Nestled near California’s San Jose Municipal Rose Garden is Stan and Cynthia Ostrowski’s 1950s home, where country casual blends with Italian influences. The homeowners had searched the marketplace for a year and almost given up when they stumbled upon the land, which was in desperate need of renovation. Seeing the structural potential, the house was purchased by them. Then, using DIY skills, inspiration in their journeys to Italy, and Cynthia’s childhood memories of her grandmother’s home in Wyoming, the couple remodeled the home into an inviting area.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Stan and Cynthia Ostrowski
Location: San Jose, California
Size: 1,300 square feet
That’s intriguing: Cynthia made many of the curtains and decorative cushions in the home
The kitchen has three big openings to other rooms adjoining it along with a lack of natural light, so Stan and Cynthia’s obstacle was locating a contractor who knew their vision for a comfy, practical space.
Cynthia made the distance himself, plus they finally found someone to attack the little, unique angles. With the addition of yellow fabric she personalized the distance. See-through cabinetry shows off her collection of dishes that are white.
The pair entertains frequently and desired a built-in breakfast bar to serve as a dining room and conversation space in kitchen. The white and blue porcelain sugar, coffee and tea plantations are from Pier Deux in Carmel,California.
Bar stools: Pottery Barn; placemats and napkins: Williams-Sonoma; dishes: Anthropologie
Wood-paneled drawers provide ample storage to the major cooking hub. The couple designed a custom range hood to match the soft golden wall color and chosen complementary blue accent tiles. Upgraded dual-pane ovens are adjacent to the cooker. Cynthia’s collection of cookbooks from her travels in Europe are retained within close reach.
Cynthia’s side-panel curtains are attached to knob hooks on both sides of the sliding patio door; creating a unique alternative to a conventional curtain rod. The dining area is outfitted with an understated chandelier. The fabric and sticks for the curtains are from Calico Corners. The floor is original to the home.
Chairs: Ballard Designs; dining table: Pottery Barn
Stan and Cynthia’s daughter gave them this painting, which utilizes her mother’s favorite colours and Vincent van Gogh because the main inspiration. Accent plates frame the painting, and it creates a cheerful focus for the dining room. The couple purchased both smaller plates in flea markets in France and Belgium.
Cynthia tied in all their design palette colors in the dining room area by creating a custom made chair and cushion in blues and reds, then adding curtains in yellow.
This blue chair is Cynthia’s favorite furniture bit; she enjoys sitting inside to look out on their backyard. It is an inherited antique that Cynthia reupholstered with new fabric, and she included the red pillow.
Stan needed a neutral room in the house to function as a reading den. Cynthia found an antique settee and had it refinished and re-covered with new fabric. A tarnished golden antique lamp has been restored as a lighting source for the room. Cynthia sewed the accent cushions to match, and made the curtains in this area with her Pierre Deux fabric and designed.
A collection of porcelain boxes from antiques shops seen on Cynthia’s journeys is on display in the family room on a reading table.
The snowy, soothing master bedroom offers a place of escape. Dashes of pink in the accent pillow provide a focus in the room, along with the patterned bird curtains invite the outside in.
A rustic blue bird feeder hangs from a tulip tree.
What Stan and Cynthia adore most in their neighborhood is its location in the South Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area, and that it’s within walking distance to the Municipal Rose Garden, where they may enjoy seasonal blooms.
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