At Home With Suna Lock

Today we are welcoming Suna Lock to the blog as she shares her beautiful Santa Cruz home with us!

"The house is on the downtown Painted Ladies. I have admired Walnut Avenue since I first started visiting Santa Cruz in the 80's. I never thought I would end up living in a house on this street. We bought her in 2005, the year my daughter, Erica, was born. The minute I walked around the house I knew that I had to sell everything I owned to make it work. Despite the rather ostentatious exterior, the inside of the home is a series of well-proportioned rooms with 12-foot ceilings and enormous double hung windows. Lots of the original features remain intact–the fireplace and chimney for example, which had remarkably withstood two massive earthquakes.

"I have a little broken clock on the mantel piece which was a retirement gift from the Bradford Dyers Association in the UK. I found it whilst visiting my father, in the old city of Jerusalem in Israel in an Aladdin’s cave of junk. It appealed to me because I was studying textile design at university at the time, and I was fascinated by the journey this little thing must have taken! The vendor wanted the equivalent of $20, which was a lot back then. So after some deliberation, I left it. Months later a parcel arrived from Dad for Christmas and there it was. He had gone all the way back and found the little clock, bought it and mailed it to me. It is my favorite thing in the world without a pulse. 

"The house has evolved massively over time. Given what I do for a living, it is impossible to sit still. So it really is an ever-changing landscape. There were some large things like remodeling the kitchen and opening the kitchen and dining rooms up to one another which were slated and saved for. We also stained the floors black from the yellow oak color they were originally which added drama and elegance. My bathroom was a DIY rip out on a tiny budget. The sink and medicine cupboard were salvaged from the city dump. The glass tile was on Craigslist and the floor tile was from a local reclamation yard. I did all the labor myself on weekends and evenings. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but I love it. It reminds me that I am capable, independent and resourceful. 

"The house stands on a corner lot, so it has gardens all around it. There are stairs up to a front door which lies beyond a wooden deck. To summarize: I fell in love."

Thanks so much for sharing, Suna! You can find more of Suna here and on Instagram. xo.

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 Credits// Author: Suna Lock. Photography: Tommy Parker.