Designer and horseman find a bucolic getaway within a double-wide in Woodside

Anh-Minh Le, Special to The Chronicle

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

This is not your typical double-wide trailer.

For one, it’s in Woodside — home to Oracle’s Larry Ellison, rocker Neil Young and venture capitalist John Doerr. House prices here range as high as $28 million.

Second, it has the kind of interior decorating that would put many of its grandiose neighbors to shame.

But the trailer’s charm didn’t come easily. When interior designer Doug Dolezal first saw it, “it was quite dated and needed some sprucing up,” he recalled. Undeterred, he and his partner, John Bragg, moved into the trailer in August.

“Some people call it a double-wide trailer. Some people call it a manufactured house,” Bragg said. “But Doug likes to refer to it as ‘the cottage.’ “

With a budget of $40,000, they set about refurbishing the interior and exterior. The splurges were minimal: custom-made headboards that Dolezal designed and two Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawers.

To help the trailer blend into its bucolic surroundings, Dolezal and Bragg painted it tan and added hunter-green shutters. While fairly modest on the outside, the inside manages to be stylish yet comfortable.

The home sits on the grounds of Woodside’s Wunderlich Park, which was once the Folger family ranch. Coffee scion James A. Folger II bought the land in 1902 and transformed it into a recreational area.

During the 1950s, contractor Martin Wunderlich purchased the stables and surrounding 942 acres of land from the Folgers. Nearly two decades later, in 1974, he donated it to San Mateo County.

Patricia Holmes was the trailer’s original owner. She leased the land from the county and, for 35 years, ran the Folger Stable. After a cancer diagnosis, she began making arrangements for someone to take over her lease and operate the stable.

Holmes met Bragg this summer, around the time her doctors said she had a year to live. He agreed to buy her home, assume the lease and manage the stable.

Holmes died the next day. “Her friends say that the last thing she wanted to do was make sure all of the horses would be taken care of,” said Bragg.

Bragg trains jumper and hunter horses, and shows the animals. Dolezal, who considers himself an amateur rider, is a partner in the Miller/Dolezal Design Group, which has offices in Woodside and Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego County).

The trailer’s accouterments include a wood deck nestled against acres of lush greenery, a bathroom with a soaking tub, large closets that could store Imelda’s shoes and even a laundry room.

Dolezal describes the home as “standard double-wide size” and estimates that it’s 24 feet by 60 feet.

Bragg and Dolezal spent very little money on furnishings. They recently sold a house in Carmel and were able to reuse some furniture from there. Bragg inherited most of the trailer’s pine furniture from his mom.

The home originally had three bedrooms, but the couple got rid of one. By removing a non-load-bearing wall between two small rooms, they were able to create a spacious master bedroom, complete with a sitting area.

They didn’t undertake any major renovations in the two bathrooms. The wall color, flooring and hardware were updated, but all the fixtures remained intact.

Bragg and Dolezal made their biggest changes to the kitchen. They removed the cabinetry over the peninsula to create a more open space; repainted the remaining cabinetry; ripped out the linoleum flooring; and, for a modern touch, installed stainless steel appliances — all from Sears, except for the dishwasher drawers. They store the microwave in the pantry, so it doesn’t take up valuable counter space.

The couple replaced the sliding door next to the kitchen with French doors that now serve as the home’s main entrance. “No matter what kind of house you have, French doors will look better,” Dolezal said.

Dolezal and Bragg opted not to put a dining table beside the kitchen. The result is an open, light-filled entry area.

And the lack of a dining table has not prevented them from entertaining. When they hosted a party for about 16 people, the food was served buffet-style and guests mingled throughout the kitchen and living room, Bragg said.

The pair usually dines at the kitchen counter, seated on barstools — some of the most beloved items in their home.

Dolezal and Bragg met at a horse show years ago and now share three dogs and “2 1/2 homes,” Dolezal said, referring to the trailer as the fraction.

They own a 3,800-square-foot house in Rancho Santa Fe and a 2,700-square-foot house in Laguna Beach (Orange County). They spend about two weeks out of each month in Woodside.

So what if the trailer was their only home? Would that have affected the design?

“We wouldn’t do anything differently,” said Dolezal. “It has a really cozy charm to it. It’s intimate and very easy to be in.”

When they moved into the trailer, most of the floor was covered with carpeting that was far past its prime. So out went the carpet, in went Pergo floors. “With the barn right next door, we needed something durable,” said Dolezal of the Pergo laminated flooring material.

Dolezal found affordable window treatments online. “You just type in your measurements,” he said, “and five days later, they’re here.”

The walls in the house are fake wood paneling. But thanks to a couple of coats of paint, they now resemble bead board, which adds to the home’s cottage feel. “We painted it throughout,” said Dolezal. “It needed to be lightened up. And you can never go wrong with butter-yellow paint.”

They painted each room the same yellow. Using different colors was not an option, said Dolezal, because the house “is not big enough for that.”

The doorknobs, cabinet hardware and lighting fixtures — none of which cost more than $100 — were all replaced. They also added 6-inch white baseboards. “Find key details and change them,” advised Dolezal. “That way you’ll notice those details and not everything else that may not be as attractive.”

Although large furniture might seem like a bad idea in small quarters, Dolezal advocates doing just that. Each room in the trailer features at least one major piece. “Bunny Williams, the famous designer, may have said it best,” said Dolezal. “You have to have a couple of large pieces to make an impact, to add drama, to give it visual interest.

“Have big-scale furniture,” he added, “but don’t let it be crowded.”

The living room benefits from a vaulted ceiling, with the exposed beams painted white to accentuate the height. The room includes a large armoire, a loveseat and three chairs. “You really don’t need much more seating than this,” said Dolezal. “When you have more than four or five people, some are going to stand or move to the kitchen.”

