The Voice of East Bay Living

Each year the American Institute of Architects has a diverse selection of homes designed by the Bay Area's leading architects for public viewing. The homes vary in size and types which include historic renovations and modern masterpieces. The homes this year emphasized many energy saving elements, including LED lighting, rain-water re-capture, "smart house control systems", 3'5 kW solar array added to the roof for all electricity needs, reclaimed wood for the flooring and drought tolerant plants galore.  It is definitely a great way to spend your Saturday afternoon with friends or clients! Sheila Sabine is a business woman, multi-dimensional artist, and Senior Sales Associate at The Grubb Company. ssabine@grubbco.com

Great uptown Oakland restaurant – Mockingbird – 416 13th St. Located in the heart of downtown Oakland this great restaurant features Northern California farm to table cuisine, a comfortable and informal atmosphere with great service and stellar food and drinks. I had the best Brussels sprouts of my entire life in this restaurant. This is a place where you will say, "The kitchen really knows what they are doing" and you will want to order extra food to take home. Over the top thumbs up! Sheila Sabine is a business woman, multi-dimensional artist, and Senior Sales Associate at The Grubb Company. ssabine@grubbco.com

Recently my good friend, Sandi Padnos gave me a great lead for home decorating... Sandi loves to shop and I have told her that her personal mantra should be -"When in doubt, buy more." Her secret for finding new pieces, www.Etsy.com. The origins of Etsy started in a small Brooklyn apartment in 2005 when several friends decided to start a company that would give makers of the world an online platform to sell their goods. Two years later, in 2007, Etsy had nearly 450,000 registered sellers generating $26 million in annual sales. Today the company boasts over 54 million members.  Etsy focuses on handmade or vintage items as well as unique factory manufactured products. The items range from art, photography, clothing, jewelry, households goods and much more. I recently purchased a vintage metal ceiling panel to decorate my yard. I have also gotten vintage velvet pillows, linen napkins from Lithowania and Frida Kahlo pillows from Spain. You will enjoy shopping on this gre

"Light is not just something we see, it is something we feel." Pam Morris of Exciting Lighting creates amazing works of art out of hand-crafted blown glass and forged metal and then does her magical touches with lighting for top restaurants like Post Trio in San Francisco and famous clients like Wolfgang Puck, Georgio Armani and Sugar Ray Leonard.  Pam is a creative force, distinguished as an avant-garde designer. She was selected as outstanding artist in San Francisco and has spoken and been published widely.  You can see her latest work, 4 foot tall "tectonic split" lights at Waterbar on the Embarcadero.  She also has an every Friday 7-8:30 installation in the tunnel across from the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate park. Battery operated light wands  t ransform a spooky dark space into a Lascaux like magical experience. For more information about Pam please visit her website    or email her at pam@pam-morris-designs.com

Derik Landry, renovator and realtor discussing his latest projects in Winters, California. For more information about Derik Landry, www.dwelldefined.com Sheila Sabine is a business woman, multi-dimensional artist, and Senior Sales Associate at The Grubb Company. ssabine@grubbco.com

At a great luxury portfolio seminar yesterday and San Francisco many interesting details were discussed.  Most of the focus was on the San Francisco real estate market which ultimately affects our East Bay market. -In 2006, 82%  of condos sold for under $1 million -In 2017,  only 12% of condos sold for under $1 million What is happening right now? The current market prices are going 120 miles an hour and now into hyper drive.  There is a mismatch between what people want, what is available, and what they can afford.  Our market is impacted by unemployment, rents, and inventory. While t he Bay Area market is currently one of the strongest markets in the nation, it is still subject to external factors such as earthquakes,political events, our current president, and the economy of other countries such as China. Buyers are migrating to different neighborhoods which are more affordable. We are seeing buyers coming from the south bay, Marin, and San Francisco to buy somethin