Rose Garden Home Tour

October 6, 7 10am-5pm

Furniture | Lighting | Pottery/Glass | Collectibles | Architectural

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Two weeks ago, a customer made a strange request:  "I don't want to buy your furniture, I just want to borrow it!"  Maricela Henderson explained that she was the Chairperson for the Rose Garden Home Tour and wondered if we would allow our furniture to be set up in a restored craftsman bungalow on the Alameda.  The house built in 1910 was designed by none other than Julia Morgan.  Over the past two years, it has been tastefully restored and is now home to a contemporary art glass gallery.  Maricela asked, "With such short notice, could you decorate the living room?"  Well, how fast could we say "Yes!?"  

Julia Morgan is best known as the architect for Hearst Castle, but she completed many more projects during her career.  Her feet were firmly grounded in the arts and crafts aesthetic, finding beauty in simple, but elegant designs.  And on each project, her designs were always executed with the client's concerns primary.   
The project she started in 1908 was a 5,000 square foot home on the Alameda in San Jose.  The client was James Pierce, then the Vice President of the Pacific Manufacturing Co., the largest supplier of wood products on the Pacific Coast, and an importer of exotic woods from around the world.  These beautiful heartwoods and burls were used in the millwork and moldings in this house.  

Fast forwarding to today, June Lim and Bob Cullen have completely restored the house.  It took two years of hard work, but the integrity of Julia Morgan's designs are evident throughout.  As well as law offices, they have created an art gallery in the house, specializing in contemporary glass art.  Julia Morgan would appreciate their choice, as each piece of glass has been created by true artisans.


For this living room, our designers, Carole Demkowski and Patrick Mayberry, chose a simple plan that blends with the craftsmanship in the house.  The rug is a hand knotted piece from the early 20th century, furnishings include period 1920 club chairs that have been lovingly recovered and hand dyed in the traditional way.  A mission library table and morris chair pulled from the Antiques Colony showroom round out the arrangement.  These pieces were not mass produced in factories, and they have nicks and scrapes acquired from a century of use. This beauty complements the contemporary art glass found within these walls, and Julia Morgan's design of the beautiful and elegant walls themselves.

We invite you to see these wonderful examples of the arts and crafts movement; the Julia Morgan designed home, the period furnishings, and the beautiful art glass made today.  As always, at the Antiques Colony we appreciate being a part of our community, our homes and the history around us.  The Rose Garden Home Tour will be October 6, 7th, 2007 from 10am to 5pm.  For more information, visit their website:  

http://www.rosegardenhomestour.com

Special thanks for help and assistance to William's Antiks, Carole Demkowski and Patrick Mayberry of Canterbury Estates.