Ahhhhhhhhhh…………………….
The Home Tour is over!! It was a great success! We still are counting up the numbers, but I know we surpassed last year’s donation to the school by nearly double. Did you come? Did you enjoy it?
I heard lots of folks heading to their cars saying things like “That was the most amazing tour ever”. I’m so happy that people enjoyed Arapahoe Acres. Thank you to every homeowner who shared their home’s unique beauty and simplicity with the masses. I hope events like this will help to preserve this neighborhood. Could you imagine one of these homes being demolished? Oh, it would be a tragedy.
If you missed the tour and would like a commemorative book, they are still available here.

Now that the tour is over, I can concentrate on my own home. Some asked if we’d be opening our house this year. With a toddler making messes every time I try to clean one up, I knew we couldn’t do it. Not to mention the time it took to plan this event.
Now that the tour is over, I’m ready to make a to do list so our home can be a happier, more beautiful place. Our family room needs lots of help. I’m hoping to get it painted and maybe even do something with the floor (it has carpet remnants over painted concrete slab, any suggestions?). But then there’s the single paned casement windows that freeze over every winter. Oh and the mangy carpet in the kids’ rooms…. and have you seen our master bathroom? Ok, the list is eternal and funds are limited. Hopefully I can choose a few things that will make us happy without breaking the bank. A lot of the changes will seem like spring cleaning being done in the fall. I have my car’s trunk full of clothes to take to the donation center. Check!
This is how I decompress. Or is it? I know I’ll be looking for another project to distract me from cleaning my house. I really don’t like housework.

The next Arapahoe Acres Home Tour is scheduled for Saturday, August 28th 1-5pm. Head over to the site for more information.

This is the latest home I was honored to photograph in the Arapahoe Acres neighborhood.

Guarding the entry to the home is a Chinese Foo Dog. Too cool to be pictured.

I call this the “flagship home” simply because it is often the first home seen in Arapahoe Acres. Ironically it was one of the last homes to be built in the neighborhood. With its Asian lines and details, this home represents Hawkin’s influence from his trip to Japan.

The beauty and uniqueness to this home is not only in the architecture. The current homeowner is quite the collector, with vintage pieces carefully placed throughout the home. Beautiful paintings and even a vintage tube television add beauty and charm. Who would have thought that a pink sofa could look so good in this space?

I was struck by how all the furnishings and details of this home just sing. From the restored grass wallpaper to the copper fireplace to the cork floors, this home is a perfect example of a proper restoration. Being a 1950′s split level home, with the bedrooms and office on the south “wing”, allows the kitchen, living and dining room ample space. The home is small, as so many homes are in this neighborhood, and has two bedrooms upstairs a third on the lowest level along with a den.

The use of exterior materials on the inside of AA homes is prevalent. In the Young House, the window sills are exterior bricks, the ceiling planks extend to the patio outside. The brick on the fireplace is the same as found on the home’s exterior. I love that Hawkins used copper for many of his fireplaces, this was my first to see and photograph.

I am so happy to live in one of these beautiful homes and experience my neighbors’ living spaces. Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph them.

Beautiful registered Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass clerestory windows and original grass cloth covered ceilings.

The newly added zen garden can be seen through the window. Both light fixtures are Wright inspired.

The Zen garden adds interest and movement to this area under the fascia.

A beautiful, peaceful respite. When we left, Beth and I knew we were returning to the chaos of the real world.

I brought along Zed and Beth (my friend, neighbor and fellow photographer) to help out with this shoot. Our hostess gave us the tour and then took Zed off our hands and he was soon fast asleep in her arms. I am so blessed to photograph such beauty and get to know my neighbors while I work.

Today I discovered another shoot was happening in this garden. A crew is filming a commercial for Weber Grills in the tranquility of the yard. Ezra, Zed and I stopped in for a minute to see all the equipment and people milling about on set.

It has been so long since I’ve been at a shoot, it brought back many memories. Especially today, 9-11. Eight years ago today I was on set, assisting, at another beautiful home in southern Massachusetts for Traditional Home magazine. Between shots and while shooting, the television showed us the mayhem in NYC. Today I cannot forget the loss we felt that day. Today I am grateful for those who defend us. Today I pray for peace.

My latest project. We’ve got 10 homes for the tour! Any other AA folks want to add their home to the list?
The money earned from the tour will go to the local elementary school’s Victory Garden. We are hoping that this garden will teach the kids all about sustainability, nutrition, science and how satisfying it is to work for food. India was amazed that I pulled 3 zucchini from our garden the other day. She said “It looks just like what we would get at the store!”

