our special friday sneak peek comes to us from letterpress designer (and RISD grad) hannah berman of pie bird press and is especially impressive since none of the rooms of her house in albany, ca (just north of berkeley) are larger than 10 x 10 feet. the little house was built was built in 1942 by charles macgregor, a local architect known for his bungalows. the house was built during the war, and meant to cater to a working-class family, so although it is very well-built, it is tiny by today’s standards- less than 1,000 square feet including an added-on room that she uses as her office. hannah definitely says it has been a challenge for to furnish the house (and display all her many collections) without crowding the small rooms. she describes the result as “cozy,” but i love what she’s done with the place. you can find more from hannah in her etsy shop and on her blog, and more images from her home right here. [thanks, hannah!] -anne
The living room is full of collections: ceramic deer, vintage globes, the bird’s nests my father collected when I was a child… One day I would love to spread everything out more; at the moment it’s a little bit like living in an antique store.
I like my bedroom to be a calm place, which is why I chose a green tea color for the walls. I have a collection of nautical-themed Paint-By -Number paintings that I’ve acquired around the country. The lamp on the nightstand is part of another collection I started in college when I discovered my first lamp of this kind in a junk shop. I have quite a few variations of it, but they are currently in storage until I get a bigger house. If you pay attention you will notice the inspiration for many of my cards around my house- the Moonbeam alarm clock above the bed is one example.
I love to cook and entertain, so when I bought the house one of the deciding factors was the kitchen, which still had its original cupboards and floorplan (a rarity these days!). To increase storage, I had more cupboards custom built to match the limited existing ones, and had the counter top tiled in the style it would have originally been. I also laid linoleum flooring (which is a green product, by the way), and installed my baby: a 1950’s Wedgewood stove. I’ve been collecting vintage red and turquoise kitchenwares and dishes for years, so everything matches. I rewired the phone myself but it rings so loudly that I keep it unplugged. The prints on the wall include cards by Dutch Door Press and Blue Snail Papers . The clock (which works!!!) is by fellow-RISD grad David Dear .
The dining room is definitely one of the more eclectic rooms in the house, with its Danish modern table and its 1930’s built-in china hutch, which originally came from my parents’ house, and where I house my collection of vintage turquoise cream pitchers. The large painting is by one of my best friends, Jane Kim , and the smaller pieces are by Rori Wilson (top), Old School Stationers, and Jane Kim.
CLICK HERE for the rest of hannah’s sneak peek after the jump!
Artwork by Kelly Neidig (landscape), Emily Andrews (ambulance), Jane Kim (clovers), Esther Ramirez (house), Kota Ezawa (Polaroid etching), Leah Giberson (pool), and myself (Seymour’s silhouette). The large painting above the credenza is also by Jane Kim.
