A Colonial Revival Home That Channels Leave It to Beaver

If you grew up in the 1950s dreaming of a life like the Cleavers, you weren’t alone. What makes the “Leave It to Beaver” house so instantly recognizable even decades after the show aired? The answer lies in stating power of Colonial Revival architecture, a style that dominated American suburbs throughout the 1950s to this day. That architectural style made the Beav’s home comforting to millions. The Cleaver house represented an entire movement in American residential design that defined suburban neighborhoods across the country. Growing up in the Midwest, I coveted the Cleaver home. Decades later, the “Leave it to Beaver” house remains an iconic symbol of the American Dream.

This home is not techically the “Leave it to Beaver House”. It belongs to my son and daughter-in-law and is located in beautiful Maple Park in Salinas, California. It is he city’s most prestigious and historic neighborhood. Established in 1929 by developer Frank B. Porter, it was Salinas’ first subdivision to feature underground utilities and meandering, tree-lined streets that break away from the traditional city grid. The area is characterized by a high concentration of beautifully preserved homes in various revival styles including Spanish, Tudor, Colonial, and French. Colin and Lauren are moving out of the area, so they are selling their beautiful home and moving on to a new chapter in their life. We have always called it the “Leave it to Beaver” home. You can find the full listing here.

When our son and daughter-in-law’s business was shuttered for over a year due to covid, they didn’t let that time go to waste. They took the money they had saved for a kitchen remodel and used it to completely transform the rest of the home on their own. From the ground up, they redid the landscaping, painted the entire house inside and out, replaced all the windows, and refinished the hardwood floors. They even managed to convert an unfinished basement room into a fabulous wine cellar. FYI they aren’t amateurs, Colin worked with Steve for a few years. They are perfectionists and do everything perfectly.

BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES

The house has beautifully landscaped outdoor areas.

Seating area with Fountain & Custom Upholstered Furniture

Seating Area with Firepit

Grill Area & Heated Patio Area

Shop Outdoor Spaces

The Entry

Entry with simple tables they purchased at Target for their former home and repurposed . Vintage rug that we found somewhere.

Antique chest with a mix of vintage and modern accessories. Steve and I found the chest on Cape Cod many, many years ago!!

Beautiful Living Room Area

The living room is filled with a mix of family antiques, custom built sofas, and treasures we found antiquing and thrifting.

Nearly everything in their house was either a lucky find of their own or something I spotted for them. Whenever I called to tell them about a great deal, their response was always the same: ‘Grab it! You may have seen the post I did How to Style a Console several years ago. I had a lot of fun styling their console with all of their treasures..The console came from Habitat Home and Garden in SLO.

The cabinet is from Dovetail furniture (trade only). I found it when they first moved into this house.

Dining Room

The dining room has built in corner cupboards in all four corners for tableware storage. The table came from Noir Furniture. The chairs were Restoration Hardware. I have linked all sources and similar below.

KITCHEN

kitchen photos courtesy of Monterey Bay Virtual Tour

Colin and Laurenn remodeled the kitchen and built all of the cabinets themselves. They had planned on having someone build the cabinets and then covid hit. They used the money they had saved to do the rest of the house. They only recently completed the kitchen.The counters are some sort of limestone that I found for a great price when shopping for another client. They stored them for a few years until they were ready. I found the counter stools online

Family Room

The family room is a mix of old and new. The sofas were from Jenna and Darius’ former living room. Colin and Lauren rescued them.

The coffee table once had a home in our family room in our former home. We found it on a antiquing trip out East in a barn. One leg had been cut off so we made it into a coffee table.

The Library

There is a beautiful corner fireplace in the corner. Refer to real estate photos for more on that.

I featured this room in a former post Project Design-Easy Steps to Style your Shelves.

Colin built the small office desk from leftover wood from his dad’s warehouse. You can read more about how they made the best of this small space in my post How to Make a Compact Office Space Big on Style and Functionality

Laundry Room

I featured their laundry room and powder bath in more detail in this post Clever Storage Ideas for a Small Stylish Laundry Room.

Powder Bath

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Primary Bedroom

The master bedroom has it’s own private balcony.

Master Bath

Primary Closet

You can read more about their primary closet renovation in my post Walk-in Closet Makeover with IKEA Pax System.

Guest Bedroom

You can see the two guest bedrooms in more detail in my post Five Simple Tips to Create the Illusion of Space in a Small Bedroom here.

Shop Bed & Bath Decor

When you walk into a well-loved and beautifully restored Colonial revival, you can immediately feel the difference. It’s that sense of real craftsmanship and soul that we’re all constantly searching for today. They were simply built to last. The iconic Leave It to Beaver house really captured the essence of the American dream, and there’s a reason that look still resonates with us so deeply decades later. I am going to miss this house and all the blood sweat and tears the kids put into it. I hope another family will love it as much as they have.

Thank you for reading A Colonial Revival Home That Channels Leave It to Beaver. I will share the pies de resistance on Sunday. I hope you enjoyed the tour. I would love to hear your thoughts.