course, as soon as we moved in, I had to put my mark on it, mixing it all up with furniture we already had, some objects we inherited, and a few high/low pieces we picked up along the way.

Real estate agents say 90% of selling a house is decided in before a person even walks through the door. Okay, maybe I made that up, but that was definitely true for me.

I added the gallery of family photos and I swear I never tire of them. Photos include one of my father and his family on a cruise, my husband's grandparent's wedding day, and of course a few baby photos of my husband and I. I like to think that the picture gallery gives our children a great sense of our family history and reminds us about where we came from - Czechoslovakia for me and England for my husband.

Our great living room. The keys mounted on wood was a piece my father made from his antique keys collection. The bison was something we bought at the Rose Bowl flea market in 100 degree heat and has been a wonderful, inexpensive focal point as well as a fun conversation piece (we named him Barry).

The black and white chairs are from Empiric Studio, a favorite store of mine on Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles.

The little black dress of any room is the silver picture frame. There - a rule I just created. Other "rules" I agree with - focal points, black and white something, and something to make a guest smile.