Mother Stories
Meet Lizzie Wallack, Mama of Two and Designer
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Photography by Maria del Rio
Jul 2, 2019
We’ve done hundreds of house tours over here, but there is one particular type of home story that gives us the major heart-eyes every time. When a designer or architect buys their first home, it’s typically smaller and far more modest than the spaces they work on for clients. But it’s a true passion project and an opportunity to get incredibly creative on a limited budget—and the results tend to be incredible. That is exactly what we have for you today. Lizzie Wallack spent a decade working for one of the most innovative architecture firms in the Bay Area, where she headed up boundary-pushing projects like Proxy SF. So, when she and her builder husband bought a one-bedroom Craftsman in Petaluma and had to make it work for their family of three, and then four, they put their heads (and skills) together to transform it into something exceptional. Lizzie gives us a tour of their home, introduces us to Solomon, 6, and Golda, 2, and talks about everything, from why her own mother was too cool for her tastes when she was a kid, to why she has never suffered from mom guilt. Click through the whole tour below and prepare to be blown away!
Bonus points: This is the first time we’ve profiled sisters on the site! Lizzie is family to Boston-based Anna Wallack, founder of Misha + Puff, whom we featured two years ago.
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- "We have lived in our home for almost four years, and it is the first home we’ve owned. It took a village to purchase and we thank our lucky stars for that village every day. Both my husband and I have very substantial student loan debt, which essentially amounts to a house worth of debt, so our price range was on the lower side—for the Bay Area—which made it an extremely competitive market with not a huge selection. We came to the open house, and as we were walking through, we knew that what was being sold as a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath Craftsman wasn’t what we ultimately wanted, but that the potential—and square footage—was there. So, we figured we’d use it as our foot-in-the door to the market. Flash forward four years, we love our neighborhood and have no plans to move any time soon, so ongoing renovations it is!"
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- "Curated, organized, bright, and calm."
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- "Since we bought it as a family of three, and it was a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom home, we knew that immediate change would need to happen and that we’d be doing the design and construction ourselves. My husband and I met in architecture school. He now works in construction management but grew up in the trades. I have worked in architecture for just over ten years. Currently, I run my own shop and am working on both residential and commercial projects. Our home is always evolving and changing to meet the needs of our growing family, which I love. The process of it keeps me interested and engaged with how we use the space. Before moving to Sonoma County, I did mostly commercial architecture, but being up here, I’ve started to do residential projects, and working on my own home has been very satisfying. It’s interesting and exciting to study how my family lives and utilizes space, and then be able to design for it in real time. Because we do all the work ourselves, it’s not realistic that it all gets done in one fell swoop—we both have full time jobs—so in that sense, it’s organically created a really great feedback loop. Design, build, test, observe, repeat. Phasing projects allows us to take on the work as we can. We closed on the house and had 15 days until we’d be moving out of our rental and into this home. In that time, we mapped out and executed phase one of the remodel, which included demo-ing a half bath/laundry room to create a second bedroom for our son, gutting the existing kitchen that had 15 years worth of layered paint and grease, and replacing the kitchen windows with French doors to the backyard. We designed a temporary kitchen with a budget of $500 and that is the kitchen we still use, and love, today. We sprayed the entire interior of the house white, including the bathroom tile. Everything got an amazing Margiela-like coat on its surface. That was our blank canvas. That allowed us the visual space to take our time in deciding how and where we would introduce color down the road. The kids' bedroom since has undergone phase two of construction, which included gabling the ceiling, properly insulating the space, removing old doors and windows, and installing new windows. We are currently working on phase three of the kids' bedroom, which is creating a sleeping loft and second floor. We are half-way finished. Phase four is putting back another bathroom, in a different location, and adding closets in both bedrooms. All work has happened within the existing footprint of the house—we haven’t made the envelope any bigger."
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- "I don’t know that I have a philosophy more than just intuition. As a designer, I rely heavily on my initial instinct, and then in a way, fact check from there. I don’t like stuff for stuff’s sake. Too many things in my home feels uncomfortable. I like room to breath. I take my time to find the right object or furniture for our space and am O.K. with doing without in the meantime. I like to keep spaces fluid and don’t like things that are too prescriptive. Having children has definitely influenced our current space, but being a designer has influenced how we create an environment for a diverse audience. I really like mixing graphic elements with natural, real materials. Mixing woods and textures and whites. Old and new. Most of our furniture has been found second hand, made ourselves, or an Ikea hack."
