Republished from Apartment Therapy web site here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/jessica-jonathans-like-eich-ranch-house-tour-173968#_
Name: Jonathan and Jessica Galbreath
Location: Krisana Park, Denver, Colorado
Size: 1,700 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years; Own
When Jonathan and Jessica decided to purchase a home, they had a good idea of what they wanted; "We searched for an Eichler-style home for the floor to ceiling courtyard windows and roofline clerestory windows." Their realtor took them to Krisana Park in Denver, and they fell in love with the 1955 3-D Contemporary they now call home.
Jonathan is an Art Director, musician and "so-called photographer" (so-called? He's legit, check out his amazing work) as well as an avid cyclist with a 20 mile per day commute to work. He built his 1982 Bianchi Nuovo Racing bike and Litespeed Obed Xtracycle, and happily shares space with them inside the home. Jessica is a director for a Physical Therapist Assistant Program, as well as a handbag designer and one of the sweetest, happiest people I've ever met.
Travel is the true inspiration for the design of their home, "We like to purchase for our home on our travels. What we bring back reminds us of freedom and an admired bohemian lifestyle. It's important that our "modern" pieces look used, and are used — we'd much rather have a 50 year old lounge chair that looks 50 years old."
The Eichler-esque home has had a few tweaks and nudges over the years, including a 70's carport conversion (now the theater) and more recently, window replacements. All the windows were custom, and there were sometimes lapses in installation, which allowed in a few feathery visitors… Jessica & Jonathan have paid a hilarious homage to these "visitors" by placing fake birds throughout the house, creating an interactive "Where's Waldo" bird game. (How many can you spot in the tour?)
With the main renovations completed, the duo are adding the finishing touches, which include restoring the Eichler siding, Xeriscaping the front yard, hanging their massive collection of artwork, and finishing the nursery for the littlest Galbreath, expected to debut in November!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: We've never really labeled it. We just use what we like. Period or genre don't really matter. If we were to put a name on it, it'd be 'Ethno-Modernola' (Ethnic/Modern/Granola). We love the outdoors and strive to take the inside out and bring the outside in.
Inspiration: Travel.
Jonathan: Japan — The use of raw materials in the simplest of ways. Design with purpose and use. Inside out. Outside in.
Jessica: Guatemala and Vietnam — Handcrafted fabrics and textile trade. Earth-dyed fabrics.
Favorite Element: Windows, windows, windows — we searched for an Eichler-style home for the floor to ceiling courtyard windows and roofline clerestory windows. We love how the bones of the house are exposed and pass though the walls.
Biggest Challenge: OCD. Attention to the smallest details. Family and friends may never notice, but we know they can feel it.
What Friends Say: "I never would have put those two things together, but I love it."
Biggest Embarrassment: The janky-craftsman style fence that will probably fall down tomorrow.
Proudest DIY: Building the oak barn-beam benches.
Biggest Indulgence: We wanted to be able to cook together in front of the fireplace while watching it snow. Interior kitchen wall and cabinets go bye-bye. We removed nearly all of the overhead cabinets in the kitchen and extended the countertop line around the adjacent wall with built in shelving below to compensate for lost space. The large island became a place for guests to be involved in cooking with us.
Best Advice: Building: The right tools can save days/weeks.
Design: If you like it, it will fit.
Dream Sources: Flea markets, anywhere in the world.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- • Behr Flat White
• Floors: Red Oak restained with custom stain
ENTRY
- • White quartz pebble flooring
• Oil painting (was in Jonathan's bedroom when he was a baby)
• Oak barn-beam benches (design and built by Jonathan Galbreath and Michael Luna)
• Woodcut from Antigua, Guatemala
LIVING ROOM
- • Barcelona Chairs - ebay
• Chicago fire escape print - (I shot that in 1999)
• Rosewood log from sea floor - White Hills Boulder Colorado (closed)
• Wire basket - CB2
• Blankets - Antigua, Guatemala and Ladakh, India
• Wine cork bottle - Goodwill Boulder Colorado
• Bird vase - Kyoto, Japan Fushimi Inari Temple
• Singing Bowl - Dharmasala, India
• Pigment died rug - ebay
• Hemp yellow rug - Vintage resale shop, Denver
DINING ROOM
- • "EAT" letters - Designed and built by Jonathan Galbreath and Michael Luna
• Drafting stools - Crate and Barrel
• Compass Table - Nines vintage resale, Denver (closed)
• Temple protector bar, Burma/Myanmar c.1970
• Virgin Mary - Chichicastenago market, Guatemala
• Buddha, Seoul, Korea
• Chinese Prayer Book, Guangzhou, China
KITCHEN
- • Bosch appliances
• Vintage Lightolier fixtures (I restored them) - c. 1960 TFA: The Future Antiques, St. Louis, Missouri
• Teak stump tray - DecorAsian Interiors Denver, Colorado
• Atlas ceiling fans - Lamps Plus
• Sputnik-style ceiling lamp - Lamps Plus
• Painting - Havana, Cuba art market
• Japanese wood doll - Shinjuku flee market Tokyo, Japan
• Fruitbasket - craigslist
• Monk image - Bangkok, Thailand, Flea market
• Sleeping mask - Arenal, Costa Rica
• Tibetan Prayer wheel - Lhasa, Tibet
• Rosewood Bowl (Monteverde, Costa Rica)
• Migrant Mother print - Lhasa, Tibet, shot by my father John Galbreath
BEDROOM
- • Falcon-type chair - craigslist
• Mid-Century dresser - Nines Denver, Colorado (closed)
• Lamp - Amazing Garage Sale - Boulder, Colorado
• Wool throw - Dharmasala, India
• Monk Statue - Sapa, Vietnam
• Bowl - Tulum, Mexico
• Sprout Lamp - Thailand c.1980 Todd Dickerson Gallery, Boulder, Colorado (closed)
THEATER
- • Grain Storage Buffet - China c. 1890 DecorAsian Interiors, Denver, Colorado
• Sawatdee figure - Thailand c. 1950 DecorAsian Interiors, Denver, Colorado
• Wool rug - Hauled in back from Egypt in 2001
• Navajo Ladder - Mariposa - Boulder, Colorado
• Blanket - flea market Chichicastenago - Guatemala
• Pillows - Muong tribe clothing - Sapa, Vietnam
• Couch - Urban Outfitters
Thanks, Jonathan & Jessica!
(Images: Ashley Poskin )