After Lori and George moved into their ’64 A-frame Eichler by Jones and Emmons in Orange, California (part 1), the pair negotiated their differing preferences when it came to the kitchen and materials.
The couple inherited plain white laminate counters and white cabinet doors in the kitchen. “I just thought it needed the black and white and black and white [rhythm] though I was nervous to do it,” Lori says. Their ’60s cooktop and oven are in top form after Thermador came out to do maintenance, install new burners and replace a missing handle. Speckled laminate counters, a vintage-look candy apple red Northstar refrigerator and a long window that replaced overhead cabinets near the sink all work in the context of the house.
Before moving in, the pea-green-with-orange-door exterior was repainted, dirty gray carpeting removed, bedrooms painted and Lori oiled the mahogany paneling herself. When it came to flooring materials, she chose cork for the master bedroom floor and Pergo in the living and dining rooms. Why Pergo?
“We had it in our previous house; it’s easy to put down and always looks good. With all of our pets, we can’t have carpeting,” she answers. In the kitchen and adjoining multipurpose room, she opted for Congoleum, but says the dealer kept questioning that she really wanted that for a residence.
“I am an Eichler purist,” Lori asserts. “Their features are timeless and cannot be improved upon. Today’s ‘modern’ kitchen will look dated in five to 10 years, but you can modernize your home with new materials for floors and counters or new appliances without compromising the integrity of the original design.”
Find out where in the house Lori has full reign and how she fills it in part 3.
