In San Jose:
Hear Ned Eichler, son of Joe, the developer who brought post-war modernism and integration to the suburban masses, reminisce at Design Within Reach's San Jose studio at Santana Row. Sunday, June 4. Ask him why people love to fuck up his father's houses.
In San Rafael:
What not to do: apply "period" details to the minimalist Eichler houses. Front doors with fanlights. Garage doors with even bigger fanlights. Sliders with mullion inserts. But the worst sins are reserved for the big ticket items like... kitchens. Of these two Eichlers, this one is marginally better, actually mostly OK. Great roofline, preserved interior volumes. The vaguely-French panels on the kitchen cabinets gotta go. But they're probably twenty years old, so no big heartbreak. Open Sunday 6/4.
Unlike this one, also open 6/4, where the faux-renaissance travertine range hood is clearly a recent crime scene, unless it comes with a rotating spit and a serving wench.
When leaving it alone is the best revenge: with a little work, this non-Eichler number from 1956 listed by Marin Modern could recapture it's Playboy-in-Marin style. Original details Include what looks like a football-team sized "roman-style" jetted tub. We're so there.
· Eichler at DWR [Design Within Reach]
· 606 Las Colindas, San Rafael [Robert Craig, Pacunion]
· 1304 Idylberry, San Rafael [Carol Olrich, Pacunion]
· Mid-century Modern, San Rafael [Renee Adelmann, Marinmodern]