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- "I love small bedrooms. I like bedrooms to be for sleeping and quiet time and the rest of the house to be where the busy activity happens. Our children currently share a room and have since Goldie left our bedroom at about 10 months. Soon, Sonny will sleep in the upstairs loft and have a little space for himself, and Goldie will take over the downstairs part of the room. They will still be connected in a way, but will have a little more elbow room to stretch out in. The furniture is minimal. Goldie had the same crib that Sonny used and his bed is cozy mattresses stacked on the floor. We customized plain wood dressers from Ikea, which allowed for tons of clothing storage. The decor is art they’ve made and special treasures found or gifted. Just when I start to feel a tinge of guilt for decorating their room with found river rocks and sticks that I think are special, I’ll see Sonny rearranging them to make a jump for his cars to go over and be really excited about what he’s constructed. It’s really cool to see my children utilize the environment that I’ve created for them. Sometimes they change it around in a way they want it, and sometimes not."
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- "Our living room is sort of an odd shape, long and narrow-ish, with the front entry door from the mudroom cutting it in half. It took a few iterations to get it to where it is today, which feels pretty good. We’ve discussed re-routing the front entry, but have now come to liking where it is. This space remains a little fluid. It’s our main hang-out space, play space, folding-lundry-at-night-while-watching-a-movie space. I like having an open floor for play. In the winter we make lots of fires and sit in front of the hearth. We have toy cabinets that line one wall. Most often, they are open and toys are spilling out. Sometimes the kids make elaborate creations with blocks, Magna-Tiles, and animals, which get left out for days, and sometimes everything gets put back right away. I like them to have authority over their creations in our home, and this is a space that accommodates that nicely."
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- "My husband and I made a bench/coffee table that I really love. He brought home some beautiful wood from a job site, and I instantly knew what it should be used for. We collaborated on the design and making, which was super fun. Our couch is cozy and holds a lot of bodies. It was the first piece of furniture that we bought as a couple and it took months to agree upon. Adam is 6’4” and I am 5’2” so furniture fits us quite differently. This couch fits us both. It’s been well loved and I look forward to reupholstering it once Goldie is past the messy toddler age."
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- "Every room in our home is open for play and we encourage that. We do corral toys in baskets and cabinets and everything has a place, but our children are free to play where they desire."
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- "Sonoma County is dreamy. The hills go from being shockingly bright green to the most shimmery golden yellow. We are close to the city, the ocean, and the woods. The air is fresh and the public schools are great. We have an amazing neighborhood with neighbors that know our children and are always chatting with passersby. Our children’s routines are small and local. My son’s school is four blocks from our house and our daughter’s caretaker is about six blocks. When my meetings are local, I can go days without being in my car."
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- "I am originally from New England. I would love to have a place to call home back east that we could go to regularly and make ours. For now though, staying with family during vacations are wonderful."
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- "We have a really good local coffee roaster, Acre Coffee, which was a prerequisite for places we absolutely needed to have in a town that we’d move to. We also belong to an incredible CSA, Open Field Farm, which supplies 80 percent of the food we eat in our home. It’s been four years now that we’ve been members, and each year we’ve gotten better and better at eating and cooking seasonally. It’s a priority in our home. There are a handful of great shops, such as Maude and Good Gray, in our downtown, and others sprinkled throughout Sonoma and Marin Counties, such as Miracle Plum, Coyuchi, and Circle of Hands. There are tons and tons of amazing places to get out and be in nature, from the grassy park across the street from our house to Helen Putnam Park to Dillon Beach to Armstrong Woods and all of the places in between. There is never a shortage of fun day trips or short walks to outdoor fun."
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- "On one hand, I love the chance I get to continuously be a better me. That I get to constantly learn and grow and influence and be influenced. And on the other hand, I love that it’s not always just about me. That I get to put myself aside, get out of my own way, and focus on other people. That has been the most profound change since becoming a mother, and the one thing that has given me such a perspective on life."
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- "I don’t think I have anything that makes me nervous..."
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Peace plate by Ariel Clute, redwood cutting board by The Butterfly Joint.
