House Tour - Rosy Strazzeri-Fridman's San Francisco Victorian

[All photos from Country Living]

I've been flipping through a previous issue of Country Living (February 2011), and I wanted to share this stunning home with you.

It's a gorgeous old Victorian belonging to Rosy Strazzeri-Fridman, who currently resides in San Francisco.

It really is a work of art. The details of this home, structurally and from a design stand point are amazing. It's full of vintage pieces, without looking worn and tattered. It's bright and white, but still somehow muted and relatively warm. It's as though every single piece in this house is exactly where it should be; as if it was made for that spot. I find that most curious, because most things are quite old and probably deemed useless, or undesirable by the original owner.

This is a house that closely emanates the style I tend to lean towards in my own home. With the large old ornate frames, the piling of linens in uber neutral colours, the collections of white, and the multitude of vintage treasures. I love it. Well, most of it.

It's still lacking something for my own personal taste. It still feels a bit.. for lack of a better word, posh, to me. I don't feel relaxed in all of the rooms. I mean, don't get me wrong, they are stunning. And, to be honest, I have the same thing with my own home. I'm constantly tweaking things because it's not "just right" yet. It's still got a ways to go. A long ways. The fact that this overhaul took 10 years for her to accomplish, makes me feel better about the state of mine.

But, regardless, this house is gorgeous and she has done a superb job.

Oh to have a turret...

Mhmm... Love. Love. Love.

I don't know why I like old, ornate frames so much, but I do. The artwork in my living room is actually lacking of any art. It's just huge, chunky, chippy old ornate frames. I think they're artwork in themselves. These, however, are more refined. I like the feel of the collage, and the mix of shape and texture, along with mirror and artwork. It's a great focal space.

Aren't those floors gorgeous? And that cabinet is massive, but fits the space beautifully. I think the mixing of the chairs is fun, but I'm not completely in love with the whole look. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of mixing old farm chairs, but this is a bit different.

Of course, can't get enough vintage glass - what is it about cloches right now? I'm so in love with them!

And this... oh how I am so inspired by this. My son's nursery, which is celery green right now, with cream and brown accents, is on my list of makeovers this year. He is going to be 2, and with that comes a new "big boy" room I think. I wanted to incorporate some vintage pieces into his space, and to carry through the style of the rest of the house, but I still wanted it to be age appropriate. That's tough to do with a 2 year old boy. I love this though. It's vintage, but clean and purposeful. I think the toy chest idea, with old suitcases is super fun, and functional! And the old vintage military look is super boyish, but still neutral.

See now, here is a room I can rest in! I would feel relaxed and at home in this space. It's definitely warmer and looks inviting.

The brightness of this kitchen is exciting to me, as is the height of that ceiling. I am not excited, however, about those cabinets. But, they do contrast the antiques nicely, and the dark finishes of the floor and island do add a bit of warmth to the room. Love that chandelier!