This is the next addition of the Arapahoe Acres interiors. This home was the last to be completed in AA. It has 5 bedrooms and 2 baths, and a great room on the lower level; all which were not photographed. I had no idea the home was this large! Yvonne, you were holding out on me. The upper level combines living, dining and kitchen; which is what I photographed.
This home was photographed weeks before having Zedekiah and it was just printed in the AA neighborhood newsletter. Since I did not write the article, I am not publishing it in its entirety here. This is a great home. A couple of months after photographing it one of our friends asked if it was for sale (there was a designer’s sign placed on the grass). “That is such a beautiful home. We’d love to buy it!” But alas, I think Yvonne and Phil will remain our neighbors for a long time to come. It is a beauty and very well preserved and loved.

This Arapahoe Acres home was built in 1954 by Edward Hawkins.  It is situated in the middle of the block, nestled into the slope. Hawkins did not bulldoze the natural slope found on the land; he incorporated it into his designs. Therefore the lower level of the home abuts the hill while the upper level rests atop it. When entering, one is ushered into a tiny foyer with beautiful mahogany paneling. It is surprisingly light owing to the wide stairwell and the fretted glass panels surrounding the front and interior door.

While the main living space is upstairs at garden level, downstairs has what was originally a small family room, two bedrooms, and a bath.

There are so many wonderful details that one cannot help but notice in this home. The first, and most dramatic, has to be the latticed stair enclosure one climbs to enter the heart of the home. Once atop the staircase a view of the beautiful garden, along with the salvaged sculpture from National Jewish Hospital, is seen through the south facing window wall.

A more subtle detail, but no less important, is the fireplace wall in the living room. The concrete hearth and mahogany shelves create a composition on the roman brick wall that reinforces the horizontal character of the room.   A series of panoramic photographs from neighbor Ron Pollard have been placed along the longest shelf. The images show a bit of Englewood history. They were taken of Cinderella City Mall as it was being demolished in 1998.

The vaulted ceiling throughout and clerestory windows on the east and west walls both attribute to the open feeling in the space. Pony walls enclose the kitchen and a former patio just outside the kitchen is now a sun filled room. The addition, dubbed “the lounge”, stays true to the original design. Dark lapped wood paneling along with south and west facing window walls, keep the lounge light and open to the outdoors.

This little nook has a desk that appears to have been built with the original construction of the home.  The window seat seems to be an extension of the original desk, added at some later date.  The tell tale signs are a partially covered outlet and some unpainted paneling behind the seat.

A very beautiful, well preserved home here in Arapahoe Acres.

When I went to photograph this Arapahoe Acres home I was told that they had once received a call from the city asking when they had installed a pool. The homeowner was a bit confused. The person from the city said, “It says here you have a pool house.” The homeowner quickly replied that the home was named after the first homeowners, the Pools, and that they do not have a pool or a pool house.
This home does not need a pool. It is so beautifully complete without one. The homeowner, Dave Steers, has a restoration/renovation business and has done his share of work throughout the neighborhood.

The woodwork in this home is so beautiful. The paneling is to die for. See the hinge to the left of the light? Hidden closet there. If only homes were still made with aesthetics in mind!

The front room with a view into the family and dining rooms as well as the shaded patio.

The kitchen was restored bringing the original sliding cupboard doors and lower mahogany cupboards back. I love that the original owner requested a glass back splash so she could keep an eye on the kids as they played in the yard. Not only practical but unique and forward thinking.

Of everything in this home, I want this. A tub room looking out to a beautiful garden. The first time I saw this I was stunned by its tranquil beauty.

With two sinks and jetted tub this bathroom addition is one that keeps with the original scale of the home but brings in modern conveniences and some modern styling.

in the middle of our street.”
Ok, I know I promised photographs of our house millions of posts ago. Well, here they are. This is really our furniture rather than in this photo. I didn’t take too many, just of our favorite room and feature of the house. The windows.
Enjoy!

Do you notice on of the photos from our Mexico trip?

Do you like my newspaper fire? It was lit for a couple of minutes only. Now I’ve got to clean it out. Not sure it was worth it.

This is the article I wrote for our neighborhood newsletter. I’m trying to get an interior in every issue… of course, being my idea, ours’ was the first house.