Intro

Another design blog? Well ... yes! With all the design magazines folding, we have to find our sofa candy, somewhere.  I started West of Beige to give local homeowners the ideas and sources they need to update their homes. We've all needed to find the 'window store' now and then. And what does everyone do? They begin with massive yellow page/yelp/ asking neighbors/endless surfing ... just to find one store. And this is happening over and over. Because once you do the windows, well, you know how the floors look!

Gratuitous Sofa Candy

Image via Veranda, photo credit Peter Vitale and Peter Murdock

I live in a neighborhood of diminishing ranches. I love a ranch house. I grew up in a ranch house. But they were all built in the 50s before massive amounts of media took over our lives. (God bless flat screens for taking the bulky TV dilema off our plates! Do you know how many TV armoires are in the second hand stores? Can you think of what we can do with these bargains ... oops, digression.) All the ranches are getting new life as they get updated to meet our 21st century needs.

courtesy of Sunset magazine

So join me as I out the design sources of the San Francisco Bay Area. The hard part should be deciding between all your fabulous finds, not trolling some back street in Daly City only to discover that the 'window store' has moved.

Sandboxes

The glory of a sand pit. I cannot imagine a childhood without sand. The potential of creation, the glee of destruction, the texture, the heat, the mess without mud -- all in your own backyard. This beautiful pit is a focal point of a spectacular yard. And the plastic trucks look right at home.

Photo: Thomas J Story

Perhaps you are a kid at heart? Look at this fabulous yard from Sunset magazine. ( btw ... I will be overusing the word 'fabulous.') Your own corner of the beach. Start collecting the driftwood!

Here's a clever use for a side yard. The boat is very sculptural. Smart too. The sails help keep out leaves. The tarp keeps out critters. from the folks at apartment therapy and ohdeedoh.

Don't want a permanent feature? The rolling box is for you. Move it into the shade when the kids get too hot.
Cookie magazine


SOURCE: You know where to go. If the thrill of the new project isn't enough for your kids, then the ride in the Lyngso truck, should put them over the edge. (In fact, I have thought about just renting the truck to drive them around -- no mulch needed! Hey, we get desperate some days.)
Gorgeous sand, mulch, dirt, rocks, plus a comprehensive compost education program.