Berkeley: When Less is More
IKEA once ran an ad campaign in Britain called “Chuck out the Chintz”. Its message came to mind as I toured this four-bedroom, 1912 brown-shingle home on Parkside Drive in Berkeley with a $1,988,000 price tag.
In fact in many ways I felt I had stepped straight back across the Pond into a typical British suburban middle-class home: there was furniture in abundance, much of which looked like antiques, pictures on many of the walls and bits and bobs just about everywhere. The problem was seeing beyond it all to evaluate the house.
This home could have seriously benefited from a stager – or at the very least a “declutterer”.
Added to that was the fact that the presence of the family who live in the house was everywhere – from the large photographic portrait on the stairwell to the still damp bath mat – even dare I suggest it – down to certain smells. Possibly canine. (A dog was making him or herself heard somewhere off stage.) I believe buyers need to be able to picture themselves in a house, not be constantly reminded of its current owners.
That’s the griping over. There is lots to like about this house. It looks over the charming little park that gives the road its name and has a large (for Berkeley) and very pretty garden at the back. (In fact the back view of the house is nicer than the front.) French doors lead from a spacious kitchen that could probably do with some updating onto the lawn — that also took me back to English gardens.
A small art studio has been built onto the garage.
There are some appealing original features, including the staircase and a wood-paneled reading room on a mezzanine level.
In essence, I think this is a good, potentially lovely, house in a superb neighborhood — not in my opinion being presented in the best possible light.
