Printer friendly format - Carmel Cottage in Red and White

By Susan Stiles Dowell

Carmel Cottage in Red and White

Situated among majestic live oaks within blocks of the Pacific, Nanci Bell's restored 1925 cottage in Carmel, California, reflects the area's romantic style.

Nanci Bell is the first to admit she's lucky. She wasn't even looking for a house when friend Rob Rossi showed her two run-down cottages on the same lot in California's beautiful Carmel.

"I love coming to shop and stroll in this quaint old village," Nanci says. "Suddenly, I'm offered the chance to own a cottage in Carmel? Someone said I was making a huge mistake. But entwined in old live oaks only blocks from the ocean—what an opportunity!"

photography: Roger Davies
An earthy gold on the stucco exterior brings out the home's old-world character. Limestone for the pathway was quarried locally to match the original raised terrace, which is shaded by a mature live oak tree.

The idea was that Rob and Nanci would each take one of the 1,500-square-foot cottages, creating an enclave for their families to share, and they'd split the costs of purchase and renovation. A seasoned architect and real estate developer, Rob offered to direct the work. And new information enhanced their incentive: Rob applied to Carmel's historical review board for permits and discovered that both cottages were built in 1925 by Michael J. Murphy, who came to Carmel in 1900 at age 16 and built his first house in 1902. Throughout the twenties and thirties, his residential output was more than 300. Learning that the cottages were architectural relics motivated Rob and Nanci even more to undergo the painstaking preservation. "These houses are part of a heritage, a cottage archetype that the City of Carmel would bend over backward to save," Nanci says. "It was only natural that we'd want to, too."

photography: Roger Davies
The triple-sliding casement window above the kitchen sink inspired new custom cabinetry. Warm wood countertops match the original fir floors and add richness to the all-white space.

photography: Roger Davies

The renovation took several years and turned up dry rot and termite damage. "The original first-growth redwood board walls and casement windows were joined like cabinetry," says Rob. "Taking them apart for patching required a level of craftsmanship and an approval for a deviation from building code that we were delighted to get." With Nanci, he nixed bringing in wallboard to frame walls for insulation and utilities. "We got creative and put gas fireplaces in the rooms for heat. We also added copper piping, which we left exposed, on the walls inside for plumbing." Rob kept the fir flooring and 30-inch-wide staircase and rebuilt the roof with fire-retardant cedar shingles. The one element he discarded, he regretted: "Someone who later salvaged our interior doors discovered they were made of solid, first-growth redwood."

The rustic walls, low-set casement windows, and exposed ceilings charmed Nanci. But she was totally smitten by the rooms' proportions and nooks created where the roof romantically sloped, sometimes to a head-knocking 42 inches off the floor. Rob describes the interiors as "five-eighths normal scale and Disney-esque, with a wonderful, cozying effect on children and adults." Nanci was fiercely protective of the quaint scale: "I didn't want to interfere with the intimacy." Instead, she painted the open-frame walls and ceilings a shade of "heavy cream" for an uncomplicated, light-enhancing palette. Eye-catching pieces that wouldn't crowd the small rooms included a heavy pewter chandelier in the living room that Nanci liked so much she bought a smaller version for the dining room. She added skirting to upholstered pieces to play up the cottage's romance, but she let simplicity reign in her fabric and window treatment choices. "I couldn't let big formal curtains overtake those windows," she says.

photography: Roger Davies
Nanci coordinated hot-red checked upholstery with patterned lampshades to enliven the living room without cluttering its intimate scale.

Using red as an accent color was a decorating decision that began with the bold checked fabric Nanci found for the living room armchairs. She realized she wanted more of it throughout the house—"just not matchy-matchy"—so she chose four more red swatches from the same designer for fabrication on lamp and window shades. "I used just a bit more pattern and color to liven things up," she explains, "but I kept all the walls the same color for continuity." When the renovation was done, the decorating went quickly, allowing Nanci and her family to enjoy the cottage right away. From her own home in San Luis Obispo, she can be here in under three hours, in time to catch the sunset or have an afternoon walk on the beach. She says, "The cozy rooms, the sunshine sparkling through the oak trees, the patter of rain on the roof, and the sound of the ocean make this my enchanted cottage."

photography: Roger Davies