Carleton Design » Project

Project Published

James Carleton — Sun, 23 May 2010 21:38:03 +0000

Our Pebble Beach Remodel was featured in the ‘Haven’ Summer 2010 issue published by the Monterey Herald. The article is a great tribute to Tom and our work.

Haven - Summer 2010

Read the online version of the article: Haven Summer 2010.
Read more about his project on our blog: A Warm Hearth.

Thanks to Kathryn McKenzie Nichols and our wonderful clients Chris & Anne Storm for putting this together.

A Restaurant Village

tjc — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:41:47 +0000

Harden Ranch Plaza is a premier retail center in Salinas, California, which is anchored by Safeway, Target, and Walmart. The center management is developing an innovative “restaurant village.” The idea is to attract a number of national and regional chain restaurants into one building with a wide patio and high clock tower. The new dining concept is inspired by the campanile and piazza found in Italy, or the torre and plaza typical of colonial Mexico. We were asked to provide this rendering to illustrate how an existing retail building can be transformed into the restaurant village at Harden Ranch. For leasing information, contact Fred Goldsmith at 831-655-3800.

-TJC

Concept for Restaurant Village at Harden Ranch Plaza

A Warm Hearth

tjc — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:45:49 +0000

Through the ages, dwellings have depended upon fireplaces and stoves for heating and cooking. The custom construction of a functional wood-burning fireplace requires the special skills of an experienced mason. Incorrect dimensions can prevent the fireplace from drawing properly through the chimney. With new prefabricated gas and wood burning fireboxes and metal flues, the construction is much simpler and the location of the fireplace is more flexible. You can install a zero-clearance fireplace almost as easy as a kitchen appliance.

A Warm Hearth

In this Pebble Beach remodel, we replaced the existing fireplaces with updated gas units. In the living room, we used Travertine stone on the front surface of the firebox. We added custom built shelves and cabinets on each side. A few down lights add to the drama. A beautiful fireplace transforms a house into a home.

-TJC

Restoring the White House

tjc — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:08:46 +0000

The distinctive “White House”, a few blocks from Hartnell College on West Alisal Street, is a landmark in Salinas. The white paint and porch columns identify its neo-classic style. When we had our construction sign out front, we received a number of telephone calls asking what we were doing to the house. You will not see our work from the street, I explained, because we remodeled a guest suite at the rear of the building. The owners carefully selected bathroom tile patterns and colors reminiscent of the previous century. The vintage light fixtures complete the retro look. Baggett Construction took extra care in building the addition. We particularly enjoy restoring landmarks and enjoy working with clients who love their homes.

-TJC

Salinas' White House

From Autos to Students

tjc — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:14:16 +0000

Last night, the five members of the City of Monterey Planning Commission unanimously voted to grant a “use permit” to Calvary Christian High School to operate a private high school at a former auto dealership. TJC designed the dealership at 601 E. Franklin Street in 2004; he has assisted Tim Wong, CCHS Director, with processing the permits for the new renovations.

Concept Drawing for Auto Dealership

We would like to thank commission members for their support. And we would like to thank the city planning staff for their extra efforts to work on a short schedule to accommodate the school calendar.

Center of the Home

tjc — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:56:22 +0000

“No matter where I serve my guests, they seem to like my kitchen best.” This embroidered observation was framed and hung on a wall in our house. In contemporary homes, the modern kitchen is often the center of family activities and entertaining. TJC placed this kitchen literally at the center of the floor plan of a new home on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. The kitchen counter and cabinets back up to one wall (the stairwell to a mezzanine) and opens up on the other three sides to adjacent rooms under a high sloped ceiling. Standing at the counter, you can look left, past a breakfast nook into the courtyard; or you can look across the living room to the ocean through a curved wall of windows. In this floor plan, the guests will always be near the attractions of the kitchen.

