Los Altos remodel reveals refined tastes of draperies specialist

By Clyde Noel, Town Crier Staff Writer

The home of Sandy Powell features a great room nicknamed “the safari room,” which is decorated with handmade artifacts from around the world.

The stately looking house seems out of place in this Los Altos neighborhood because it overlooks the neighbors’ rooftops. Time will correct that, because the area is spattered with remodels.

In the late 1980s, Sandy Powell and her husband, Michael Paiza, purchased a 2,500-square-foot home in a quiet neighborhood behind the Los Altos Golf and Country Club, in the Loyola Corners area. Because it is located in the county, building restrictions are more relaxed than city requirements.

Since the house had a large setback, the couple built an add-on to the existing portion of the house. The add-on consists of 18 rooms and 7,000 square feet of space for luxurious living.

Powell, owner of Signature Draperies & Design, used her business experience to create a feeling of a warm and inviting home.

Using her art and engineering background, Powell solves her design projects by filling well-planned spaces with carefully selected furnishings coupled with attractive colored draperies to create good feelings in her design mix.

“I have 10 creative and challenging projects ongoing in this house, but my clients come first,” Powell said. “If the client has a project that requires creativity, that comes first because I thrive on things that haven’t been done before.”

After climbing the steps to reach the house, visitors enter a large foyer 30 feet long with bare marble floors and walls. “In time, this will be a great place for paintings,” Powell said. “I just have to find the time to start it.”

Up a step from the entryway is the family room or great room. With hardwood floors and granite walls, the room is furnished with ebony brown leather sofas and chairs. Atop the fireplace mantel is an African antelope head. The room is large and used for entertainment, both formal and social.

The kitchen has all the latest appliances enclosed in light-color cabinetry. The island anchors a brown granite top. A dining alcove is set to the right, with seating for two.

The dining room uses a Venetian theme. Powell observed that people need the peace and security found in pleasing background colors.

“A splash of bright color brings excitement, pizazz and emotional stimuli into lives that often seem to be filled by the daily grind,” Powell said. “That is why I make different things like the coffee table that will feature a shadow box with an amber-colored light.”

Enjoying the expanse of house are four cats. Seven-year-old Brutus and Caesar are Tonkinese - half Siamese, half Burmese. Keeping them company are 1-year-olds Romeo and Titus.

The living room is 36 feet long and 22 feet wide, with a 12-foot ceiling. Set in a Moroccan theme, the draperies - a colored valance combined with a rich layered sheer of 200 yards set off with 50 yards of trim - are an example of Powell’s work with clients. “I sewed them all myself,” Powell said.

With Powell’s creative talent, the house draperies are elegant and exotic.

Armed with fabric samples and ideas for draperies, cornices, blinds and shutters, Signature Draperies & Design can come to your home for a free in-home consultation. Powell’s clients cover the Peninsula and the South Bay.

For more information, call 949-5100.