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- "Solomon Wallack and Golda Rae. Both of my children’s names are connected to family, on both mine and my husband’s sides, and through multiple generations. They share their last name, Katz, with my husband and their paternal side cousins, and their middle names, Wallack and Rae, with me and their maternal side cousins. Solomon is named after my grandfather on my father’s side, and his middle name is Wallack, which is my last name and my nephew’s last name. Golda is a name that both my husband and I loved because it is the formal name to Goldie, a nickname we really wanted to use and have had on our list since before Solomon was born. Rae is a middle name that Goldie shares with my niece. My sister picked that middle name for her daughter, in honor of my father. The ‘R’ is for Robert who so sadly died before both girls were born. Both of our children also have Hebrew names that they received as babies in traditional naming ceremonies. Those names come from great grandparents on both sides of our families, as well. Solomon’s is Benzion and Golda’s is Batya Levia."
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- "Solomon is 6.5 and Golda is 2.5. They are at very different stages from each other and very much have their own lives, but also have a wonderful relationship with each other and play—and argue—together magically. Solomon is really into physical, outdoor activities and exploring. He’s a numbers guys and is, more often than not, playing with Legos. He loves climbing trees, making forts, and carving and whittling wood. He just started to really get into drawing, which makes me so happy, because he was never interested in drawing or art in general as a little guy. Goldie could draw all day long, on paper, on books, on the house! You have to keep an eye on that one—she has a wandering pen. But she loves drawing and painting and stays interested for quite a while. It’s really cool to watch. She also loves her baby dolls and babies out in the world. Both of my children like being social, but also really enjoy their own personal solo play time, and can sink into that pretty easily. We read a lot in our house, together as a family, every night before bed. We also have separate reading time with different books for them respectively, but they seem to really enjoy the ritual of reading together."
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- "Yes. Always. Since I was a little girl. I’ve always loved, loved, loved babies. And still do!"
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- "I had a miscarriage before I got pregnant with Solomon. At the time, it was completely devastating and physically painful, but thankfully early. I was so, so sad. In hindsight, it was the way it was supposed to be. The second I gave birth to Solomon, I realized that he was my baby. He was my first born and it was meant to be. He had that special sparkle in his eye."
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- "I did. I feel fortunate to have been in the position with both children to have taken maternity leave. Each one ending, then culminating in the new iteration or start of my career. The next chapter in my life, as both a designer and a mother. My leave with Solomon was longer than my leave with Golda. I cherished the time with both."
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- "Not really, but I love hearing recommendations!"
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- "I have many wonderful women in my life that I really admire. Family and friends. I am so lucky to have an extensive circle to call upon for inspiration and support."
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- "When I was little, my mom was a total babe—she still is—but back then, she was youthful, hip, wore miniskirts, side ponytails, and old flannel shirts. And all I wanted was June Cleaver to be my mom. I wanted milk and cookies to be waiting on the counter when I got home—not Whitney Houston blasting on the radio. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized what I had, and still have, was very special. I was always very close to my father. He was raised by his nanny, who was a woman, and he had two older sisters. He was also very close with his mom. Girls were all he knew. He didn’t do the ponytails how I liked them, but he took me to dance class when I was little, and prompted me to sing the back up parts to the Aretha Franklin songs that we listened to together. He was the one who curated our environments. He was thoughtful and articulate. Both of my parents were very, very present and remained so, even when they separated and remarried. I grew up in homes with unconditional love, freedom, and support to explore what I was interested in. My dad did all the cooking and my mom coached my softball team. We ate dinner together every night and were encouraged to speak freely and openly and be anything and everything that we wanted to be."
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Lizzie wears a Claflin, Thayer & Co. chore coat, Margaret Howell shirt, Maison Margiela boots, and Levi's.
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- "I’d say I am consistent with clear boundaries. I try my hardest to be present. Is that even a style?"
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- "When I was pregnant with Goldie, we didn’t know she was a girl. I was so depressed when Trump was elected. On the night of his inauguration, I started painting our fireplace black—it then expanded to two walls being painted black. I felt defeated and deeply, deeply saddened. A few days later I birthed a powerful baby girl and saw the light. Since then, we have tried harder as a family to be better, stronger, more supportive, and to fight for what we believe in. I have designated time for volunteering in Solomon’s classroom and school, and fundraising for Planned Parenthood. Along with talking to and educating my own children, I feel like volunteering in our public school system, and supporting an organization I deeply care for, are very present and immediate ways that I can help my community and make a difference."