-TJC

Kitchen Island - Pebble Beach Residence

A Contemporary Bathroom

tjc — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:31:23 +0000

Bathrooms of yesteryear were simply utilitarian. On a tour of Colonial Williamsburg, they called it “the necessary.” Today, we expect bathrooms to have multiple functions. In this remodeled townhouse in Pebble Beach, the original 1970’s master bathroom was awkwardly divided into a series of small compartments, closets, and vanities. TJC’s design opened up the bathroom suite with a large tub, a glass-enclosed shower, and two sinks in a corner counter with large mirrors. The high rectangular windows bring in more natural light while providing privacy. The former storage rooms and cabinets were combined into a large walk-in closet with a dressing area.

The new windows and subdued colors give the appearance of a larger space. The wall tile at the tub and shower is cut from larger pieces of calcatta marble. The floor tile is cut from larger limestone pieces and laid out in a unique pattern. One guest who had seen the “before” bathroom asked: “Did you add on to make this room larger?” No, we just organized the existing space more effectively. Thanks to the superb work by Groza Construction, everyone is pleased with the results. The former dark and divided space has become a bright and open spa.

-TJC

Bathroom: After

Bathroom: Before

Displays of Independence

tjc — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:28:47 +0000

This bungalow designed by TJC is decorated with patriotic bunting

Flag etiquette says that the U.S. flag should not be draped as decoration; we are to let it hang free. So along with flags, we display red, white & blue bunting decorations of all kinds on Independence Day. It seems that we have done so since our flag was made official in 1777. Our second president, John Adams wrote to his wife Abagail urging 4th of July to be remembered. He wrote that the holiday “ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other…”
On July 4^th, 2009, houses all over the country were covered with patriotic banners and bunting. And so it was in the small town of Spreckels, California, known for its annual parade of vintage cars and firetrucks. The Boy Scouts were marching, the 4-H Club was selling sodas, and the PTA was roasting hot dogs and hamburgers. It was that special day when Americans of all ages and backgrounds celebrate our nation’s history. We are so grateful for the freedoms and opportunities our nation offers.

-TJC

To learn more about flag etiquette, go to: www.vfw.org.

The Entrance

tjc — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:36:23 +0000

Architecture: Form, Space & Order by Francis D. K. Ching (published by Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY) is a favored book. His beautiful pencil illustrations of historic and modern architecture make the book a worthwhile selection. And his analysis of design principles is just inspiring. For example, Ching has pages about entrances following a section on the building approach. He explains that entrances “can range from a simple hole in the wall to an elaborate, articulated gateway.”

In a residential remodel in Pebble Beach, the front door is not visible from the street. But the pathway clearly guides the visitor from the lower driveway to the front door on an upper level. Wide stairs (three steps, landing, three steps, landing…) between stone walls invite you up past the landscaped planter and around the corner. The curved walls diminish in height as you progress and they disappear by the time you have arrived at the porch. The new door that we selected has side lights and a transom with narrow glass panels. The added transparency seems to makes the entrance more inviting. The rectangular glass panels in the door compliment other “slot” windows added throughout the house to create a contemporary and sophisticated style. We were pleased, as were the homeowners, with the good work done by Groza Construction.

-TJC

Pebble Beach Remodel - Entry

Outdoor Living

tjc — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:09:18 +0000

Outdoor Living

Outdoor patios are a unique feature in the benign California climate. Even with our cool summer evenings on the Central Coast, a patio can be used all year long. A patio becomes a functional and pleasant expansion of living space. A patio can:

provide pleasant views into side and back yards;
reclaim a portion of your front yard behind a low wall;
enlarge your kitchen with outdoor appliances;
expand living space for entertaining family and friends.

When we added to our own home, the skilled workers from Chapin Construction installed interlocking pavers. On one side, a low curved wall separates the patio from the rest of the backyard landscaping. A curb on the other side defines the planters. By adding a wood table with chairs and a sun umbrella on our patio, and we have immeasurably increased the enjoyment of our home.

-TJC