After and During/Before: A Brown-Shingle Exterior in Piedmont
A repeat-client for Arana! This client purchased a new home in Piedmont and called us in to do some restoration and repair on the front door frame and period details on the wood balcony/decking. We applied a clear product to the shingles that both protects against moisture intrusion or damage, [...]
Perfect Powder Room and MORE: Designing for Small Spaces with Jaclyn Christensen
Followers of our Instagram or Facebook feeds may have noticed that occasionally we just can’t help but shout out powder room and water closet designs. There seems to be something about them that inspires bold choices and whimsy. A jewel-box quality. Is there a difference when designing for large or [...]
Architects and Designers: Who does what and how do they work together?
The field of home building and remodeling has a clear path from design to construction, then on to “the finishes,” and lastly, the furnishings. After the initial design plans are complete, architects can and often do play a role throughout the construction of the project. But, when do interior designers [...]
Arana’s Bay Area Home Services Buyer’s Guide 2023
Welcome to our list of trusted colleagues in the home services, contracting services, and building and remodeling industry! Our team has personally vetted these providers in our two decades of serving with or beside them for our shared clients. We hope that this guide is a resource for you, our [...]
Then and Now: Buestad Builds an Alameda Civic Gem
Based in Alameda, Buestad Construction has proudly contributed to the growth of local community resources for 75 years. This work included building a new Alameda Public Golf Clubhouse in 1958. In the striking facility, “natural building materials were left exposed” which “not only reduced construction costs but achieved an eye-pleasing [...]
Alameda Architectural Walking Tours: Wander, Learn, and Adore on Foot
You may be surprised to learn that there are no "Victorians" in Alameda. We are as guilty as anyone, talking about homes in our portfolio (in Alameda and other parts of the Bay Area) and using that term. According to historian Dennis Evanofsky, who regularly leads architectural walking tours in [...]
Color(s) of the Year 2023
What is the “Color of the Year” and why is it relevant? Is there just one? Under the heading of nothing is as simple as it sounds, there are multiple answers to these questions. Color of the Year, as announced by the Pantone company annually in December, is a relatively [...]
Anatomy of a Victorian – The Not So Secret Symbolism of Decoration
As painting contractors, we revere the inspiration of the architects responsible for the many historical and modern styles of housing in the Bay Area. In particular, we are awed by Victorian-era homes. While painting these beauties, we feel that we get to reopen the channel for whatever inspiration was brought [...]
Top 10 Home Interior Maintenance Tips for Summer
It's summertime, and this list, which we originally wrote in 2021, is still a great resource, so we are sharing it with you again! In addition, our friends at Porch.com offered us their summertime maintenance tips article, and we thought it was worth sharing bonus tips from that blog with [...]
Honey Homes Simplifies the Handyman Relationship
As anyone lucky enough to find the right person knows, a really talented and trustworthy handyman can be hard to find! The idea for Honey Homes came to company founder Vishwas Prabhakara soon after he and his wife purchased their home in Lafayette in 2020. Inspired by the challenge of [...]
