Allie Pembleton The Art Of Home

10/14/2026

Choosing tile for the primary bath from and All Natural Stone, Inc., including the beautiful Bakasana birds from StoneImpressions | Natural Stone and Wall Coverings.

For the hall bath, I found terrazzo from concrete collaborative online, ordered samples, and I LOVE them!!!

It’s such a joy to explore my own aesthetic and collaborate with Terry without worrying too much about what buyers will like or a seller’s profit margin. Just choosing what we find most beautiful and want to live with every day.

And a big shoutout to Marlon Lopez and Kim from Marlon Nuñez, who are doing the work and helping bring our ideas to life!

Now to narrow it down… 😂

10/14/2026

Adding flowers to a listing with East Bay Nursery and Devil Mountain Wholesale 🌸

Research suggests that flowers can support positive emotions and feelings of connection, in part by encouraging the release of serotonin and oxytocin. That’s part of the psychology behind how I prepare my listings: I want buyers to feel a little more joy, ease, and welcome every second they’re there.

Even if they don’t remember exactly why a home felt so good, I want them to remember that it did. Thoughtful details—like fresh flowers—help create an emotional experience that makes a listing feel memorable, inviting, and like a place they can imagine calling home.

It’s strategy, but it’s also hospitality.

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Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

10/07/2026

Just Sold in Pac Heights!🌆🗝️

They bought it without ever stepping inside.

Our clients had been searching for two years for the perfect San Francisco pied-à-terre, a getaway that captured everything they love about the city. When 2200 Sacramento came on the market, they spotted it online, and we knew right away it was the one.

With the home only three days on the market, there was no time to wait for a visit. I went to the property and walked them through it on a FaceTime video call, room by room, so they could see the space, the finishes, and the light. They loved what they saw, and we made a preemptive offer. It worked.

This Pacific Heights home was designed by a talented designer, and it shows. Every detail is thoughtful and beautifully finished, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Lafayette Park right next door. It's also an easy walk to Fillmore, Union Street, Chestnut Street, and Crissy Field.

That's a big part of why Pacific Heights works so well for a pied-à-terre. You get the views, the quiet, and the architecture, with the best of San Francisco's north side just outside the door.

Congratulations to our clients on a getaway that was worth the wait. ❤️

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Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

PacificHeightsRealEstate

10/03/2026

Lokma in the Richmond.

We stopped here for Mediterranean food and shared a beautiful platter of dips, olives, and warm pita. Everything was fresh and delicious, but the house-made strawberry lemonade was incredible. It may have been our favorite part of the entire meal, and that is saying quite a lot.

Another wonderful neighborhood place to remember on Clement Street.

What is the best lemonade you have ever had?

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Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

10/02/2026

The cats in the old house, holding an emergency meeting around one bowl of food despite having several others available.

Agenda:
1. Eat someone else’s food.
2. Sit in someone else’s bed.
3. Look beautiful.
4. Contribute absolutely nothing to packing up 25 years of belongings.

The motion passed unanimously.



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Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

10/01/2026

Stairs can have a bigger impact on value than many sellers realize.

Not because buyers dislike them, but because they change who sees the home as a good fit.

Families with young children may have safety concerns. Buyers planning to age in place often prefer fewer stairs. Others simply want the convenience of moving easily between the kitchen, bedrooms, and living spaces.

The more buyers who eliminate a home from consideration because of a particular feature, the smaller the buyer pool becomes. A smaller buyer pool can mean fewer offers and less competition.

When I evaluate a property, I'm always thinking about how each feature will influence demand long before the first buyer walks through the door.

—
Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

10/01/2026

One of the things I love most about renovating is imagining what a house can become. One of the hardest parts is that every decision seems to create twelve more decisions. 😊

We’re trying to honor what makes this house special, especially the warmth of the wood ceilings and all of this beautiful light, while also making it feel like us. Not too polished. Not too expected. And definitely not grey or white everywhere.

Now we’ve reached the fireplaces, and I keep changing my mind.

So I’d love your design opinions: what would you choose for the fireplace finishes? Would you use brick, plaster, tile, stone, or something else entirely?

I have thoughts, of course, but I’m trying not to lead the witness. 😂

—
Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

09/29/2026

The house we bought was a hoarder house, and it needs a lot of work. But we are so excited to be in the Elmwood, and I can’t wait to make it ours.

I spend so much of my time designing homes with buyers in mind, helping sellers make choices that will appeal to a broad audience and bring the highest price. I love that work. But this time, I get to ask a completely different question: What would make our family happy to come home?

I have a feeling the answer involves a lot of color and pattern. 💚

—
Allie Pembleton
The Art of Home | Artistic Vision. Market Precision.

Helping buyers and sellers understand what drives home values in Berkeley, Elmwood, Claremont, Rockridge, Thousand Oaks, North Berkeley, and the Gourmet District.

09/27/2026

Some houses grab you by the heart the moment you walk in. 141 Fairlawn Drive in Berkeley is one of them. 💚

Designed by architect Andrew Batey in the early 1970s, it has soaring ceilings, exposed beams, and a wall of glass that brings the trees right into the living space.

It’s listed at $1,088,000 with 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a 1-car garage. I think it will go high. Its architecture and the feeling you get inside are so distinctive that there really aren’t direct comparables. That makes the price hard to predict, but I suspect more than one buyer will fall in love with it.

Listing agent: Elizabeth Lee, Realtor, eXp Realty of California.

ArchitectDesignedHome ModernArchitecture EastBayRealEstate UniqueHomes TheArtOfHome

09/26/2026

Lenders vet adult applicants based on their financial situation, not their age. But there is one age-restricted loan product you can learn about here.

The simple answer is that age discrimination in lending is prohibited. However, real life is a bit more nuanced, and age can play a role.