Eric Waldman and Judy Tyrus’s journey to a life together began a long time ago. They both grew up in Northern California, attending high school in Richmond, where they knew each other but weren’t close. After graduation, Eric got a degree in environmental design at UC Berkeley, then worked in Silicon Valley. Judy’s path took her to New York City as a ballerina and principal dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem for many years before she returned home to the Bay Area. She and Eric reconnected through mutual friends, fell in love, and are now partners in life and business. Judy started and Eric assists the nonprofit ChromaDiverse, which “helps performing arts organizations preserve, protect, and present their historical legacy online,” Judy says. “This type of archival support, particularly in dance, is necessary to tell their important stories and prevent cultural erasure.”

Looking for more space and a refuge from San Francisco, Eric bought a condo in a Sebastopol complex called the Florence Lofts for $725,000. The concept of the 2008 development, designed by Steven Sheldon, was to create sustainable yet stylish live/work units, each having 900 square feet of living quarters and more than 600 square feet of office space. But the unit was showing its age, so the couple tapped Tama and Lauren Bell of Tama Bell Design for a refresh within a budget of about $500,000 for architectural work and furnishings. “The goal was to modernize, lighten, and brighten the space,” says Tama.

The Bells came up with a design that was sophisticated but restrained. “As principal dancer in a major ballet company, I had the opportunity to travel the world and collected many beautiful things, so the minimalist approach wasn’t always easy,” Judy says. “Now, I feel it is important to not have too much, to let go of possessions that don’t reflect who you are. I love when a home reveals your heritage in color and textures, with simplicity and gorgeous style.”

Eric and Judy wanted charcoal epoxy on the first and second floors to cover the concrete, but the process and hit to the budget weren’t what the couple expected. “The epoxy service cost a lot more than I imagined. Also, the implementation is complicated because it has to be done all at once, and it takes about a week or two to fully cure,” Eric says. Consequently, the couple had to forgo updating the stairs because “replacing them with a different wood would have cost a fortune, so we covered them with a carpet.”

Overall, because of Covid’s effects on the supply chain, the furniture took extra time to arrive, but the project was still completed in nine months. Eric is grateful for “how it all worked together. Tama had the ability to transform my ideas into a fabulous design for the entire space. Even with an architectural background, it is sometimes hard to envision how it will all come together.”

Project Credits:

Interiors: Tama Bell Design

Builders: Parsons Construction

Cabinetry design and installation: Lake Country Woodcrafters

Electric work: Houston Electric

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