Both Dolezal and Bragg are avid collectors, so their homes are filled with treasures. “Every house should have a personality,” said Dolezal. “Everything should mean something. It shouldn’t just be stuff. There should be some attachment.”

For example, a large buffet at the trailer’s entrance showcases their collection of green and white plates, as well as their cookie jars. A 10-inch jar in the shape of a cupcake was a $2 garage-sale find.

The living room sofa came from a previous residence. It has been reupholstered three times to fit the decor of the rooms it’s been in.

The Woodside cottage also reflects the couple’s love of horses. Every room features equestrian mementos, from ribbons and photos to vintage prints and sculptures.

Although Dolezal’s design skills are evident in the home, he gives credit to the building itself. “The bones were there,” he said. “The floor plan was good. It wasn’t a long hallway with a bunch of small rooms off to the side. It was open enough to work with.”

But the pair agreed that one of the best features of the home is the beautiful property on which it sits. “It’s private. It’s quiet. It has a nice view,” said Bragg. “My clients who live in Woodside all laugh because I have more acreage than they do — without having to pay property taxes.”

For more information on Miller/Dolezal Design Group, visit www.mddg.com

Dolezal and Bragg’s resources included:

Bellacor Lighting: www.bellacor.com

Blinds.com: www.blinds.com

Pergo: www.pergo.com

Sears: www.sears.com

– A.M.L.

By PAUL DONSKY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/02/07

Nearly three miles separate the Arts Center and Lindbergh rail stations on MARTA’s north-south line.

In transit terms, that’s a vast gap. Most people will walk no more than a half-mile to catch a train or bus, experts say.

Keith Hadley/Staff

MARTA is looking at the feasibility of shoe-horning in rail stations where significant gaps exist between existing stations.

MARTA’s 48-mile rail system has several similar gaps, to the frustration of transit system officials on the lookout for new riders and additional revenue.

Historically, MARTA has sought to build ridership by expanding its rail lines. But with construction costs at about $100 million per mile, it’s an expensive proposition. MARTA officials are now wondering whether there might be a cheaper alternative: Shoe-horning new stations into some of those gaps.

The MARTA board of directors recently asked staffers to study the concept of building “infill” stations.

Infill stations could “add a lot of new ridership, add to the quality of life for those in Fulton and DeKalb,” said MARTA board Chairman Ed Wall. “It might not cost a whole lot to drop a station in there.”

The prospect of building infill stations was initially floated by Lara Hodgson, an executive with Dewberry Capital, an Atlanta development company located on Peachtree Street in the no-man’s land between Midtown and Buckhead.

Hodgson, the company’s chief marketing officer, said the idea came to her after she learned that MARTA’s subway tunnel went right under her company’s office building. Yet the nearest station, Arts Center, is more than a 10-minute walk away.

“MARTA’s approach has always been to extend the line, and once they’ve built that, development would come,” said Hodgson, appointed last year by Gov. Sonny Perdue to serve on metro Atlanta’s regional Transit Planning Board.

“But what if you did the opposite?” she added. “What if you build where development already is? … Let’s take the rail we already have and figure out how to serve more people.”

Infill stations could tie into the planned Beltline transit project and even provide better connections to places like Turner Field, Hodgson said.

But building the new stations could prove difficult. An infill station in the fast-growing area near Hodgson’s workplace, for instance, would have to be built either underground or on a bridge spanning I-85. MARTA officials estimate it would cost $175 million to $300 million.

An infill station was recently built on Washington’s rapid rail system. The project took four years and $120 million to complete — roughly the cost of the planned 26-mile commuter rail line between downtown Atlanta and south Clayton County.

The new station was built just west of the existing tracks, served by a new stretch of rail about one-third of a mile long.

“It was the most challenging thing I’ve ever been involved with, because we had to keep the railroad running” during construction, said John Thomas, acting director of construction with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Businesses chipped in $25M

The new station has attracted about 6,000 new riders a day. It was partially funded by businesses in the area, which chipped in $25 million.

MARTA has not set aside any money to build infill stations.

Hodgson has suggested MARTA look at four gaps that could support a station: between the Garnett and West End stations just south of downtown Atlanta; between King Memorial and Inman Park stations just east of downtown; between the Arts Center and Lindbergh stations north of Midtown; and between the West Lake and Ashby stations on Atlanta’s west side.

The sites have relatively high population densities and offer some intriguing possibilities, she said.

A new station between King Memorial and Inman Park, for instance, could serve as a transfer point to the planned Beltline transit loop. The area includes a growing number of condominiums, apartments, shops and restaurants.

The Garnett-West End gap was home to a vast public housing project that has been torn down to make way for a mixed-income village. It’s also across I-20 from the Atlanta University Center and only blocks from the hip bars, art galleries and cafes of the blossoming Castleberry Hill neighborhood.

The station would be close to Turner Field, providing baseball fans with a shorter shuttle ride to the game than the current route from downtown.

Conrad Woods, owner of the Coffee Loft in Castleberry Hill, said a Castleberry stop could help bring more people to his shop and others in the area.

Castleberry “is in a growth stage, and it needs more people in the general area walking around,” he said.

Hodgson does have a vested interest in promoting an infill station between Arts Center and Lindbergh. Her boss, developer John Dewberry, has ambitious plans to transform the area into “Uptown” Atlanta, a densely packed neighborhood with office towers, condos and shops.

But the area is growing, she said, noting the recent arrival of the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus. The school has 900 students and 120 faculty members.

Gloria Gaines, MARTA’s assistant general manager for planning, said the transit system is taking the infill station concept seriously.

“MARTA has to be open to all new ideas,” she said. “If this makes sense for MARTA, I tell you, we’re on it and we’ll be ready to do it.”