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- "Take your time, don’t rush anything. Breath deeply and remain open. Surrender. And don’t buy a lot of baby gear, you don’t need it! For nursing mums, I highly recommend wool nursing pads—especially for winter babies—and a cozy carrier."
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- "Our family feels complete. I’d like to offer help and support to others in need in the future, either small children or mums with small children. Something on a more personal level."
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- Lizzie wears an Aliya Wanek sweatshirt, Levi's, and Haga Trätoffelfabrik clogs.
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- "I am the creative director of Happiness Happiness + Holden Architecture. We design commercial and residential architecture. Currently, we’re a small shop of myself and my partner and principal architect, Grayson Holden. Grayson is a dear friend and collaborator, and we’ve been working together in one studio or another for over 10 years. We work at a range of scales in various locations, including new construction, ground up projects in S.F. and the North Bay, to tenant improvements in the East Bay, to gut renovations in Mammoth."
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- "I grew up in Newburyport, MA, which is a small seaport town about 40 miles northeast of Boston. I left when I was 18 to attend art school in San Francisco. I have a BFA in furniture design/making, and a master’s degree in architecture, both from the California College of the Arts, though when I was there for my undergraduate degree it still had the extra ‘C’, for crafts. The San Francisco draw was strong enough that it pulled me back after having left for a few years to live in Boston and work as a photo stylist, and thankfully so! Architecture school is where I met my husband, and feel like everything just clicked and came to life. I had some really, really excellent professors, mentors, and friends in grad school, culminating in many years of exciting work in the Bay Area. I worked at envelopeA+D for almost 8 years before striking out on my own. Douglas Burnham, the founder and principal, was a very dear mentor to me. I greatly value both degrees, both for the education that I received and for the lifelong relationships that have come from them. I am still very closely connected to a handful of amazingly talented makers that I went to furniture school with, who are all doing great work today. When I initially moved to S.F. in 1998, I completely fell in love with the city. I used to say that I might as well move back to the East Coast if I had to move to the East Bay. Clearly I didn’t, because flash forward 10 years and I was living in South Berkeley and loving it. That was the gateway step to moving to Sonoma County, six years ago."
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Lizzie wears a vintage mesh wedding band, and a solid band by Chris Neff.
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- "Since having children, I have become incredibly efficient in my practice. I’m also not sure that I would have struck out on my own if it weren’t for having children and wanting the flexibility to both be with my family and not give up architecture. Starting my own shop has allowed me to sculpt my own schedule, which has its merits and downsides. The win is that I get to be practicing architecture and am able to spend quality time with my children. The downside is that I often work alone, either off or late hours, and don’t get to be a part of a larger creative team. I miss the buzz and look forward to moving studios in the fall to be able to create some of that energy again. Grayson and I will be opening up shop in Oakland in the coming months. Starting a small business has brought the invaluable challenge of getting exciting work and staying current/relevant. It is extremely rewarding. I think we’re doing a pretty good job all around!"
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- Golda creating en plein air.
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- "I am so lucky to say yes, I do. We have a ton of close family on my husband’s side sprinkled throughout the county, and my mom comes from the East Coast every couple of months to visit and help. We have a wonderful friend network and an excellent share-care. We’ve worked really hard to build our childcare team. They are all invaluable."
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Goldie wears Misha & Puff overalls.
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- "Oye. I think I would just say that it’s not going to be perfect all of the time and that is O.K. Find the beauty in the imperfections and the mess. At the end of the day, we are all human beings trying our very best. Something's gotta give, right? Let it be fluid. Kids get sick and they need more attention, projects start or reach critical milestones and they need more attention. Picking my battles and prioritizing is very important, always. Being present in whatever the task at hand is—it’s the most challenging, but most rewarding. I get so inspired when I am with my children and it helps charge my work. My work charges me and helps me inspire my children."
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- "It is not. But not because I’m not a guilty person! Jewish guilt is a real thing, ha. My husband and I have worked extremely hard to build our team and sculpt our schedules so that we each have our careers and time with our children and each other. We sacrifice certain things—me working in a larger office, our social engagements with friends—in order to have it this way, but it’s not forever, and we have prioritized what feels best right now for all four of us. Things will continue to evolve and change as our kids continue to grow. I’ve mentioned it before, but being fluid helps. Embracing each shift in our rhythm."
