Los Altos women enjoy the up side of downsizing
The transition from large family homes to downtown condominiums has been a breeze for two longtime local residents.
Louise Spangler, owner of Uncommon Threads knitting and Needlework Shop on State Street, now counts her daily commute in footsteps from her home in the Chartwell building on Third Street.
“It’s 300 steps, door to door,” Spangler said. “I can’t think of one minus about my move. Every night, as I look out my living room window, I say, ‘I just love this place.’ “
About four years ago, Helen Helson, another Chartwell resident, sold her one-acre Los Altos Hills property on Rancho Manuela and created a custom condominium in the Chartwell before it was completely finished.
“For me, there are absolutely no disadvantages about my move. Now I walk to my eye doctor and my dentist. I walk to everything downtown,” she said.
Both women appreciate their proximity to friendly neighbors, yet also enjoy maintaining their privacy.
“This last summer, my youngest daughter got married and all of the out-of-town guests were able to stay right here, in the homes of neighbors who were traveling. It really made for a warm feeling among our group – we walked downtown together for breakfasts,” Spangler said.
Helson also appreciates the neighbors, but she never hears them.
“I never hear a soul when I’m at home. In the building, there is a good age mix of young professionals, families and older people. Dogs are welcome, too,” she said.
A member of the homeowners’ board and the building maintenance committee, Helson reports that everyone in the condominiums gets along remarkably well and seems to agree easily on what needs to be done around the property, which includes a dramatically landscaped central courtyard with an Alhambra-like fountain and watercourse.
To plan her own unit, Helson consulted with interior designer Stella Tuttle of Palo Alto to re-configure walls and room spaces. She has plenty of room for a grand piano in the living room, and she customized her large kitchen with cherrywood cabinets, a Sub Zero refrigerator and a bright skylight. She also created a fantasy master bedroom suite, complete with a fireplace and oversized closet.
“I especially enjoy sitting out on my bedroom deck,” she said.
She grows hibiscus, a lemon tree and other plants in containers and has room for a small outdoor table and two chairs on her third-floor terrace.
Spangler’s unit looks out into the branches of a huge live oak tree.
“That view is one of the main reasons I chose this unit,” she said.
Of course, her condominium has many examples of fine needlework, both antique and modern. One of her favorites is an embroidered slogan she stitched herself many years ago, which advises “Take Your Cookies When They’re Passed.”
“That’s what I did when I decided to buy this place and sell my former home – all in six days’ time,” she said.
“Now I never have to worry about old plumbing and leaky roofs. I can work long hours at the shop and not worry about my house; and I can just lock the door and take a trip without any problems.”
