The Way We Live / Dec/Jan 2012
The Bergman Home
In 2007, Sky Bergman found her dream home just a block-and-a-half away from her apartment on Mill Street. She made an offer without even laying eyes on the inside of the home, which was then a rental property. “The location was perfect, but the house was a mess - it needed a complete remodel,” remembers Bergman, a Photography Professor at Cal Poly.
To counteract the prominent “foursquare-style” architecture - characterized by the fact that the roofline is nearly a perfect square - Bergman enlisted the help of architect Enrica Lovaglio Costello. It became clear during the early design phase that the home, which was originally built in either 1904 or 1907 (Bergman has found conflicting documentation), needed something to smooth out its overall “boxy-ness.”
The idea came about to soften the strong angular lines of the exterior by creating soft contours with winding walls and archways throughout the interior. This helped to preserve the original character of the structure, while at the same time introducing a more modern feel with a logical, clean interior flow. The result is a well-thought-out, light-filled interior which is warm and inviting. Exacting attention to detail is apparent throughout.
Design and layout of the surrounding yard was conceived by Bergman, and features a whimsical “sculpture garden” that is especially popular with children. “It all started when my mom gave me this metal sculpted rooster for my birthday. I put it outside, then a friend noticed it and bought me another item, then someone else brought over something for the collection. It’s grown exponentially since then,” she laughs.
For the rest of the landscape, the focus has been on water efficiency. There is no grass lawn, instead Bergman was able to recycle the brick in the fireplace which had been removed, and now it makes up the walkways that wind through the succulent gardens. Bergman, who has a fondness for the look of artichoke plants also took liberty in adding them, as well as a small plot of tomatoes. Somehow, all of the changes fit together to reflect a new unique, eclectic style to this historic Mill Street gem.