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Sonny wears a Bobo Chooses sweatshirt.
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- "I think about it constantly and it’s extremely important to me. I am the one they are around the most. I hope that I can be the best role model for them, with all my passions, talents, flaws, honesty, love, and mistakes. I see my life’s work as creating inspired, intelligent, confident, healthy architecture and raising inspired, intelligent, confident, healthy children. I never stop being a designer and I never stop being a mother. I am both, 100% all of the time. I hope they have equal memories of me working away in a pile of material, making models of buildings, as they do cuddling and talking about our days."
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- Sharing a sweet moment in the kitchen with Golda.
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- "Comfortable. Not fussy. I like a uniform."
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- "A little bit. I feel like I have loosened up since becoming a mother. I’m not as structured as I used to be and more open to color."
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- "The items in heavy rotation change maybe seasonally, maybe not. I wear my clothes until there’s holes in them and they need patching. Jeans, a sweater, and clogs are my go-to throw-ons first thing in the morning as I’m getting my kids up and out of the house. I’m really into the non-stretch, high-rise Levi's 501s, sweaters—Misha & Puff, of course—and clogs. All the clogs: Haga Trätoffelfabrik, Sven, No. 6, Anna, Skane Toffeln, and old ones that I’ve had for so many years I don’t remember where they are from. I am still very much into my white Repetto Zizi’s that are easily 10 years old, and both tall and short Acne Pistol boots of the same vintage. Over five years ago, I got on the waiting list for a pair of Cobra Rock boots. The email notifying me that they were ready came just days after my dad died. My dad always valued well-made clothing. He prided himself on his dress shoes that—he would constantly remind me—were older than me. They always looked brand new. Every time I put on the beautifully handmade boot, I think of him. I’ve never been an excessive clothing consumer, my closet is small. In fact we only have one closet in our house of four people. Storage space is very carefully organized and curated because it has to be, and I like it that way. I would definitely say that in the last 10 years, since my sister has started a clothing company—Misha & Puff—based on handmade, ethically made, and well made clothing, I've become even more aware of the value of clothing. And what I am consuming and what I am leaving behind in a landfill for my children to deal with. I steer clear of fast fashion as much as possible. Whether or not I like how something looks, I care for the people making it and their environments, the materials with which it is made, and the longevity."
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Goldie wears a Wovenplay swimsuit.
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- "Having my eyebrows done is the only thing I regularly do for myself, and I love it. I have the best brow gal around and recommend her to anyone! Jessica Devereux is amazing and a genius at making one tired mama look rested and fresh. For skin products, I’m pretty strictly Dr. Hauschka at the moment, but just got my first bottle of Everyday Oil from my sister as a Mother’s Day gift—so far I love it!"
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- "I try really hard to do a strength training class two-to-three days a week—that’s my baseline goal. Up or down from there is also good. When it isn’t raining, I ride my bike as much as I can: taking the kids to school and share care on bikes is the best commute. Having that time to stretch our legs and get fresh air before we start our days helps a ton. Everyone is happy when we ride bikes to and from school."
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- "I’m working on it. Right now it’s a 40-minute exercise class, a car commute to a meeting, or an occasional networking event, which are great, don’t get me wrong. Goldie is just on the edge of being a little bigger and needing a little less. Sonny is in a great spot of enjoying me when I’m around but not needing me when I’m not. I’m feeling hopeful that more 'me time' will come soon, and when it does, it will include attending more museums, lectures, critiques, architecture tours and trips, leisurely reading, thrifting—the list goes on!"
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Lizzie wears Acne boots, Annie Costello Brown earrings, a vintage mesh wedding band, and a solid band by Chris Neff.
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- "This year both my husband and I are turning 40. Last year we made a pact that we wanted to enter a new decade in the best all around heath we can be in. It’s exciting to think about what that means to each of us and map out how we want to accomplish our goals. Our eyes and hearts are wide open towards the future."
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For more on Lizzie, her family, and their ongoing renovation, follow her on Instagram.
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How cool to see a Petaluman on here! My family are owners of the funky bar downtown called Andresen’s. Now I’m wondering where on the west side your home is.??
Cheers,
Traci
Lovely profile. Would love to know the color of the fireplace. Thanks!